Stroll diary : spectacular cliffs at Etretat
May 8th, 2008 by Bruno
If I had to bet on the natural landscape most photographed in France, it is well and truly on the cliffs at Etretat that I would make my choice. On the 120 km of this coast of alabaster, cliffs at the north and south seaside of the town of Etretat are the most spectacular and most famous. Already, painters such as Claude Monet had immortalized on canvas these beautiful landscapes. Nowadays, during the summer, and especially on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, there are walkers, hikers and photographers, amateurs or experts, equipped with all kinds hardware, shooting in film as well as digital pictures of these wonders of nature.
For sure, these are beautiful cliffs. Personally, I’ve discovered them for the first time in ‘98. And of course, I did some pictures with my old Canon Ixus aps Zoom. I did walk 5 or 6 times this year on these cliffs, and I kept very good memories of it. It was nice to take a nap or make a picnic at the top of these cliffs, or walk a few kilometres on the trails of Normandy coast. I did this year my very first website site with photos taken at Etretat, website that no longer exists,
and whose archives as well as the negatives of photos must be lost in the depths of a box in my cellar…
At the time, although I already knew these landscapes, seen in both TV broadcasts, on books or magazines, I was really impressed by the beauty of the place. Impressed also by the verticality of these cliffs, some are 120 meters high. And if like me you are subject to vertigo, it won’t let you indifferent ;-). Anyway, even without the vertigo, it is better to never walk close to the edge of the cliff, the ground is unstable and friable… because these cliffs are not static, and move back continuously, because of attacks from the sea at high tide and the dissolution of limestone with the stream of rainwater.
Walk along the cliffs at Etretat
Once arrived on the dike, just before the pebble beach, your will immediatly see 2 natural archs : on your left the Porte d’Aval cliff and your right the Porte d’Amont cliff.
Take the stairs located behind the left German bunker, to go to the top of the cliff of Aval. From there you can admire a breathtaking view of Etretat, find the digged needle near the Porte d’Aval, and also contemplate the cliff of the Manneporte, whose natural arch is much more impressive than Aval one.
Lets continue on the trail farther south (south-west), along the golf course. From the top of the Manneporte we have a beautiful panorama with on a side the door and needle of Aval, and on the other side the cliff of the Courtine. This cliff was also pierced by the onslaught of waves, but more discreetly, with an opening which will be probably an arch in the future…
Since the Pointe de la Courtine cliff, you can observe the Manneporte, and through its arch you come to see the needle or the Aval arch. On the other side there are cliffs and beach of Antifer. To reach this beach of sand and pebbles, we pass by the valleuse of Antifer. This “small valley” carved by erosion is a protected natural site, which is one of the few areas of the Normandy coast free of any construction (apart from the small road giving access to the beach). Thus it is nearly 95 hectares where preserved flora and fauna are very diversied.
Farther south, is Cap d’Antifer with its lighthouse and its oil terminal.
Returning to Etretat, direction Porte d’Amont. It seems at first glance less interesting than the Manneporte and Porte d’Aval. 
It is true that the dimensions of the arch are more modest. However, coming from its heights, you will see the presence of a staircase which allows do go down of the cliff. From the bottom of the staircase, if you look at north-east direction, we have a very good alignment with the Rock of Vaudieu and the Needle of Belval . And after being reassembled, is further upstream along the coastal trail along the cliff that you can admire the beautiful profile of this door of Amont. Note also that at the top of this cliff of Amont there is a museum and a monument dedicated to the Oiseau Blanc plane and airmen Charles Nungesser and François Coli.
Continuing along the trail, you’ll walk near the Needle of Belval. This
needle-shaped rock is almost rectangular and straight up. The base is a little more tight, eroded gradually by the waves. Along the trail there are many traces of landslides, demonstrating the inevitable withdraw of this coastline. I finished my little walk at the Valleuse du Curé, a former passage (now sentenced following a collapse), where a stairway of 283 steps carved into the cliff allowed access to the beach. According to legend, the parish priest, Father Desson-Saint-Aignan, had made construction of this straicase in 1883 to do penance…
Back on Etretat, I go to the beach to admire the sunset from near the arch of Aval.
Learn more about Etretat :
- Official website of the Tourist Office of Etretat
- Etretat seen by satellite on Google Maps (from the Valley of Antifer to the Needle of Belval)
And some basic advice and common sense:
- DO NOT approach the edge of cliffs, the ground is unstable and the rock very crumbly despite appearances of strength, and also on the beach avoid for walking under the cliffs (landslides !).
- If you want to go on the beaches, such as between the Manneporte and Porte d’Aval (accessible to most sportives through a tunnel dug under the cliff of Aval), remember to check the tide times and keep enouth a time to be able to go back.
Note : this post is a translation of my french travel and stroll diary. If you find any error, please feel free to tell it in a comment.
