Anchorage

Vieux port de Roscoff

Shelter: E, SE, S, SW, W, NW
Seabed: sand
Anchoring: Allowed

Drying mooring field of 69 buoys off the old harbour of Roscoff, on the Bay of Morlaix.

Water
Mooring buoys
Beach

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Approach from the east through the Chenal de l'Île de Batz, well buoyed but narrow, with tidal streams up to 4 knots at mid-tide. Watch the ferry traffic lights on the entrance. The old harbour dries at low water of springs; boats dry on a buoy over sand or against the old quay, where the fender tyres mark the hull. It is open and sheltered only from the NW, uncomfortable above about force 3 with any sea. Deep-water access via Bloscon marina at 0.7 nm SE. VHF 9.

Practical

69 moorings on sand, most drying, and many buoys lie free out of season. Water on the old quay and public toilets, but no showers. A launderette in the town. All commercial services within 200 m including bakeries, restaurants and a Carrefour Contact. A free bus runs in summer and bicycles can be borrowed. Fuel at Roscoff-Bloscon marina 0.7 nm SE.

Ashore

Roscoff old town at the quay, granite houses of ship-owners from the 16th and 17th centuries. Notre-Dame de Croas-Batz church, built 1520 to 1545, with a stone bell tower carved with carracks. Jardin Exotique on the Roc'h Hievec at 1 km, more than 3 500 southern hemisphere plant species.

History

Roscoff was the embarkation port for Mary Queen of Scots in 1548, aged five, and for Bonnie Prince Charlie after Culloden in 1746. The town became the home of the Johnnies, Breton onion sellers who crossed to Wales and south-west England from the 1820s.

Key facts

Type: Anchorage
Coordinates: 48.72470, -3.97740 (48°43.48'N 3°58.64'W)
Country: France
Shelter: Sheltered from east, south-east, south, south-west, west, north-west winds
Seabed: sand
Anchoring: Allowed
Maximum length: 29 ft
Fees: Paid
VHF channel: 9
Phone: +33670509668
Services: Water, Mooring buoys, Beach
Boaters' rating: 3.9/5
Updated: October 15, 2026