On the 21st January 2025 we awoke in our hotel in Honfleur, had a coffee and a Choc Au Pain and load the car and drive on to Étretat.
We cross the Pont du Normandie paying 5.90 euros (£5.01) and drive on towards Étretat.
The Pont de Normandie (English: Normandy Bridge) is a cable-stayed road bridge that spans the river Seine linking Le Havre to Honfleur in Normandy, northern France. Its total length is 2,143.21 metres (7,032 ft) – 856 metres (2,808 ft) between the two piers. It is also the last bridge to cross the Seine before it empties into the ocean. It is a motorway toll bridge with a footpath and a narrow cycle lane in each direction allowing pedestrians and cyclists to cross the bridge free of charge, while motorcycling is also toll-free.
The bridge was designed by Michel Virlogeux, the general studies having been led by Bernard Raspaud from Bouygues. The works management was shared between G. Barlet and P. Jacquet. The architects were François Doyelle and Charles Lavigne. Construction by Bouygues, Campenon Bernard, Dumez, Monberg&Thorsen, Quillery, Sogea and SpieBatignolles began in 1988 and lasted seven years. The bridge opened on 20 January 1995.
At the time it was both the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world, and also had a record distance between piers for a cable-stayed bridge. It was more than 250 metres (820 ft) longer between piers than the previous record-holder. This record was lost in 1999 to the Tatara Bridge in Japan. Its record for length for a cable-stayed bridge was lost in 2004 to the 2883 meters of the Rio-Antirrio. The total cost of the bridge, ancillary structures and financing was $465 million. The bridge proper cost €233 million (US$250 million).
The cable-stayed design was chosen because it was both cheaper and more resistant to high winds than a suspension bridge. Shortly after opening, the longest cables exhibited excessive vibrations, so several damping systems were quickly retrofitted.
The span, 23.6 metres (77 ft) wide, is divided into four lanes for vehicular traffic and two lanes for pedestrians. The pylons, made of concrete, are shaped as upside-down Ys. They weigh more than 20,000 t (20,000 long tons; 22,000 short tons) and are 214.77 metres (705 ft) tall. More than 19,000 t (19,000 long tons; 21,000 short tons) of steel and 184 cables made by fr:Freyssinet were used.
We arrive in a foggy Etretat and park up in Parking Place Du
General De Gaulle and we walk on over to the beach or Plage as it’s called in
French.
We stop to take photos of Falaise d'Aval though the fog.
We walk into town to try and find a café to get some breakfast and maybe a souvenir shop. Absolutely nothing is open as its Winter!
The Market place (La Vieux Marche) I was looking forward to
visiting is also closed!!
The market square in Etretat is dominated by a fine timber-frame covered market full of charming shops. Plaques on the building recall British and American wartime links to the town, in particular, one that describes a British hospital set up in Etretat during World War I and remembers the 550 British soldiers who died there.
We find a Bar/Tabac La Maupassant where we get coffee and croissants and making friends with a Golden retriever in there having a drink with his French owner.
We walk back to the beach to look at climbing to the cliff tops.
Nature has carved unusual shapes out of the white cliffs in Etretat, and as a result, this picturesque spot attracted many Impressionist painters, who sought to capture the cliffs on canvas. The pretty seaside town of Etretat is also the setting for Maurice Leblanc’s popular French children’s book about Arsène Lupin, the gentleman burglar.
We start to walk up the cliff.
The path slopes up sharply then come the many steps!
It’s hard going but worth the climb up for the views back down.
We reach the top of Falaise D’Aval.
Étretat is best known for its chalk cliffs, including three natural arches and a pointed formation called L'Aiguille or the Needle, which rises 70 metres (230 ft) above the sea. The Etretat Chalk Complex, as it is known, consists of a complex stratigraphy of Turonian and Coniacian chalks. Some of the cliffs are as high as 90 metres (300 ft).
These cliffs and the associated resort beach attracted artists including Eugène Boudin, Charles Daubigny, Gustave Courbet and Claude Monet. They were featured prominently in the 1909 Arsène Lupin novel The Hollow Needle by Maurice Leblanc. They also feature in the 2014 film Lucy, directed by Luc Besson.
