** French seaside resort individual resorts.







French Seaside Resort Clothing: Individual Resports--Dippe


Figure 1.--This is a scene at Vierville-sur-Mer in Normnandy in the early-20th centyry. Unfortumately, we have lost the original caption.

France has some 2,000 milkes of coastline on both the Atlantic and Mediterannean coasts. Most of the beaches including many pristeine reaches are long the country's Atlantic coast. The geography of France puts the population within easy range of a wide range of different beaches, especially the Channel beaches. France has numerous fashionable beach resorts. And unlike other countries, beach goers can choose from both Atlantic and Mediterranean beaches. France is noted for its Mediteranean beaches, but also has Atlantic and Channel beaches. Of course the Meditteranean beaches were substantially warmer than the Atlantic and North Sea beaches where the water is what might be called bracing and the waves can be rough. Italy has Mediteranean beaches, but I have noted less discussion of them. We are unsure how French families chose their beach resorts. The Mdetierranean beaches would seem an obcious choice, at least to modern beach goers. The Artlantic beaches, however, have their own special appeal, bt primarily to the French. Foreign visitors mostly head for the Meditewrranean. One popular Atlantic coast beach resort is Arachon. A reader mentions Vierville-sur-Mer (Normandy). It is better known to history as Omaha Beach.

Atlantic Coast Beaches

France has some 2,000 miles (not including Corsica) coastline on both the Atlantic and Mediterannean coasts. Most of the beaches, including many pristeine beaches, are long the country's Atlantic coast. The geography of France puts the population within easy range of a wide range of different beaches, especially the Channel beaches. France has numerous fashionable beach resorts, the most fashionable and most obvious choice are probably the Mediterrangean beaches, but the Atlantic beaches have their own special charm and a history dating back cernturies. The appeal here is porimarily to the French. Foreign visitors are more likely to head for the warmer Meditrranean climes. The Atlantic coasts consists of three destinct zones. There is 1) the Far North, 2) the Channel coast, and 3) Open Atlantic coast. The coasts varty from brooad sandy and pebbly beaches to cliffs and rocky beaches. The climate also caries. The Far North fronts on the rather cold North Sea. The Channel baraches can also be bracing. Firther south, the Open Atlantic is the Bay Of Biscay with more modetrate weather. Al of these beaches are, however subject to powerful storms.

Far north beaches (North Sea)

The Far Nort beaches are Frances small straech of North Sea beaches. They only extend from Ca;ais (the entrance to th Channel) north to the Belgian border. The coast is charterized with with broad, beaches, and sand dunes. Located here is Dunkirk, a port where British and French troos were sucessfully evacuated, escaping from the advancing German Panzers during World War II (1940)

Channel beaches (English Channel)

The Channel coast streaches from Calais south to the tip pf the Britainty Peninsula. The French Channel coast is similar to the English Channel coast which is undertanable given that they are geolically connected. The Pas de Caslais is the narrowest point of the Channel and the geological connection most obvious. This is the area from Calais to Cap Gris with chalk cliffs, small harbours and beaches of shingle or sand. Further west from Calais to Boulogne is the Opal Coast. It features a regional park area, with coastal footpath and othersenic hiking options. The cliffs around Calais give way to a flat coastline with beaches and estuarine shores in Picardy and the mouth of the River Somme. The resort of Le Touquet with senic sand dunes. More chalk cliffs appear further west, most prominently at Etretat which are the highest in France. There are charming, small seaside resorts, tucked along side the creeks that flow into the Channel. They were once very popular with fashionable Parisians. Here we find Dieppe which became the earliest French beach reort. And even attracted English patrons, especially the artistic community. Dieppe meand 'deep'. he deepwater is why a port was locared here. It is also why the British staged an attack, to gasin control of a deepwarer port--the Dieppe Raid (August 1942), And why the Gernmans had estabkished powerful defenses. South of the Seine is the charming mdieval port of Honfleur. This is the Normandy coast with a mix of broad sandy beaches with generally low cliffs and pebbly beaches. The Allies chose the western sector of the Normny coast for the D-Day landings that liberated Frabce from NAZI occupation. A reader mentions the bech at Vierville-sur-Mer (Normandy). It is better known to history as Omaha Beach. Further west is the Cotentin peninsula. The part of Cotentin is another generally rocky area with granite cliffs and sandy beaches. This is alo rather like the off shore Channel Islands. It is at the western base of the Cotentin peninsula that Normandy becomes Brittany. The shllow, the flat shores around the Bay of Mont Saint Michel, the coastline becomes very rugged and rocky all along the Breton coast. While geneally rocky, thereis considerable variety. Along with rocks and cliffs are sandy coves and beaches. The eastern coast has some fine fine sandy beaches. The D-Day Utah Beach choseen by the Allies wa one of thioe Sandy at the base of the Brittanty Peninsdula.

Open Atlantic/Bay of Biscay

The Open Atlantic coast of France is the Bay of Bisscay. This extends fron thewestern coast of Brittany This of course is whybthe Germans buiklt their main U-boat bases in Brittany. It provided the ports to proceed into the open Atalantic and the cloest rail connections to the war indistries of the Reich. Southwards from the Loire through the Vendée, Charentes, Gironde, and Aquitaine. To a much greater extent than the Channel Coast, the Atlantic coast is consuists primarily of long sandy beaches with only limited rocky reas. There are many towns and villages, including La Rochelle, Les Sables d'Olonne and Rochefort. Dunes commonly appear behind the shoreline, but there are also beaches backed by pine forests. Many of these beaches are pristine and unlike many otherr French beaches, largely uncrowded even during the summer vacation studies. One of the best known is Arcachon near Bordeaux in the Gironde. The Bay of Arcachon, features the Dune du Pilat, the Largest sand dune in Europe Further south, the Aquitaine coast is noted famous for its long sandy beaches and characteristic forests along coastline or at least up to the sand dunes. The Atlantic cost is broken by the Gironde Estuary which leads to Bordeaux. To the south is The Côte d'Argent (Silver Coast). Here we find miles of unbroken sandy beaches which are not easily accessible abnd lrgely undeveloped. They are reached through small tracks through the forest. This all changes in the extreme csouth as one approaches the Basque country. Here the seaside is well developed from Capbreton and Biarritz to the Spanish frontier.

Mediterrranean Coast Beaches

Unlike most other countries, French beach goers can choose from both Atlantic and Mediterranean beaches. France is noted for its Mediteranean beaches, but also has Atlantic and Channel beaches. The French Riverra is one of the most notable beach areas in thev world. Of course the Mediteranean beaches are substantially warmer than the Channel and North Sea beaches where the water is what might be called bracing and the waves can be rough. The Bay of Biscay is warmer, but not as warm as the Mediterranean. Italy has Mediteranean beaches, but I have noted less discussion of them. The Mediterranean is non-tidal so these sandy beaches are not usuallyn as broad as those of the Atlantic coast. The southern or Mediterranean coast of France is composed of two sections by the Rhone Ruiver. Languedoc is the area to the west. Provence - Riviera os the area to the east. Languedoc has lenghty straches of sandy seashores.







HBC






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Created: 3:29 AM 10/6/2009
Last updated: 7:25 PM 3/15/2021