The island means by nature a separation from the mainland. The perception and meaning of remoteness vary in time. In Breton islands remoteness is more deeply felt in the 19th century both by travellers and islanders, as it appears from the comparison of various sources such as tourists’ guides, travel stories, correspondences and town deliberations. Unknown or denied in the 18th century, remoteness becomes in the following century synonymous of adventure and exoticism to travellers who want to explore island territories. At the same time islanders begin to perceive remoteness negatively and deplore their isolation while they often implicitely much appreciate the protection it confers.