The Pointe du Raz is a promontory that extends into the
Atlantic from western
Brittany
Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...
, in
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. The local
Breton name is ''Beg ar Raz''. It is the western point of the ''commune'' of
Plogoff,
Finistère.
It is named after the ''
Raz de Sein'', the dangerous stretch of water between it and the island of
Sein (''Enez Sun'' in Breton). It is a dramatic place of crashing waves and strong winds. The word ''raz'' was borrowed from
Norman by the Bretons and shares the same etymology as the English word race, "strong current of water"; both are from Old Norse ''rás''.
It also marks the western end of the 3,200 km
E5 European long distance path to Venice in Italy.
The "
La Vieille" lighthouse can be clearly seen from the headland.
Although it is not quite the westernmost extent of continental France—that would be
Pointe de Corsen, just to the north—its rocky isolation makes it a popular tourist destination, comparable in some ways to
Land's End in the southern UK.
A brief description of Pointe du Raz is part of the culminating farewell conversation between the hero and heroine of Daphne du Maurier's novel "Frenchman's Creek," symbolizing the passionate turmoil (like the winds and waves of Pointe du Raz, in the channel between France and Britain) that characterizes the relationship between the French pirate hero and the aristocratic British heroine.
On November 2, 2023,
Storm Ciarán hit the area with winds reaching 207 km/h (129 mp/h).
External links
Shortfilm "L'Hôtel" about the Hôtel de l'Iroise (1947-1997), placed on the Pointe du RazPhotos of the Pointe du Raz*
Penn Ar Bed - Photothèque & Lighthouse
Headlands of Brittany
Landforms of Finistère
{{Finistère-geo-stub