Often approaching a hundred meters in height, the cliffs constitute a brutal transition between sea and land. In the resorts “nestled” in the hollow of the cliffs, beautiful villas were built at the end of the 19th century, with the fashion for sea bathing, near the narrow fishermen’s houses.
Unusual access to the sea by the cliff
The Sotteville-sur-Mer staircase
This village, perched 60 meters on the cliff, has a staircase of 231 steps to access the sea, it was also used in the past to go up pebbles with wagons.
Life-size beach
Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer
At the mouth of the Dun, enjoy, at low tide, the largest sandy beach on the Alabaster Coast. Fishermen bring life to the seafront with the launching or return of the “dories” (traditional fishing boats). Windsurfers provide the show when the wind blows. To the west of this bay, access via the “valleuse de Saussemare” has become the meeting place for kite surfers.
Precious pebble
Composed of very pure silica, the Cauchois pebble enjoyed an excellent reputation. Also, at the start of the 20th century, its industry employed a large workforce (collecting, sorting, bagging, exporting by boat). Long cut for construction, it was also taken to be crushed and used in the manufacture of porcelain, cosmetics, “sandpaper”, in the composition of resistant paints intended for road marking … In 1974, the excessive depletion of the stock of pebbles, led to the stopping of the collection. Only one company in the Bay of Somme, authorized to operate, exports the pebble produced by the Alabaster Coast all over the world. Today, it plays an important role in protecting the coast by constituting a natural bulwark against the direct attack of the waves at the base of the cliff. In front of the stations, groynes have been built to hold it back and protect the seafronts from the onslaught of waves during stormy weather.
