Saint-Valery-en-Caux, Normandy
Normandy Alabaster Coast Seaside Town of High Cliffs and a Dark Past
Enjoy the impressive limestone cliffs of this attractive fishing port and ponder on the reasons for the humiliating WWII British surrender here.
Saint-Valery is a typical French seaside town of charm, fishing nets tied up on the harbour wall and a small swing-bridge to the large marina. This part of the Normandy coast features high limestone cliffs, laid down in layers with horizontal lines of flints. The sea has eroded the limestone, forming striking vertical cliffs stretching for miles. The name Alabaster Coast has been given to the region from these amazing rock formations. Although Saint-Valery does not have the chalk archways of nearby Etretat, you can see the cliffs stretching away into the distance from Saint-Valery in a way that is not so apparent at Etretat.
The harbour is picturesque and is overlooked by the commanding heights of the limestone cliffs stretching out a long way. This layout is what made the town such a poor choice for the British to try and evacuate after failing to stop the German advance at Abbeville. There is a bar and restaurant at the casino which overlooks the coast with striking views of the cliffs (you will need ID to enter) and plenty of restaurants in the town itself.
World War II History
The town is noted for the French and British defeat over 11-12 June 1940. Most of the British Expeditionary force had been evacuated at Dunkirk, but after an abortive attempt by the 51st Highland division to recapture a key bridgehead on the Somme they had to fall back, and the Germans committed four divisions to forestall another sea evacuation. The 7th Panzer division soon held the cliffs overlooking the harbour, making evacuation impossible. The French surrendered on the 11th June and the British surrendered the day afterwards when the evacuating force failed to materialise as a result of bad weather.
Getting There
Parking is not difficult at Saint-Valery as long as you are not in high season – if you are arriving via the main road (D925) then as you reach the roundabout with the fountain in the middle, do not go over the swing bridge by keep the harbour to your left. Alternatively there is good parking for camper vans if you go over the swing bridge and keep the harbour to your right and the limestone cliffs to your left.
You can visit this part of Normandy from the UK via ferries to Le Havre or Dieppe
Other Attractions Nearby
The D925 coast road from Dieppe to Fecamp passes St-Valery-en-Caux and is a good way to see the Alabaster Coast, at Fecamp take the D940 to go to Etretat with its limestone arches and stacks. From there you can either continue to the ferry at Le Havre or go south to the motorway and over the Pont deNormandie to visit Honfleur, Deauville and Trouville. Note that the coast roads are slow and there are some steep hills as you descend to sea level at the river mouths at the town and then rise to the cliff escarpments. You would probably not want to take a caravan, for instance. Petrol stations are also few and widely spaced in this region.
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