Molène is an archipelago formed by a “principal” island of about 1 km in length and 900 meters wide, and a host of little isles adorning white fringes of sandy beaches. Unlike Ouessant, Molène has a natural harbour, which, in past times, made fishing the principal activity of the island. In the future, preservation of wildlife and the environnement of the archipelago, listed as biosphere reserve, could be part of the source of income for the islanders. Nowadays, less than three hundred people live in Molène over the year, on the “big isle”, the only one to be lived on.

Discovering Molène
 You'll find neither car nor bike on the island, they are not really necessary considering the size of the area. You can actually walk all around the island in less than half an hour. This tiny little paradise, with its clear waters, seems out of time. Besides, up to 1976, the island kept solar time, and even today you can come across some “hard-liners” who keep up the tradition against all the odds. As says its nickname “the bald island”, there is not a single tree growing on the island. Making a break in Molène means getting a chance to observe exceptional wildlife, marine mammals and nesting birds.

“Who sees Molène, sees his pain”
 Very violent currents appear in certain passages surrounding the archipelago, which makes navigation particularly delicate, even without reefs. In the case of the very deep channel of Fromveur (great torrent), the speed of the current reaches up to 16km/h, the fastest in all of Europe! The museum in Molène relates the wreckage off the island of a British ocean liner, the Drummond Castle, in 1896. Rewarding the rescuers' devotion, Queen Victoria offered a rain-water recovery tank to the inhabitants.

Museum of the Drummond Castle: 02 98 07 38 41

House of the island's environment: 02 98 07 38 92