...Once upon a time there was a lagoon with limpid waters, called “La Chambre” (the bed-room). The belt of isles that surrounded it was bordered with white sandy beaches. On one of these heavenly isles grew a small, pale yellow flower, unique in the world, the Glenan narcissus...
This is the impression Glenan makes on visitors: seized with a glimpse of unreality, they find themselves at the limit of a fairy tale. The crystal-clear blue-green colour of this breton “atoll”, with its rounded outlines, finds a scientific explanation in the low depth of the water, and in the very clear sand due to the decomposition of maërl, a red seaweed. This very slow-growing seaweed has about the same function as the coral reefs in the Pacific.

The Glenan, a bird sanctuary
The islands of Penfret, Drennec, Loch and Saint-Nicolas are among the principal islands of the archipelago. Only one is opened to the public, the Saint-Nicolas Island.  The “sheep's island”, île des Moutons, a bit set back, harbors a pretty, white lighthouse. After having been lived on by the guardians of the lighthouse and their families for a long time, it is today a nature reserve, just like several other islands of the archipelago. All together they form an important bird santuary.

The Glenan, a paradize for water sports
Ever since the post-war years, the Glenan archipelago, situated at only 20 km distance off Concarneau, is also a Mecca for the apprenticeship and the practice of sailing and diving. Many of the most famous, present french sailors were trained at the Glenan school, some of them even worked there as instructors. The sailing course of the Glenan school still remains a standard reference work. The International Diving Center also settled here, charmed by the local sea bed, extremly rich with fish and...wrecks.

Links: site of the Ponant islands: http://www.iles-du-ponant.com/

Tourist office Fouesnant/the Glenan: http://www.ot-fouesnant.fr/

The Glenan's water sports' center: http://www.glenans.asso.fr/

International Diving Center: http://www.cip-glenans.org/