Escape to the mysterious Île Dumet
An uninhabited speck of land atop the ocean, this Loire-Atlantique island, which was once designated the centre of the world, continues to be the source of fascination and has many mysteries in store... Hoist the colours and set sail for the Île Dumet!
A wild, nature-filled spot of land
Look, you can just see it coming into view! Six kilometres off the coast from Piriac-sur-Mer bobs a little speck of land lost in the ocean, whose only inhabitants are two old stone forts. This is the Île Dumet, disturbed only by seagulls and cormorants searching for the shade of its dense vegetation, or a few amateur sailors all too happy to drop anchor there. In winter, the wind and tides incessantly torment this unshakeable rock of barely 20-acres, which has seen it all before...
The legend of treasure on the Île Dumet
Over the centuries, the place has been surveyed by the Vikings, the Venetians, the Saxons and even monks! It then became an outpost used for defending the coast or launching attacks. During the famous Battle of Quiberon Bay, the French are thought to have hidden their priceless loot of gold coins. The story also goes that the treasure of Crassus, a valiant Roman general, may be stowed away somewhere here.
The centre of the world according to Professor Alphonse Berget!
Even more astonishing, the Île Dumet was designated in 1912 by the respected Professor Alphonse Berget, a great specialist in world physics, as the centre of dry land... and therefore the centre of the world! It's amazing to see how this rocky little island has remained a constant source of fascination throughout the centuries. Daudet, Zola, Châteaubriand, Flaubert and the singer Colette Renard, who went there in search of tranquillity, have all set foot on Dumet. Now it's your turn to explore this little Eden, which has a Natura 2000 classification, touring it by kayak or paddleboard. Will you find the legendary treasure?
