Top 8 Natural Monuments around Dargnies

A gravel path. A bit monotonous and technically challenging to ride on a bike. Wide tires are essential, and suspension is helpful. The view is fantastic. The cliffs of Ault are in front of you, the sea is to your right, and the nature reserve (salt marshes) is to your left, with many seabirds, horses, and other wildlife.

The cliffs are made of chalk and are impressive to look at.

Here in Ault begin the chalk cliffs, which stretch all the way to Normandy and repeatedly appear as enormous cliffs.

You need good shoes.

calm and relaxed

The cliffs around the beach of Ault are composed of chalk from the Upper Cretaceous, more precisely from the Turonian and Coniacian (around 83 million years ago to 90 million years ago). They are strewn with flint nodules which highlight the subhorizontal stratification planes (the formation of flint has already been discussed in Discovery of the geology of the cliffs of Étretat, presentation of an excursion from the beach of Tilleul (Antifer) to the Porte d'Amont (Étretat Nord)). The relative proportion of chalk and flint is around 90-95% chalk to 5-10% flint. Flint horizons are stratigraphic markers. On the cliffs of Ault, the regular flint band called Seven Sisters is recognizable and characterizes the boundary between the Middle Coniacian and the Upper Coniacian (around 87 million years ago). The boundary between the lower and middle Coniacian is marked by the Shoreham 2 marl level, which is more difficult to identify. These lithostratigraphic markings allow in particular the correlation of distant deposits, such as between the Normandy and Picardy coasts, or between the French and English coasts.

A green setting in the heart of the cliffs, classified as a picturesque area since 1959. The Bois de Cise is an exceptional natural area, a small natural forest, originally wild and abandoned, which became a famous seaside resort during the Belle Époque under the leadership of a visionary who stopped at nothing. This coastal forest was originally a wild forest and a hunting ground in the Middle Ages. At the end of the 19th century, the Bois de Cise was sold off in lots on the initiative of a property developer and became a famous seaside resort of the Belle Époque. Today, it is a charming holiday and walking area that is best explored on foot via the narrow paths and wooden steps that crisscross the area. Very beautiful villas bear witness to the prosperous years before the First World War. Don't forget to go to the panorama, like Victor Hugo in his time, a fantastic viewpoint from which you can see the mouth of the Bay of Somme.

The cliffs around the beach of Ault are composed of chalk from the Upper Cretaceous, more precisely from the Turonian and Coniacian (around 83 million years ago to 90 million years ago). They are strewn with flint nodules which highlight the subhorizontal stratification planes (the formation of flint has already been discussed in Discovery of the geology of the cliffs of Étretat, presentation of an excursion from the beach of Tilleul (Antifer) to the Porte d'Amont (Étretat Nord)). The relative proportion of chalk and flint is around 90-95% chalk to 5-10% flint. Flint horizons are stratigraphic markers. On the cliffs of Ault, the regular flint band called Seven Sisters is recognizable and characterizes the boundary between the Middle Coniacian and the Upper Coniacian (around 87 million years ago). The boundary between the lower and middle Coniacian is marked by the Shoreham 2 marl level, which is more difficult to identify. These lithostratigraphic markings allow in particular the correlation of distant deposits, such as between the Normandy and Picardy coasts, or between the French and English coasts.