Bangor: Hiking Trails, Lighthouse and Culture

Bangor combines opportunities for walking and cycling with historic buildings and a seasonal market. This gives you a range of interests to consider when planning your trip: time on the trails, a visit to a lighthouse or the history of a former priory. Details about a specific circular walk can also help you get a sense of what’s available locally.

Hiking and Cycling in Bangor

Bangor offers hikes, short circular routes on foot or by bike, trail routes and access to hidden beaches. Numerous cycling routes also start in Bangor. They take you away from heavy traffic and through the island’s villages and hamlets. This gives you a choice of short circular routes as well as longer routes and rides with different focuses.

One specific hiking option is the circular route through Vallon du Stang Per. It is in Bangor, is 3.7 kilometres long, is of moderate difficulty and is listed as a three-hour walk. Its distance, difficulty level and time required give you a concrete basis for comparing it with the short circular routes and trail routes also mentioned. The route is listed as a circular walk; no starting point in Bangor is specified.

Landscape and Nature

The path through Vallon du Stang Per passes a washhouse and a small bridge. Its vegetation and landscape include heather, gorse, chestnut trees and willow trees, as well as heathland, marshland and dunes. Along this route, you’ll encounter both small built features and a varied mix of plants and landscape types.

Another hiking destination is the Aiguilles de Port Coton on Belle-Île, which serve as a starting point for hikes. A rare, protected ecosystem is located there; the Aiguilles are designated an Espace Naturel Sensible (ENS). Their protected status and hiking opportunities make this a distinct nature-related stop to consider when planning your trip.

Lighthouse and Historic Traces

The Grand Phare, also known as Goulphar, is a 52-metre-high granite lighthouse in Bangor. It was commissioned in 1836 and has been listed as a historic monument since May 2011. After climbing 247 steps, you can enjoy views across Belle-Île. Its height, construction and history give the lighthouse a distinctive profile, as do the climb and the view.

The Église Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul was a Benedictine priory. Monks from an abbey in Bangor founded it in the 7th century; a church was built in the 11th century. The historical timelines are therefore quite different: for the lighthouse, the focus is on its commissioning in the 19th century and its later designation as a monument, while the priory’s history dates back to the 7th century.

Seasonal Sunday Market

The Sunday market in Bangor takes place weekly. In season, it offers local art, local crafts and used books. If you plan to visit the market, it’s important to note that this offering is seasonal: art, crafts and books are not part of the described market year-round.

Discover more destinations: Penestin, Gourin, Ménéac, Quéven, Damgan, La Vraie-Croix, Guidel-Plages, Bohal.

For the regional travel overview: Morbihan.