Head north of Belz in France‘s Brittany region, and you’ll find the small islet of Saint-Cado. It is connected to the mainland from the Etel River, by a small stone bridge.
There, you’ll find a charming village of the same name. It is dotted throughout with pretty whitewashed fisherman’s houses, as well as a historic Romanesque chapel.
The island is so small that it also features a coastal path, where you can walk all the way around without breaking into a sweat. it is the perfect way to take in the relaxed charm of such a small, close-knit community. But, these aren’t the qualities that has made it famous.
A stone’s throw to the south-west of Saint-Cado is an even tinier islet, Nichtarguer. Its view has had adorned many postcard and magazine over the years.
Photo by Jerome Colombo
Nichtarguer‘s claim to fame is that it is one of the smallest inhabited islands in the world. It has a diameter of just 25 meters at high tide. Low tide reveals an extra 100m of land. It is hard to believe that anyone could have made the island their home at all.
Photo by Stéphane Sélo
Photo by Jerome Colombo
Photo by Olivier Carton
However, perched proudly in the center is a single granite-built house. It has a slate roof and pale blue shutters and doors. They were briefly painted red in 2017, when it featured in a short Georgian film, before being returned to their original color. Maison de Nichtarguer was built in 1894 and once belonged to the keeper of the local oyster farm.
Now, it stands largely as a place for tourists to look at from the port of Saint Cado 100m away across the water. From there, they capture their own memories of this extraordinary little island and see for themselves the reasons the unassuming, modest, former oyster keeper’s house it holds is so well-known, and, ultimately, unforgettable.