Photo : Tristan Nitot / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Les Falaises des Andelys
The cliffs of Les Andelys line the Seine valley, in the Eure, about a hundred kilometres from Paris. These brilliant white chalk walls overlook the river by about 150 metres and form a spectacular setting around the town of Les Andelys, born of the union in 1790 of Grand Andely and Petit Andely.
On the spur overlooking Petit Andely stand the ruins of Château-Gaillard, a fortress built by Richard the Lionheart between 1196 and 1198, and fallen to Philip Augustus in 1204, a decisive episode in the French conquest of Normandy. From the limestone plateau, covered with orchards and woods, the view takes in the river's loops. Hiking paths link the plateau to the valley and let you follow the arms of the Seine at the foot of the cliffs.
