Pointe du Toulinguet, Rocky cape and military fortification in Camaret-sur-Mer, France.
Pointe du Toulinguet is a rocky cape at the western end of the Crozon peninsula in Camaret-sur-Mer. Its cliffs are made of pale grey-beige quartzite sandstone of the Armorican sandstone formation, with deep vertical fissures and dark recesses at the waterline. On the scrub-covered summit stand an 1848 lighthouse, a model-tower no. 3 with its enclosing wall, and a 1949 signal station.
The cape's defences include a prehistoric fortified site and a lower battery attributed to Vauban, of which only a platform remains hard to make out. A model-tower no. 3 with its surrounding wall dates from 1812, and four batteries were added in 1883 and 1899. The site lies on the military ground of the Toulinguet signal station, built in 1949, and its lighthouse dates from 1848.
The name Toulinguet comes from the Breton Toul inged, "hole of the plover", referring to a pierced rock offshore. The cape's other Breton name is Beg ar Garreg Hir. The site lies within the Navy signal station grounds and is closed to visitors, so the toponymy is what remains accessible.
The site lies on the Marine nationale grounds of the Toulinguet semaphore and is closed to the public, so it cannot be visited, guided or otherwise. Views of the cape, its 1848 lighthouse and the white towers are had from the coastal path around Camaret-sur-Mer and from the sea.
The cape's Breton name, Toul inged, means "hole of the plover", referring to a pierced rock offshore. On 8 August 1918 the British cargo ship Swansea-Vale, of 1,310 tons, struck the Trépied rocks west of the point and sank midway between it and Fort de Bertheaume; the crew had time to evacuate.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,804 contributors worldwide.