And my continuing road warrior trip back into our nostalgic Normandy, we visited two main towns and stayed between the two, perfect timing and location. We arrive to Etretat on the road D940 , and we parked by parking Place de Gaulle easy and free , We then walked the city center all over ! The beach ,cliffs and l’aiguille creuse were just there ,awesome !! Let me tell you about the beach, and cliffs of Etretat !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The most famous attraction of Étretat is none other than its famous chalk cliff, illustrated by the greatest French painters. Known throughout the world, this impressive natural sculpture is actually made up of several cliffs and needles: Aval, Amont, Belval, Courtine, Manneporte, Not linked to marine erosion, but to the action of an underground river parallel to the beach which would have dug its bed in the cliff before the non-uniform retreat of the latter, materialized by three capes. Erosion on these capes weakened by the internal channel of the river would be the origin of the three arches in turn eroded more or less completely. This rugged rocky coast, in particular these two cliffs which frame the bay, have contributed to the fame of Étretat
The Porte d’Aval is the second largest of the three gates located in Étretat. The silhouette of this cliff was immortalized by great painters like Claude Monet and Gustave Courbet. Thanks to the stairs that run along the wall, you can reach the top.
Opposite the Porte d’Aval, you can discover the Manneporte. It is the largest of the three cliffs of Étretat. Its name means “great door” in Old French. This site is not directly visible from Étretat beach, but you can still see it from the top of Porte d’Aval. To get there, you can follow the coastal path crossing Jambourg beach which separates the two sites.
The Aiguille d’Étretat is the impressive rock formation located off the cliffs. The fact that erosion left this immense piece of rock more than 55 meters high alone in the middle of the sea is an astonishing phenomenon! The needle was made even more famous and mysterious by writer Maurice Leblanc. In a novel by Arsène Lupin, he suggested that the needle of Étretat would be hollow and that the secret of the kings of France would be hidden there.
The smallest of the three cliffs of Étretat. You may have already heard that Guy de Maupassant compared the Porte d’Aval to an elephant dipping its trunk in water, well that’s a common mistake! It is indeed at the Porte d’Amont that the writer was referring to in his first novel Une Vie. A rather astonishing error when we know that Maupassant specifies in the following sentence: “It was the little gate of Étretat”. The Porte d’Amont is located on the longest cape in the Pays de Caux, which juts nearly 120 meters into the sea.
From the Aval cliff, you can discover a large cavity located high up in the wall: the young ladies’ room. This site takes its name from a dramatic legend which says that three sisters hid in this crevasse to flee the Baron de Fréfossé after refusing his advances. Furious, the lord blocked the entrance to the crevasse, condemning the sisters to certain death. Since then, according to legend, the ghosts of the three sisters have haunted the place. Today, it is possible to directly access this small cave thanks to a footbridge.
In 1792, following the sinking of his ship, a Swedish sailor managed to take refuge on the wall of a cliff, in a small recess. While all the rest of his crew disappeared in the shipwreck, this man was finally found alive, in front of the entrance to this small cave. At the beginning of the 20C, a tunnel was dug in the cliff at this location, to go from the Jambourg beach to the Étretat beach. Nowadays, the Trou à l’Homme cave is one of the best-known places on the cliffs of Étretat. Access to this cave is prohibited, Originally, it was closed but, a mayor of the town had the idea of opening it to allow walkers stuck on Jambourg beach, just behind the cliff, to be able to return to Etretat by the rock
The chemin des douaniers or customs officers’ path connects the different gates of Étretat, and you can even follow it to the Antifer lighthouse.Never leave the marked trails to approach the edge of the cliff. The landscapes are certainly magnificent but require the greatest caution.
Surrounded by impressive upstream and downstream cliffs, Etretat beach is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful beaches in Normandy. Sit facing the sea and listen to the rolling of the waves on the pebbles. In summer, the beach is quickly taken over. But the Etretat beach is also appreciated in bad weather, when the waves are impressive. To observe the show, the seafront promenade is ideal
Facing the sea,the beach embraces the cliffs of Aval and Amont on each side towards the north, while the village is located just behind. Right next to the arch, a tunnel dug by man, called the Trou à l’Homme cave or man’s hole (see post) allows you to pass from one side of the cliff to the other at low tide only.
The movement of the waves causes the cliffs to fall, destroys the chalk and polishes the flint. A few months later, the flint turns into galets or pebbles. The Etretat pebbles are very rounded, because they are condemned by the two obstacles which are the Porte d’Amont and the Porte d’Aval. The pebbles are a protected heritage. It is therefore prohibited to collect them under penalty of a fine, From Easter to November, the Galets et Voiles nautical club offers numerous nautical activities at Etretat beach, such as: nautical hikes and walks; sailing courses; and kayak and paddle rentals. You can also participate in regattas such as the enormous regatta of the perissoires. You can walk or fish on foot under cliffs like spiders and crabs. Also, you must take note of the tide times.
The local Le Havre Etretat tourist office on the falaises/cliffs : https://www.lehavre-etretat-tourisme.com/decouvrir/les-incontournables/decouvrir-etretat/les-falaises-detretat/
The local Le Havre Etretat tourist office on the beach : https://www.lehavre-etretat-tourisme.com/en/discover/the-essentials/discover-etretat/the-beach-of-etretat/
There you go folks, a dandy town famous for its cliffs ,and a nice beach even with pebbles. This was an eventful find , Etretat, nice , friendly beach town we like it. Again, hope you enjoy the post on the beach, and cliffs of Etretat !!! as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 