Private island in Brittany with five beaches for sale at €2.5m

A six-hectare island on Brittany’s south coast featuring two houses and five sandy beaches has been put on the market for €2.5million.

The Ile de Riec'h (Morbihan) has served as a holiday retreat since the early 1900s, when the properties were constructed.

Situated in the Ria d’Etel estuary, formed by the River Étel, the island lies within a tidal zone and features traces of what are believed to be ancient fish traps off its coastline.

It was purchased by the current owners 30 years ago and underwent extensive renovations to its two houses. It was also connected to mainland water and electricity networks.

It benefits from a dedicated slipway in the town of Belz, a short 20-minute drive from nearby Auray, which itself is served by a two-and-a-half-hour TGV link to Paris.

“There are quite a few private islands off the coast of Brittany, but it is very rare that they come on the market,” Roxanne Guyonvarch, who is handling the sale for the Kretz estate agency, told The Connexion.

“It is very peaceful and green, and most of the island has been kept as a sort of nature reserve, with egrets and cranes using it to rest during migrations.”

Other marine birds and shoreline flora and fauna also thrive.

She said the current owners were advancing in age and no longer able to devote as much time as they wished to maintaining the property.

The main house has 140m² of living space and five bedrooms, while a smaller property, originally built for a live-in housekeeper, has two bedrooms.

Ms Guyonvarch said that the sale of islands invariably attracted considerable interest.

“Many people dream of living on their own island, but when it comes to actually doing so, it takes a while to decide,” she said. “Having said that, I have already arranged four viewings in the first fortnight it has been on the market.”