Two of the three famous arches are visible from the town, the Porte d'Aval, and the Porte d'Amont. The Manneporte is the third and the biggest one, and cannot be seen from the town.
Étretat is known for being the last place in France from which the 1927 biplane The White Bird (L'Oiseau Blanc) was seen. French World War I war heroes Charles Nungesser and François Coli were attempting to make the first non-stop flight from Paris to New York City, but after the plane's 8 May 1927 departure, it disappeared somewhere over the Atlantic. It is considered one of the great unexplained mysteries of aviation. A monument to the flight was established in Étretat, but destroyed during World War II, when the Germans occupied the area. A new and taller monument was constructed in 1963, along with a nearby museum.
We cross the bridge and into the cliff, was hoping for something a little more spectacular than a view to the side of the cliff!
Formed underwater several million years ago, the cliffs are made up of deposits of light-coloured calcareous marine organisms and skeletons of siliceous organisms. They then rose up to become these limestone giants streaked with flint.
Particularly hard-wearing, they seem eternal but are nonetheless fragile and constantly changing: wind, tides, rainwater infiltration, freezing and then thawing weaken them: erosion causes regular landslides and the cliff to retreat.
The flint which has fallen down onto the shore takes on its rounded shape in just a few months thanks to the sea, becoming pebbles that protect the cliffs and the town of Etretat, which is built below sea level.
These giants are at the heart of many legends and ancient histories written into the local toponymy: the “trou à l’homme” (cave) saved a sailor’s life, the “ladies’ chamber” became the grave of three innocent young local women.
The Falaise d’Amont is the cliff on the other side of the beach, to the right when looking out to sea, and less than a century ago it was called Falaise du Blanc-Trait (White Line Cliff), because of the whiteness of the chalk, visible from the open sea a great distance away.
How can we not pay tribute to Maupassant‘s keen sense of observation, who in “Une vie” compares the Arche d’Amont (arch) to an elephant dipping its trunk in the sea? It’s all there: the trunk, the head and ears, the front and back limbs and even a Maharajah’s palanquin on its back!
Arche d’Amont in the background
The Porte d’Aval (on the left when looking at the sea), a huge flint archway, was carved by the waves beating the end of the Falaise d’Aval. The 51-metre-high needle bears witness to the geological past of the cliffs of Etretat. It has become famous, gained a universal reputation and inspired many painters and writers. Is it hollow and did it shelter the treasure of the Kings of France discovered by Arsène Lupin, as recounted in Maurice Leblanc’s novel, L’aiguille Creuse?
We walk back down and back around town before giving up on any shops opening and we set off back to the Eurotunnel and home.
One last look at the amazing cliffs of Etretat!
Once back in the UK, I realise just how easy it is driving in France compared to our awful congested motorways and equally awful drivers!
On Monday the 20th January 2025 we awoke in our room in Pontorson, after a coffee we load the car and drive just up the road to a Patisserie to get some breakfast. It must be an okay place as the local police were here doing the same. We bought some lovely Chocolat Au Pains and sent about driving the two and a half hours to Honfleur.
We arrive in Honfleur and park up for free in Naturospace Honfleur. We leave the car park and walk on down into town.
We reach the town and walk into the harbour along the La Morelle that stems off the River Seine.
Honfleur felt completely different than the other towns that we visited in Normandy. It’s a harbour town located at the intersection of the Seine and the English Channel. Around the harbour, the buildings remind me of Amsterdam. (I must visit Amsterdam soon!).
Honfleur is a commune in the Calvados department in North-Western France. It is located on the Southern bank of the estuary of the Seine across from Le Havre and very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie. The people that inhabit Honfleur are called Honfleurais.
It is especially known for its old port, characterized by its houses with slate-covered frontages, painted frequently by artists. There have been many notable artists, including, Gustave Courbet, Eugène Boudin, Claude Monet and Johan Jongkind. They all meet at La Ferme Saint Siméon, which is now a 5-star hotel, and create the "Saint Siméon gathering" contributing to the appearance of the Impressionist movement. The Sainte-Catherine church, which has a bell tower separate from the principal building, is the largest wooden church in France.
