Fécamp, Yport and along the smugglers' path to Étretat

In the morning we took the bus to Fécamp, a town on the coast.

Although the buses did not run very frequently, our connection worked out fine.

Our route first took us to the Palais Bénédictine.

In this castle-like building adorned with turrets and bay windows, tours (with tasting) are offered for the famous herbal liqueur from Fécamp.

In the shop, you can also purchase a bottle of the strong herbal liqueur made from 27 herbs.

We passed and continued on to the harbor.

Once, the town was France's most important cod fishing harbor; today it relies mostly on tourism.

We walked along the beach, which consists of stones stacked in several layers.

We took the bus to Yport, an even smaller coastal town that was quickly explored.

At the promenade overlooking the chalk cliffs, we settled down for lunch and had a fitting meal of “Moules Frites”, the typical mussels with fries.

Now the actual hike along the coast began, which led 10 km along the steep coast after a steep ascent.

On this “smugglers' path,” customs officers patrolled in the 19th century to spot smugglers attempting to evade Napoleon's continental blockade.

In between, there was also a valley section that led down to the water and then steeply back up.

Again and again there were beautiful views of the steep, exciting rock formations.

At the end of the trail, we arrived in Étretat.

At the top of the hill stood the town's church, which was under renovation and could therefore not be visited.

After descending into the town, we treated ourselves to an ice cream before heading back to the campsite. The bus had just left, so we chose to walk back.