GR21: Etretat to Dieppe Cliff Trail
The Alabaster Coast cliff trail, between Etretat's natural arches, hidden valleys, and Norman fishing ports.
Five days on the GR21, voted France's finest trail in 2020, following the Alabaster Coast between Le Havre and Le Treport. This section starts at Etretat and its natural arches, the Aiguille and the Porte d'Aval, painted by Monet and Courbet, reaches Fecamp and the Benedictine palace, with Cap Fagnet at a hundred and twenty metres, then Saint-Valery-en-Caux and its dry valley, Veules-les-Roses crossed by France's shortest river at barely one kilometre, Varengeville-sur-Mer and its clifftop church where Braque is buried, and finally Dieppe. The chalk collapses regularly: never approach the edge, as the overhangs are invisible from above. The valleuses force repeated climbs, making the route harder than it looks.
Practical info
- Stops
- 6
- Duration
- 5 days
- Transport
- 🥾 On foot
- Distance
- ≈ 70 km
- Best time
- Spring and summer
Itinerary
- 1
Etretat
Aiguille et porte d'Aval, falaises blanches et jardins suspendus.
- 2
Fecamp
Palais Benedictine, port de peche et cap Fagnet a 120 m.
- 3
Saint-Valery-en-Caux
Valleuse et port de plaisance, maison Henri IV et falaises crayeuses.
- 4
Veules-les-Roses
Plus petit fleuve de France (1 km), cressonnieres et chaumieres fleuries.
- 5
Varengeville-sur-Mer
Eglise au bord de la falaise, vitrail de Braque et jardins du Bois des Moutiers.
- 6
Dieppe
Chateau-musee, front de mer et quai de la poissonnerie, cite de l'ivoire.