We walk along Rue des Logettes and pop into some souvenir shops before crossing over to Eglise Sainte-Catherine. (Eglise is French for Church).
The Bell Tower
Next to this is Le Clocher de l'Église Sainte-Catherine but this was locked up, but it looks an amazing building from the outside!
This is the belltower of St Catherines. This historical monument has been, since the extension of the museum in 1974, a fragmented annex of the EugèneBoudin museum . It is dedicated to religious art thanks to various deposits made by the Sainte-Catherine church and the Vieux-Honfleur museum. Souvenirs of the pilgrimage of Notre-Dame de Grâce, holy water fonts, engravings, paintings are exhibited, as well as statues from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.
The church is dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria as evidenced by a wooden sculpture above the porch of the bell tower which separates the two naves. She is shown holding a wheel and a sword. The first nave is the oldest part of the building, dating to the second half of the 15th century, constructed right after the Hundred Years' War. It was built on the model of a market hall, using naval construction techniques, which gives the impression of an upside-down ship's hull. Then the bell tower was built a good distance away, so that parishioners would not be burnt in case of a fire. Indeed, the bell tower did draw lightning strikes due to its height and its position on the side of a hill. In the late 15th century, a second nave was added, whose vault was like the wooden vaults of modest Gothic churches. This second part was more round, and did not look like a ship's hull. In the 16th century, four supplementary bays were added to both naves.
The famous "Axe masters" of the naval yards of the city created this building without using any saws, just like their Norman ancestors (who can be seen in action in the Bayeux Tapestry), and like the Vikings before them.
The beams used to create the pillars of the nave and the side walls are of unequal length, because there were no oak trees long enough to construct them uniformly. Some beams have a footing of stones varying in height, and some have no footing.
The bays for the choir, redone in the 19th century, are of rather mediocre quality, and the roof above is higher than those of the older parts.
The church is partially covered in chestnut shingles, which are called essentes in the Norman dialect.
The neo-Norman porch was built following the model of rural Normandy churches in the 1920s, and replaced a monumental doorway in neo-classical style from the previous century (which can be seen in certain canvases by Jongkind and Boudin). The doorway itself was in Renaissance style.
The classical organ comes from the parish church of St Vincent of Rouen, and the Renaissance balcony is decorated with musicians. Stained glass from the 19th century decorates the windows of the east choir.
Nativity scene with running water was still up.
The classical organ comes from the parish church of St Vincent of Rouen, and the Renaissance balcony is decorated with musicians. Stained glass from the 19th century decorates the windows of the east choir.
The building lacks a transept; statues of saints, including two local ones: Saint Marcouf et Saint Thérèse of Lisieux are the unique marks of lateral chapels. There is also a painting depicting the Martyrdom of Saint Denis of the Nativity.
· Église Saint-Étienne (St. Stephen's Church) is an old parish church in Gothic style, dating in part to the 14th and 15th centuries. It is the oldest church in the city. It is constructed of chalk with flint and of Caen stone, the city of Honfleur being located at the border of those two calcareous rock formations. The bell tower is covered with a façade essentage of chestnut wood. Today, it has become the Naval Museum.
· Église Saint-Léonard (St. Leonard's Church), with a flamboyant Gothic style façade and one bay that escaped the fire set by the calvinists in 1562 ; the rest of the building was rebuilt in the 17th, which explains the unusual form of the bell tower in the region which forms a sort of a dome.
Walking on from the church we walked around la Vieux Bassin.
The port was remodelled in 1681 by Abraham Duquesne, under orders from Colbert. The former port was a brushed-upon shore in a small haven. Due to the expansion of the port, the Western fortifications of the town were demolished. The port is bordered on three sides, by buildings of two distinct styles; large stone houses on the Southside (Quai Saint-Etienne) and high and narrow wooden houses to the North (Quai Sainte Catherine).
