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A 1948 French stamp depicts a classic view of the south face of the rugged headland, Pointe du Raz, part of the coast of Brittany, which sticks out into the Atlantic Ocean and represents the most westerly continental landmass of France. Roughly indicated in the stamp engraving, in the lower portion of this sea cliff, just to the right of the crashing wave, a large shadow area can be seen. Certain liberties have been taken by the engraver, H. Cheffer, and the actual configuration of the rocks is not very accurate, but the in upper part of this shadow area is the entrance of a sea cave tunnel that completely traverses one of the narrowest sections of the point.

(1948 – 20 f – YT 764)	Photo by D. Brison - July 2004

Developed along a near vertical fault, this narrow slot runs north-south for approximately 50 or 60 meters. Identified on old postcards as the Grotte de Corinorans, it would be a fairly sporting cave to explore that could only be safely reached at low tide and would require some exposed climbing and chimneying. The second entrance is in a sheer-walled sea inlet at the base of the north face, not far from the isolated rock pinnacle called, Le Sphinx. On a recent visit to the site, I was prevented from closely investigating the cave by two serious handicaps: high tide and bad back troubles.

South Entrance to Grotte de Corinorans Postcard by Levy et Neurdein, Paris	IGN Map of the Pointe du Raz            Three tunnels are indicated with dotted lines

Some 150 meters further west along the north face is a deep inlet with high, sheer walls on three sides called, L'Enfer de Plogoff (The Hell of Plogoff). Many legends are associated with the Enfer de Plogoff, most of them having to do with the recovery of drowned bodies or the spirits of those who died in shipwrecks off this notorious point of rock. (Hélias, 1966) Two cave tunnels and one sea cave have developed along three different fault lines here. The most famous is the Cheminée du Diable (The Devil’s Chimney), a narrow vertical slot running east-west through the last buttress on the north face not far from the extreme end of the headland. One entrance faces east into the Enfer inlet and the other west onto the open ocean. On old postcard photos waves can be seen rushing into both entrances so an exploratory traverse would require rappelling or a sea kayak to reach it. The second tunnel cave here follows a narrow, inclined fault and heads straight through the headland from north to south, coming out on the south face in an inlet somewhat east of the extreme end. This south inlet-entrance is visible on my photo but only barely visible as a slight triangular shadow on the stamp. The third cave with an entrance in the Enfer de Plogoff is yet another vertical fault cave which appears from a recent postcard photo to terminate in breakdown some 8 meters inside. There may be a way on through the breakdown but you would have to rappel down to find out or approach with a kayak.

In 2003 the French Postal Service issued a series of stamps concerning tourism and one of these represented the Pointe Du Raz, but it only shows the rocks, Gorle Greiz, and the lighthouse sticking up in the sea off the coast here and only a tiny portion of the actual headland is included. The cave tunnels are well off the right margin of this stamp, so it cannot be considered a true cave stamp.

All told there are at least four granite sea caves in this headland and certainly a great many more could be found along both shores of the peninsula further east. The Pointe du Raz area offers some interesting and challenging possibilities to the enterprising sea cavers of France.
 

Reference

Hélias, Pierre-Jakez 1966, Légendes du Raz de Sein
Éditions d'Art Jos Le Doaré, Châteaulin, Finistère, p. 3, 13, 15