at low tide a walk on the beach from Houlgate in the direction of Villers s Mer at 07.30 am. nice... read more
at low tide a walk on the beach from Houlgate in the direction of Villers s Mer at 07.30 am. nice... read more
Large boulders of limestone covered in molluscs look like cows coming down for a drink on the... read more
We accessed des Vaches Noires from a small car park at the top of the cliffs (a bad choice in retrospect) - we had a 40 minute hike down to the beach. The way was steep and slippy at some points. The hike would probably have been very do-able if our kids were older (aged 2, 5 & 9)! Eventually we made it to the cliffs and they are amazing. There were so many fossils in the cliffs - it was amazing. You are prohibited from removing fossils from the cliffs but you are free to search the ground for fossils that have been washed free of the cliffs. We had so much fun looking at the cliffs and checking around the cliff base. Access to the cliffs is an easy matter if you walk across the beach from Villers sur Mer. This was a great way to spend an afternoon!
This is a great place to visit, especially if you have children because we (a family of four) ended up collecting a number of fossils which the kids really love showing to their friends! Just be careful of the tide rising fast in the late afternoon!
Loved walking the beach hunting for fossils! We were sceptical but had found a bucket-full in just a short time! A lovely long, quiet beach anyway, but even more fun when you're looking for dinosaurs...
Beautiful beach, especially the “black cow rocks” in between of Villers-Sur-Mer and Houlgate. We entered the beach through a forest path starting at the Chemin D’Eglise at the northern side of Auberville, leading down to the rocks at the beach. After rainfall you’d better avoid this way to reach the Vaches Noires and just walk a few kilometers on the beach itself, but during the dry season and wearing sturdy shoes it will be a big surprise when reaching the rocks to enjoy the splendid view. Don’t forget to take a plastic bag if you like to collect shells and surely take a good look around cause there are also many fossiles to be found.
A word of warning: you are free to search for fossiles ON the beach but it’s strictly forbidden to carve fossiles from or at the cliffs.
Stayed for 2 weeks in July. An excellent and typical little Normandy seaside resort. The beach is excellent and there is a good selection of restaurants in the main town area. We stayed about a 20 minute walk down the prom from the main town. I'm hoping to go back again next year, its one of the best towns we have stayed in, in the Normandy region.
Walked from Houlgate nearly as far as Villers but not quite. Waited for low tide to make the journey back easier. And lots of fossils. Lucky find of an ammonite in the hard dark grey mud at eye level. One day will return. Take a picnic. Enjoy!