The lieutenancy building (la Lieutenance) is at the entrance to the old harbour. It is an old building of the 18th century, and the former home of the Governor of Honfleur. One of the sides of the building is an old gate of the city, the Port de Caen, which was to be part of the city's fortifications. It was between 1684 and 1789 home to the Lieutenant of the king. It became, in 1793, the commerce tribunal.
At the end of each year, an almanac, called the Annuaireadministratif du Département, used to be published, showing statistics relevant to Calvados. Some data of the Port of Honfleur can be found in these books and in 1865, traffic to and from Honfleur was as follows:
· Important traffic with England was observed as well as the development of traffic from Norway. Traffic was 384 sailing ships transporting 44,177 tons and 2,011 steam ships transporting 272,169 tons. Ferries to and from Le Havre transported 232,809 passengers.
· Goods traffic was composed of eggs, cheeses, butter, poultry, cereals, vegetables, apples and pears and cider to England, horses and farm stock from England.
The 1881 annuaire was far more precise, detailing the number of passengers to and from several destinations; 199,789 to and from Le Havre, 2,320 to and from Rouen. It also added 115 to and from Southampton and 91 to Littlehampton, a total of 345,992 passengers that year.
Fishing boats were present in numbers, and in 1881, 75 ships were registered and stationed in Honfleur. The sum from the selling of seafood amounted to 391,390 francs. Most of the seafood fished was eaten nearby, but some was exported to Paris and other cities and transported by train by the Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest. The catch amounted to 183,491 kb of moules (mussels) and 185,190 kg of fresh fish.
Notable imports were wood from Norway, coal from England, wheat from America and lime.
We stop at La Maison Bleue for drinks, I have a Café Au Lait and Mel her usual Chocolat Chaud. We sit looking out at the beauty of the basin and the pretty buildings lining it.
We leave the café and make our way around the basin, we pass Ancienne Eglise Saint-Étienne.
The largest ships to have entered the Port of Honfleur were the Aneroïd, an English, three-mast sailing ship, the Italian three-mast sailing ship, the Nostra-Madre and the English passenger ship, the Newsleydale, with 5.3 m draft.
The first written record of Honfleur is a reference by Richard III, Duke of Normandy, in 1025. By the middle of the 12th century, the city represented a significant transit point for goods from Rouen to England.
Ancienne Eglise Saint-Étienne.
Located on the estuary of one of the principal rivers of France with a safe harbour and relatively rich hinterland, Honfleur profited from its strategic position from the start of the Hundred Years' War. The town's defences were strengthened by Charles V in order to protect the estuary of the Seine from attacks by the English. This was supported by the nearby port of Harfleur. However, Honfleur was taken and occupied by the English in 1357 and from 1419 to 1450. When under French control, raiding parties often set out from the port to ransack the English coasts, including partially destroying the town of Sandwich, in Kent, England, in the 1450s.
At the end of the Hundred Years' War, Honfleur benefited from the boom in maritime trade until the end of the 18th century. Trade was disturbed during the wars of religion in the 16th century. The port saw the departure of a number of explorers, in particular in 1503 of Binot Paulmierde Gonneville to the coasts of Brazil. In 1506, local man Jean Denis departed for Newfoundland island and the mouth of the Saint Lawrence. An expedition in 1608, organised by Samuel de Champlain, founded the city of Quebec in modern-day Canada.
After 1608, Honfleur thrived on trade with Canada, the West Indies, the African coasts and the Azores. As a result, the town became one of the five principal ports for the slave trade in France. During this time the rapid growth of the town saw the demolition of its fortifications on the orders of Colbert.
The wars of the French Revolution and the First Empire, and in particular the continental blockade, caused the ruin of Honfleur. It only partially recovered during the 19th century with the trading of wood from northern Europe. Trade was however limited by the silting up of the entrance to the port and development of the modern port at Le Havre. The port however still functions today.
After the Normandy landings, Honfleur was liberated together by the British army – 19th Platoon of the 12th Devon's, 6th Air Landing Brigade, the Belgian army (Brigade Piron) on 25 August 1944 and the Canadian army without any combat.
We pass the place de L’Hôtel de Ville Honfleur. This colossal building, built in 1958 to replace one flattened by allied bombing in 1944, was designed by architects Auguste Perret.
