Le Treport and Honfleur

It would have been easy to stay on the A16 autoroute and zoom along through Abbeville, Rouen and Caen to our holiday house. We could have had an extra night there but we would have missed seeing some beautiful coastal places, and cost €20 in tolls.

So after our initial night in Boulogne-sur-mer we travelled through smaller towns and villages. We passed Montreuil which was Victor Hugo's inspiration for Les Miserables. We have visited before but it was still a shame we didn't have time to stop. 

We did however stop for lunch in Le Treport which is set along the Alabaster Coast and is a commercial port, a fishing port and marina. Instead of parking in the town at sea level we drove up to the cliff top. From here there are stunning views of the town and ports as well as the beautiful English Channel.

Parking on the cliff top also means we could take the Funicular Railway down into the town. The train is free and automated as if you were in a lift, you simply press Go. It is a great ride with amazing views and helps keep visitor traffic out of the small town streets.

The lower station is along the promenade side of the town. It was a glorious sunny day, so nice to stroll along past the colourful beach huts to the harbour lighthouse. Turning inland along the main street running along the harbour we passed many inviting restaurants offering my favourite 'modules frites'. Le Treport is a lovely place, maybe one day we'll stay for a night as a stop over.

Our second night's stay was in Honfleur, an hour or so from Le Treport on the French main roads. We passed Saint Valery sur Somme, another beautiful place where we have stayed before. Again it would have been nice to stop for a while, France has so many beautiful places. 

Honfleur lies on the south side of the Seine estuary; Le Harve is on a north, a huge port  and ferry terminal. I love a good bridge and crossing the Seine offers two choices. The huge Pont de Normandie is probably the better known of the two. Opening in 1995 it is 2141m long, 24m wide and the pylons supporting this cable-stayed bridge are 214m high. We have crossed it before, it is a amazing structure. 

However it is on the toll autoroute and costs and additional €5.60 to cross. Our quieter roads took us to the Tancarville Bridge, a suspension bridge opened in 1959. It crosses the Seine at a shorter point; it's span between the 125m pylons is just 608m, quite a difference to the Pont de Normandie. There is also a difference in the toll to cross, the Tancarville Bridge is €2.60. 

Another great feat of engineering the Tancarville Bridge stands tall in the Normandy countryside. It was great fun to cross, great views over the Seine. We crossed this bridge on the way to Port-en-Bessin and on the way back so my photos are taken from different directions. The whole bridge was taken from the south on our way back and the close up views taken from the north on our way in sunnier weather.

Honfleur is a must visit port city when in Normandy. Our Ibis hotel was just a short walk from the centre, it was a beautiful evening giving us a superb view of the Pont de Normandie.

There is plenty to see and do in this ancient port, another location that deserves more than our one night stay. We strolled into the Vieux Bassin (old basin) as the sun was setting. It is the main reason people visit Honfleur as not only are there some super yatchs moored but the basin is lined with colourful buildings.

These half-timbered houses were once the hub of a very busy trading port. Now they are restaurants, bars and shop; it retains the feel of a bustling place with plenty of outdoor seating along its cobbled pavements. As it was turning chilly we decided to sit inside for our meal and chose one of the smaller houses. It's a great place to be, as I mentioned it deserves a longer time than one evening.

A super day travelling through France and enjoying some of its highlights. I certainly do prefer to travel away from the autoroutes if time and distance permits, there is so much more to see.