Cap de la Hève

Cap de la Hève is a chalk headland on the Channel coast, just east of Le Havre, above the suburb of Sainte-Adresse, and it marks the southern end of the long line of white cliffs of the Pays de Caux, the stretch known as the Alabaster Coast. The cliffs here rise to around a hundred metres above the sea and fall almost vertically, and at their foot lies a beach of shingle and flint pebbles, with chalk platforms exposed at low tide. The cape is an open grassy area on top of the cliff, with a sense of wide space and wind, and it looks out over the mouth of the Seine, the port of Le Havre and the ships entering and leaving it.

The cape is quiet compared with the busy places farther along the coast, and part of its appeal is its simplicity. The top is a plateau of grass and scrub, with paths along the edge of the cliff, and a few wooden barriers mark the car park. You can walk along the cliff top and take a path down to the beach, though it is steep, and the cliffs are unstable, as chalk cliffs lose material every year to storms and frost, so keep to the paths and away from the edge. Remains of concrete blockhouses from the Second World War, part of the German Atlantic Wall, stand on the cape, and they are a reminder that the port of Le Havre was a major target and a heavily defended place in 1944. A lighthouse stands on the headland, and the Hève lighthouses are among the oldest on this coast, as the first were built in the eighteenth century to guide ships into the Seine estuary.

The cliffs and grasslands are a protected natural area, notable for their plants and birds. Peregrine falcons are among the birds of prey that nest on the cliffs, and the sea birds that follow the coast include gulls and fulmars. Wild orchids and other chalk-loving flowers grow in the short turf in spring and early summer, so a spring walk is especially rewarding. The area is part of a longer stretch of protected cliff land that runs toward the valley of Antifer, and the coast path can be followed for a walk of several hours.

The cape has an artistic link. Claude Monet painted a famous view, the Terrace at Sainte-Adresse, in 1867, and the wider coast was the subject of many Impressionist paintings, while the painter Raoul Dufy, born in Le Havre, depicted the town and its harbour. The wind and the changing light still attract painters and photographers today.

There is no fee, and access is open at all times. Bring a windproof layer, as the weather on the Channel changes quickly. The cape is about six kilometres from the centre of Le Havre, and it can be reached by car or by bus and a short walk. It suits walkers, nature lovers and visitors who want to enjoy the sea without the crowds. Étretat, with its famous cliffs, lies about thirty kilometres to the north-east.