Falaises de la Côte d'Albâtre

The Alabaster Coast designates the whole chalky coastline of the Pays de Caux, in the Seine-Maritime, which extends over about 130 kilometres between the estuaries of the Seine and the Somme. Its white cliffs, broken by some sixty valleuses where small streams reach the sea, owe their characteristic tint to the chalk that makes up most of the Norman plateau.

At Étretat, erosion shaped the most famous formations of this coast: the natural arches of the Porte d'Aval and the Porte d'Amont, as well as the hollow needle facing them, popularised by the paintings of Monet and Courbet before becoming a prized holiday resort from the nineteenth century. These cliffs, among the highest on the coast, continue to recede under marine erosion, a phenomenon that durably shapes the landscape.

The GR21, the long-distance footpath of the Norman coast, lets you follow the Alabaster Coast from Le Tréport to Étretat then Le Havre, offering many viewpoints over the cliffs. Spring and autumn, with the often changing light characteristic of the region, remain favoured seasons for photographing the site.

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