Normandy – Coastal Paths, Quiet Places, and the Scent of Salt

Sometimes the best routes appear when you don’t plan at all — when you simply say, “Let’s see where we end up.”

We’d already ticked off many of Normandy’s big names: the cliffs of Étretat, the pretty lanes of Veules-les-Roses, the magical Mont-Saint-Michel. This time, we wanted no plan. Just the wind, the coast, and our curiosity. That’s how this journey full of small surprises came to be.

1. Cayeux-sur-Mer – The Blue Gold and Bright Cabins

Cayeux-sur-Mer has many faces — and the loveliest lies in Brighton, its quiet corner, where pebble dunes rise in shapes so surreal it feels as if the horizon itself is shifting when you stand there at low tide.

At high tide, seals suddenly appear between the waves, looking you straight in the eye — as if briefly checking who’s wandered into their kingdom.

The town’s history is tightly bound to these stones. The name Cayeux comes from the Picard word cailloux — pebbles. They were once called the “blue gold” of the region: hand-collected, carried on the backs of horses and donkeys to the harbour, and shipped to Britain. There, after a special treatment, they were used in fine porcelain and ceramics.

Today, pebbles still shape the town’s image — alongside France’s longest boardwalk and a row of colourful beach cabins. Some are quiet hideaways, others tiny art studios where locals work with the sea breeze drifting in. The dunes are a wild mosaic of sea buckthorn, blossoms, and wind-shaped grass — nature speaking its own language.

2. Mers-les-Bains – Where the Houses Steal the Show

People come to Mers-les-Bains for the sea — and end up stopping in front of the houses. Facades in pastel shades, decorated with carvings, gables, and balconies. Some look straight out of a storybook, others from a dream.

The beach is beautiful, but the architecture almost steals the scene. Wandering the streets feels like a short trip back to the 19th century, when Mers was a favourite seaside escape for Parisian high society.

Our tip: cycle here from Eu on an e-bike — it can be as leisurely or as sporty as you like. And for the night, the Camping Municipal Parc du Château in Eu is perfect: well-kept, shaded by old trees, and with a castle in view.

3. Martigny – Angler’s Haven and Lake Calm

Martigny took us by surprise — the kind of place that slows you down the moment you arrive. The campsite sits right by a fishing lake, spotless and run by friendly owners.

It’s peaceful here. No traffic noise, only birdsong and the soft whirr of fishing lines. It’s the kind of place where you don’t have to do anything — and that’s exactly why you want to stay. For Rouven, it was paradise: finally time to fish again.

4. Carolles – Silence That Sinks In

Today we arrived in Carolles, a small village on the Normandy coast that seems to have consciously turned its back on the world’s noise. The motorhome pitch is quiet, on the edge of the village, shaded by old trees and just a few steps from the cliffs.

The wind carries salt and the cries of gulls; somewhere, a garden gate clatters. You smell the sea before you see it. We walked a stretch of the coastal path — heathland, rock, and an endless horizon. The dog sniffed with great concentration, as if discovering something entirely his own.

Carolles isn’t a place to “see” — it’s a place to arrive. Maybe even to exhale. No spectacle, no postcard cliché — just a true silence that seeps under your skin.

Closing

This trip wasn’t about ticking off sights, but about drifting along the coast. Each place had its own rhythm — from rugged Cayeux to colourful Mers to still Carolles. We left with the feeling that travelling doesn’t always need more than an open heart, a little time, and the willingness to let yourself be carried.

💬 Do you have your own favourite spots in Normandy? Share them in the comments — they might just become part of our next route.