Spotlight on Étretat Normandy

Porte d’Aval, Etretat — *Porte d’Aval, author Guy Maupassant said it resembled an elephant its trunk dipping into the water*

The magnificent limestone cliffs and arches of Étretat in Normandy deserve their iconic status says Sandra Davis as she explores these natural wonders.

Along the Alabaster Coast in upper Normandy, where nature has carved 140km of towering stark and vivid white cliffs, lies the pebble beach of Étretat. The former fishing village draws visitors like moths to the light just as it has since the 1800s when it became the go-to destination for the cultural, royal and celebrity elite of Europe. Alphonse Karr, the French writer, could be credited with putting the resort on the map in his popular 1836 novel “Histoire de Romaine (Romance) d’Étretat,” but Jacques Offenbach, composer of Orpheus in the Underworld and the Cancan would help boost it into its Golden Era.

Offenbach built Villa Orphée in 1858 and, endorsed by the deposed Queen of Spain Isabella II, created an eclectic social scene holding legendary costumed parties, soirées and even had visitors board “the little train of pleasures” from Gare Saint-Lazare in Paris, where you still depart for Bréauté-Beuzeville to connect with the bus (504) for Étretat (the whole journey takes around 3 hours). There is an annual festival every summer with street operetta performances in Offenbach’s honour, he was much loved and often organised local events for the poor.

The wooden covered market Etretat — *The wooden covered market*

Meanwhile Amédée Boyer (creator of the famous Eau de Melisse tonic) commissioned the very luxurious Château des Aygues to be built, where he entertained Spanish royals. The castle is private, but opens in summer with the owners themselves conducting tours of the amazing landscaped park and the art and Chinese porcelain collections.

Étretat town — *Étretat has a pretty old part of town, though much of it is more modern after many of the old buildings were destroyed in World War II.*

Victor Hugo was also a great fan of Étretat, having walked the entire coastline, and was fiercely vocal about the “raw, savage beauty” of this area.

Many artists would flock to the ethereal light, the sea spray haze framing the horizons. Matisse, Degas and Monet, the most prolific with dozens of paintings of these shimmering cliffs of glinting flint, soft chalk and limestone, originating over millennia from the sediment of skeletal marine life. His series focused on the cliffs, and the arch called Porte d’Aval, L’Aiguille (The Needle) a hollow 70m high spire, and the arch of La Manneporte. The Chemin des Douaniers (GR21 cliff top Trail) was heavily used by Monet, and on the South Path it’s easy to imagine him trudging along with his easel and paints, awed by the view. The North path takes you past the Chapel of Notre Dame de la Garde (not open to the public) and on to the avant-garde Jardins d’Étretat. Either way, be prepared for strong weather conditions, natural erosion (so stay behind the barriers) and lofty heights!

Les Jardins d’Étretat are not to be missed and deserve their Green Guide Michelin stars! A surreal, mystical, woodland world with neo futuristic, experimental art in topiary and large elastomer faces by Spanish sculptor Samuel Salcedo nestling like oysters in the boxwood. There is an Alice in Wonderland inspired whimsical maze and fabulous panoramic views from the gardens.

Maurice Leblanc’s famous novels about gentleman thief Arsène Lupin, AKA the French Sherlock Holmes, have made Étretat even more popular – over a million visitors come here annually, yet it retains its authenticity. Leblanc’s beautiful house, Le Clos Lupin, is now a museum offering immersive audio tours. And close by in the old part of town, the timber-framed market at Place Maréchal Foch, hosts artisan and souvenir shops and boutiques, and in front of it each Thursday morning there is a street market – perfect for cider and cheese though there are plenty of gourmet food shops in the town.

Finally, a love story… When author Guy de Maupassant sought solace and seclusion in Étretat after his mentor Gustave Flaubert died, instead he found he was at his most prolific here, often interacting with, and writing about locals. He died in an asylum in Paris, and it is recorded that in his last months he would simply whisper repeatedly “Étretat … Étretat.” It is the sort of place that touches your soul with its raw natural beauty.