Overview
Roscoff is an elegant corsair town in north Finistère, on the western Channel, famous for its shipowners’ houses, its church with a Renaissance belfry and its tradition of the “Johnnies”, the pink-onion sellers who took their harvest as far as England to sell. Facing the Île de Batz, just a few cables away, Roscoff is also a cross-Channel ferry port and has, at Bloscon, a modern deep-water marina accessible at all states of the tide — a rare asset in a region with a large tidal range.
It is a stop on the Channel coast, further north-east than the heart of the Iroise, but a natural stage on the way to the Côte de Granit Rose and the Channel Islands.
Approach & access
The approach is through an area strewn with rocks and shoals, typical of the Léon coast; the Bloscon channel is well marked. The tidal range is large (Channel coast) and the tidal streams make themselves felt offshore and in the passage by the Île de Batz.
Practical pointers — The large tidal range means you must plan ahead for heights of tide and for your length of chain at anchor. Bloscon marina is in deep water and accessible at all states of the tide, which makes the stop simpler; the old harbour of Roscoff, on the other hand, dries out. The passage between Roscoff and the Île de Batz has tidal streams and rocks: chart and buoyage are essential. Details of berths and depths to be confirmed with the harbour office.
Harbour & anchorage
- Bloscon marina — modern deep-water marina, visitors’ pontoons, access at all states of the tide; the reference option.
- Roscoff old harbour — picturesque but drying; taking the ground, with access depending on the tide.
- At anchor — options towards the Île de Batz in settled weather, depending on wind and tide.
Services ashore
- Harbour office, water and electricity on the pontoons at Bloscon; fuel to be checked locally.
- Toilets, showers; technical services.
- Full provisioning: shops, supermarket, market in Roscoff; railway station and connections (cross-Channel ferries).
- Launches to the Île de Batz.
Things to see & do
- Roscoff old town — shipowners’ houses, the church of Notre-Dame-de-Croaz-Batz.
- The Île de Batz — a short crossing, with its lighthouse, beaches and exotic garden.
- Roscoff’s exotic and botanical garden.
- The memory of the Johnnies — onion sellers and the historic link with England.
During the course — Roscoff is a stop on the Channel coast: navigating among the rocks of the Léon, managing a large tidal range, harbour manoeuvres in deep water at Bloscon. A useful stage on the route between the Mer d’Iroise and the Côte de Granit Rose.
