08 December 2024

Deux églises et un phare dans le Cotentin

Just a few miles north of Barfleur, on the northeast corner of the Cotentin peninsula, stands one of the tallest lighthouses in France. It's the phare de Gatteville on the territory of the town called Gatteville or Gatteville-le-Phare. In my photos below you see the phare (71 meters/233 feet tall), the phare's watchdog standing guard, and a building I can't identify but which has seen better days.

The Michelin Green guidebook says of the area that north of the lighthouse "the scenery is wilder and rough seas pound the low rocky coast." Apparently you can climb to the top of the lighthouse (365 steps) to see panoramic views of the coast. We didn't go up there.

The church on the left above is the église Saint-Paul de Gatteville. It's claim to fame is that it has two belfries, one of which is Romanesque. In the middle photo, you see some more of that low rocky coast. The church on the right is the église Saint-Martin de Réville, a town just south of Barfleur and just north of our next stop on our car trip. It's called Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, which is another seaside resort and is famous for its oysters.

4 comments:

  1. Does this area have that nice seaside smell, of the salt water, and all that?

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    1. Yes, and a fishy smell at low tide. It reminded me of home (NC coast)

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  2. This area with its wide open seascapes really appeals to me.

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    Replies
    1. The area is what might be called "big sky country."

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