Chalk cliffs near Dieppe, part of the Alabaster Coast. There were a number of reasons why we decided to use the port of Dieppe as our departure point for England. Dieppe was from where my travelling companion Ian and I exited France at the end of our overland drive and I wanted to write about the exit; I wanted to look more closely at the geology in the vicinity; we were curious as to why so many artists were drawn to the region; I wanted to experience first hand its WW2 history; and finally, avoid possible long delays at ports to the north, especially Calais.
At Calais there was considerable chaos due to attempts by refugees from the Middle Eastern and North African countries to get across the channel into the UK. Between and men, women and children were at the port of Calais waiting for the opportunity to stow away on trucks heading for England. Some desperate souls even attempted to walk through the Eurotunnel, at great personal risk. Tranquil Dieppe waterfront. The city of Dieppe is located north of Rouen previous post at the mouth of the River Arques and without doubt it is one of the spectacular coastal landscapes in all of France.
Chalk cliffs, Dieppe. I ventured into one of the cliff caves and to my surprise found a person asleep. Homeless or a refugee? Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary carbonate rock composed of the mineral calcite. The horizontal strata in the cliffs are layers of flints which, when released by erosion, form shingle beaches. The cliffs are of a sedimentary nature and were formed during the Cretaceous period million years ago, give or take 4 to 60 million years when sea levels were much higher than they are today.
A closer look at the chalk cliffs formation. Dieppe is the closest seaside town to Paris so one has to be choosy when one visits to avoid the crowds.
I imagine it would be very crowded during both the English and French school holidays. Summer crowds under beautifully painted clouds. Dieppe to the French is like Portsmouth or Plymouth to the English. Many explorers and naval expeditions left from the port to explore and conquer. Because of its maritime importance it has been the centre of hostilities over the centuries. In an Anglo-Dutch force destroyed the town but the most recent calamity was in August during WW2 when the Dieppe Raid took place.
