The Amont and Aval cliffs, the Manneporte, the Needle: the most painted landscape in Normandy, an hour and forty minutes' drive from your cottage in Luc-sur-Mer.
Étretat is not next door, and that is what makes the day: you leave Luc-sur-Mer after breakfast, follow the Seine estuary, cross the Pont de Normandie, and the road ends in front of one of the most painted landscapes in France. In the evening, back to the quiet of the Côte de Nacre, fifty metres from the sea. La Capricieuse, a five-star Yelloh Village campsite, is the base camp: cottages, a heated water park, a restaurant on site and the beach at the end of the lane.
Honfleur lies halfway, an hour from the campsite: the natural stop before crossing the bridge (toll).
The Trou à l'Homme cave can only be reached at low tide: check the tide times before setting off.
The car parks are at the entrances to the town. Arriving early or late in the afternoon saves you the queue — and gives the best light on the Needle.
The Courtine, the Manneporte, the Roc Vaudieu, the Belval Needle: sculptures cut by the waves out of the chalk of the Pays de Caux. Maupassant saw in them a ship under full sail. Two to three hours' walking to go round both cliffs.
In 1792 a Swedish ship broke up against the cliff. When the waves withdrew twenty-four hours later they revealed a cave, and at the back of it a survivor, merely unconscious. Reachable at low tide only.
A farm, then a pond, then the market square: the little wooden buildings gave way to a covered hall, now busy with stalls. The heart of the village, a step from the shingle beach.
The house of Maurice Leblanc, where Grognard, the gentleman burglar's faithful accomplice, guides visitors through a seven-part riddle of sound and light. A fine adventure, especially for children.
This spire, raised above the town in 1963, honours the two airmen who attempted the first crossing of the Atlantic aboard the White Bird on 8 May 1927. A commanding view over the bay.
A course perched more than fifty metres above the sea, in an exceptional setting. Regulars will talk at length about the legendary tenth hole.
Photo: Les Jardins d'Étretat · CC BY-SA 4.0They overlook the town, with a unique view of the Aval cliff and the famous Needle. The topiary sculptures that make them up draw on the Norman coast and, above all, on the singular landscapes of Étretat itself. Allow an hour: it is the finest viewpoint of the day, especially late in the afternoon when the light comes down onto the sea.
Five-star cottages, a heated water park and the beach fifty metres away, in Luc-sur-Mer.
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