Name and Location

The Phare de la Pointe-à-l'Aigle, also known locally as the Phare du Légué or Tour-tan Beg an Eler in Breton, is a small masonry lighthouse located at 19 Rue du Phare, 22190 Plérin, Côtes-d'Armor, Brittany, France. Its coordinates are 48°32′07″ N, 02°43′07″ W (decimal 48.5354414, –2.7186294).

Construction and History

The lighthouse was built in 1857 atop the Pointe-à-l'Aigle to mark the entrance to the river Légué and the port of Légué on Brittany's northern coast. It replaced earlier harbor beacons as part of a mid-19th-century network improving safety on the Côtes-d'Armor coast.

Architecture and Materials

The lighthouse is a slender cylindrical tower with a gallery and lantern room, attached to a small single-storey keeper's house (no longer occupied). The tower is 13 meters tall and made of local dressed stone, while the base is granite. The entire structure was painted white.

Light and Navigation

The lighthouse carries a very quick green flashing light sector to guide vessels through the narrow estuary. It has a range of 8 nautical miles and is visible between bearings 160°–070°. The focal plane is approximately 13 meters above mean sea level, and the lighthouse is listed in national lighthouse catalogues and on OpenStreetMap/Wikidata.

Accessibility and Visiting

The tower is not open to the public, but visitors can enjoy panoramic views of the estuary, Saint-Brieuc bay, and Cap Fréhel from the quayside along Rue du Phare and the port of Légué promenade. The lighthouse is reachable by car or on foot via Plérin town centre (bus line to Légué port), with free public parking nearby.

Notable Views and Landscape

From this location, visitors can enjoy panoramic views of the estuary, Saint-Brieuc bay, and Cap Fréhel on clear days. The surrounding landscape features a historic fishing and small-craft harbor, adjacent marina with cafés and seafood restaurants, as well as coastal walking trails along the GR 34 long-distance footpath.

Anecdotes and Folklore

No recorded shipwrecks directly tied to this light, but the Légué river mouth was notorious for fast-running tides and shifting sands. Former keepers' dwellings are now converted to private residences.

Technical and Operational Details

The lighthouse is fully automated and solar-powered, with a managing authority of Service des Phares et Balises, Direction Interrégionale de la Mer Manche – Mer du Nord (French maritime administration).

Further Information

For further information, please refer to the United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's "List of Lights, Radio Aids and Fog Signals" Pub 114, A 1708, OpenStreetMap way/144734838, Wikidata Q26837538, Plérin municipal website, and "Les Phare et Balises de Bretagne," regional maritime heritage guide.