Cap Blanc-Nez and the Côte d'Opale
Just 13 kilometres south-west of Calais, the Côte d'Opale reaches its most dramatic point at Cap Blanc-Nez, where 134-metre chalk cliffs plunge into a sea that shifts from jade to cobalt depending on the light. This is one of the most spectacular coastal walks in France, and on a clear day you can count the wind turbines off the Kent coast.
The clifftop walk
The GR120 long-distance footpath runs along the cliff edge from the car park at Cap Blanc-Nez south towards Cap Gris-Nez, a 10-kilometre round trip that takes around three hours at a comfortable pace. The path is well-maintained and signed, but stay behind the safety markers — the chalk is actively eroding and the edge is genuinely dangerous.
The views are staggering in every direction: north towards Calais and the ferry lanes, east across the dunes of Blériot-Plage where Louis Blériot landed after the first cross-Channel flight in 1909, and south towards the gentle curve of the Baie de Wissant. Skylarks rise from the short turf in spring, and peregrine falcons nest in the cliff face.
The Dover Patrol Monument and history
At the summit of Cap Blanc-Nez stands the Dover Patrol Monument, an obelisk erected in 1921 to honour the British and French naval forces who kept the Channel open during the First World War. Its twin stands on the cliffs above Dover, and on very clear days you can see both monuments simultaneously from the midpoint of the strait.
The area around the cap is littered with the concrete remains of German Atlantic Wall fortifications — bunkers, gun emplacements and observation posts that have been slowly surrendering to the sea and the gorse for 80 years. They are sobering and fascinating in equal measure.
Getting there and practical advice
From Calais, take the D940 coastal road south-west through Sangatte to the signed car park at Cap Blanc-Nez. The drive takes about 20 minutes and the road itself offers memorable sea views. Bus line 50 from Calais-Ville station stops at Sangatte, from where it is a 3-kilometre walk to the cap.
The clifftop is fully exposed to Channel weather, so pack layers and waterproofs regardless of the forecast. The Auberge de Jeunesse in Escalles, 2 kilometres from the cap, serves hot food and local beer to walkers and is a welcome refuge on blustery days.
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