The exact location of the third corner isn’t obvious like the others. The westernmost point of France is l’île d’Ouessant, but we wanted to stick to the continent for the purposes of our hexagon. The westernmost point of continental France is Pointe de Corsen, which is considered the theoretical divider between the English Channel and the Atlantic Ocean. (Source: Pointe de Corsen, Terres celtes) In looking at a map of France, however, this point doesn’t exactly stand out. We feel that the part of Finisterre that pokes out just north and south of the Crozon peninsula is more corner-like, so we decided that those points together constitute the third corner.
The point to the north is Kermorvan, a small cape with a lighthouse near the town of Le Conquet, from which the ferries to île d’Ouessant leave. It was incredibly windy the day we visited, and one of our umbrellas, already fragile from Bretagne’s infamous weather, more or less self-destructed, leaving behind a naked skeleton with the ripped waterproof material flapping in the wind. It was a memorable visit.
Our second contender to the third corner crown was la Pointe du Raz, which turned out to be an internationally renowned, protected site, and was far more popular among hikers and picnickers than we’d expected.
Here’s our map from the second corner to the third, complete with detours to Paris and Loire Valley. Remember that pink indicates our route as well as towns we actually walked around and/or ate in. Blue highlights where we stayed. You can click the map to see a much bigger version.
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About 6 corners of the Hexagon
The fourth corner of the Hexagon, at least according to the way we mapped out our trip, was the southwesternmost point of France. This is at the Spanish border, in the heart of Basque country, and the French side is Hendaye, one of the largest towns in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department. The beach is lovely, and from the languages we heard seems to be equally popular with swimmers and sunbathers from both sides of the border. The end of the jetty is the actual corner; to the left (south), across the water, you can see a bit of Spain.
Here’s our map between the third and fourth corners. As always, pink indicates our route as well as towns we actually walked around and/or ate in, while blue highlights where we stayed. You can click the map to see a much bigger version (MB).
