Île Grande — Côtes-d’Armor (Bretagne, France)
“We don’t know how much time we have. These are the moments when I feel most that I’m alive.” Her
What’s good about our current location is the distances. We can get to most things in less than half an hour, like the island of I’lle Grande, which is basically right on our doorstep. We are there on a walk and circumnavigate the island in three hours. We’re very excited about it in the morning and when we get there, it’s pure bliss.
The happiness is not just in the movement, it is in this breathtakingly beautiful nature. The rugged rocks and steep cliffs, the white sandy beaches and the moor-covered plains. All of this in an alternating variety, once around the entire island. The sun is shining and the world is a different place. This attracts not only us to this place, but also many others. Hikers, walkers and runners. People enjoying themselves and children playing. People from the island and people from the surrounding area or from further afield.
Halfway along the route is the Station LPO de l’Ile Grande, a station for volunteers who take care of the protection and research of the archipelago and the birds that live here. And they do care. There is a single seagull in an open enclosure. On closer inspection, I discover that it only has one leg. The enclosure is covered with a net on which another seagull is sitting. It’s as if these two belong together. And they probably do. The free gull does not leave the other one alone. What a moving sight, how they are there for each other.
It’s nice to have someone by your side. When I think about my life, I can hardly think of people who are there for me now. My parents say they are. But since the events two years ago, my trust in them has been shattered and I feel more alone than I did before. There is only one person on this planet that I trust and that is my wife. My friends have their lives that they retreated to a long time ago. Maybe I withdrew from them too. The thing is, once a family is established, it is the center of attention for most people. Today, my center is with me on this small, rugged island.
Activity: Walk the Le Tour de Île Grande (GR34).
Distance: 8,2 km
Total Time: 2 h 40 min
Start/End: 48°47’59.3”N 3°33’59.8”W