Honfleur is so enchanting that people often forget it was originally built for trade. The harbour was chosen for its strategic location on the southern bank of the Seine estuary. During the Hundred Years’ War, the French king fortified the port, although that didn’t stop the English taking over for several decades.
Before the French Revolution, Honfleur’s shipowners made their fortune from trading, especially with North America. Samuel de Champlain, one of the most famous explorers associated with the port, headed off from Honfleur to found the Canadian city of Quebec. Lucrative trade for the Honfleur shipping magnates included cod-fishing off Newfoundland and the triangular slave trade.
The lieutenancy building (la Lieutenance).
Honfleur’s beauty has long attracted artists, with works of art to be found in the town’s many museums and galleries. Honfleur takes particular pride in its Impressionist roots – Claude Monet’s mentor EugèneBoudin was born in the town, and Monet and his contemporaries would often set up their easels at the Ferme Saint-Siméon on the hill above Honfleur, to capture the beautiful light of the Seine estuary.
We continue our way through the town popping into many shops. Many are closed though for the Winter.
We have a wader about checking out the many shops.
This is yet another beautiful Medieval looking town we have visited on this Roadtrip. I really do love France!
We walk into an art gallery tucked away and I take the above photo outside, its then Mel pointed out the no Photos sign. Oh well too late.
We walk back pass the church and its Bell Tower.
Now back pass the Basin and back the way we came.
We eventually walk back towards the car, I want to visit the viewpoint over the town. But I realised too late we had walked back too far, and rather than walk back and up the steep path, I notice you can drive up there.
So we walk back to the car and drive up to Panorama Du Mont Jolie.
Just keep it quiet and we will say we walked up!
Here we have amazing views over Honfleur, The River Seine and the Pont du Normandie spanning it and Le Havre beyond.
We now drive back down and onto our hotel for the night. We reach The Tulip Inn Residence and Spa, Honfleur and walk inside. We are told we can’t book in until 4pm. We still have a way to go, so we leave the car here and walk back into town.
We walk along the Canal and pass a WWII Bunker now a museum Blockhaus de la Gare. Discover the last vestiges of the Second World War in Honfleur.
Within a 350m2 bunker that could house up to 200 soldiers, an exhibition reunites over 50 period uniforms, documents and photographs.
Again this was closed for the Winter.
We walk pass Basin de L’Est and into Town.
I stop and take a photo of Les moulieresd'Honfleur
This statue of three mussel collectors is so simple yet effective. It sits in the middle of a roundabout near the Tourist Office and depicts the ladies of Honfleur collecting mussels on the beach whatever the weather. The practice continued up to 1970 when it stopped.
I step in dog poo whilst trying to get this photo, now I must find a pubic toilet to clean this mess up, I can't be walking into a fancy hotel smelling of sh*t!
After walking around the basin and finding a toilet next to the church belltower, we walk around trying to find somewhere for dinner.
I have the tartiflette du Normandie and Mel has Fish and chips. My Tartiflette was amazing as good as the one I had in Annecy!
Now we walk back to the Hotel and book in. Once booked in we enjoyed a swim in the pool and used the Steam room and sauna!
We have a rest before we walk back into town to see Honfleur by night.
The Basin looks amazing lit up at night as it did by day.
The Basin looked great lit up and we pass the La Lieutenance monument.
La Lieutenance, this prestigious building which sits at the entrance to the Vieux Bassin de Honfleur, has just been completely restored and is now open to the public. It hosts a CIAP on the maritime history of Honfleur and an artists' residency.
The Lieutenancy is the true witness to the history of the Norman port, it has spanned the centuries and it is quite simply the oldest building in the city. It is also the last vestige of the old fortifications which surrounded the military city, it was then “La Porte de Caen” which controlled access to the central town of l'Enclos. At the end of the 17th century the rampart was destroyed, the building was redeveloped and became the accommodation of the King's Lieutenant, this is where it gets its current name.
The Bell Tower by night
We walk back to the hotel to sleep before driving to Etretat tomorrow and our journey home.
