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!
