They spread across the coast as a stark chalk plateau. Each year, these cliffs recede an average of one or two meters, and […]. From Etretat to Dieppe, a distance of about kilometers, the English Channel is lined by cliffs that make up the last headland of the Pays de Caux.
Each year, these cliffs recede an average of one or two meters, and it is this rapid dissolving that creates a milky colored water at their base, thus giving them the name of The Alabaster Coast. Etretat is an incredible spot of natural beauty with its magnificent beach encircled by cliffs.
Around the 19 th century, the village underwent a transformation and became frequented more as a seaside resort known to painters and writers. The slopes are now covered by imposing Anglo-Norman style villas, surrounded by lush gardens. We suggest that you arrive early in the afternoon so to have time for a stroll along the cliffs of Aval and up to the Cap Antifer, passing also by the Aiguille Aval, the Porte Aval and the Manne Porte. Dinner, lodging and breakfast in a 3-star hotel.
From Notre Dame de la Garde chapel you will see Etretat. From here the trail turns inland for a moment and brings you through a field to the village of Vattetot sur Mer, which gives way then to the valleuse de Vaucottes. The slopes of Vaucottes shelter sumptuous villas, which stand in testimony of its prestigious past. You will cross next through Yport, a pleasant seaside resort of lovely — and sometimes extravagant! Lodging and breakfast in a 3-star hotel. When you are ready to leave, make your way towards Notre Dame du Salut by the tiny, upward sloping streets of the city.
Take the trail which follows — at a respectable distance! You will continue on the same path into Eletot and the small harbor of Saint Pierre en Port, where you might rest on its intimate familial beach. In , the receding cliff line forced the residents of the village to dismantle the 13th century Saint Pierre church and to rebuild it further up the plateau!
