CLIFFS OF STATE

The Côte d'Albâtre, from Cap de La Hève to Dieppe, forms a wall unique on this side of the English Channel. The openings that criss-cross it from the sea are called valleuses, and the most famous of them is here, at Étretat. Climbing up the Aval cliff from the seafront, then skirting the golf course, you pass a first escarpment, to reach the Porte d'Aval, a fragile bridge over the sea, which argues with the Aiguille and its 51 meters, far less than the 130 m of Cap d'Antifer... But poetry fills the space, the sky and the hollow of the Aiguille if you listen to Maurice Leblanc. Le Trou à l'homme, the famous cave at the bottom of the cliff, is now off-limits, to prevent walkers from being trapped by the rising tide. The Chemin des Douaniers, on the other hand, leads to the Manneporte, the large, majestic and imposing arch, and further on to the Pointe de la Courtine, behind which nestles Antifer beach, which can be reached from Le Tilleul. On the other side, on the Amont cliff, the fishermen have built a chapel to pray to the Virgin to protect them. This doesn't prevent the sea from raging against Étretat during major storms. Étretat also has its Porte d'Amont, from which you could once descend onto the foreshore, although this is no longer advisable. In the distance, you can still make out two marvels, the Roc Vaudieu and the Aiguille de Belval, in Bénouville. Finally, to avoid any unfortunate accidents, it is forbidden to leave the marked paths to approach the cliff edge.