The final stage follows the Aulne, which gradually turns tidal as it nears the Brest roadstead: the towpath gives way in places to coastal paths offering views over the river’s wider, saltier waters.
Port-Launay, a former river port now largely given over to pleasure boating, marks a clear shift in scenery, between the last remnants of the inland canal and the open estuary. Landerneau, further on, is a possible stop for splitting this final day if a more relaxed pace is preferred.
Arriving in Brest, a major naval port and the canal’s final destination, closes the historic loop of a route built two centuries earlier to link the two great Atlantic naval bases without ever being exposed to the open sea.
Indicative distance for this stretch.