Called “Normandy Coast”, the long-distance footpath numbered 21 is the star of the year, elected “Favorite GR of the French 2020”. It winds for 190 km in Seine-Maritime between Le Tréport and Le Havre, via Dieppe, Varengeville-sur-Mer, Veules-les-Roses, Saint-Valery-en-Caux, Veulettes-sur-Mer, Fécamp and Étretat. It is the Alabaster Coast dear to the Impressionists, all of pebble beaches and chalk cliffs pierced by "valleys", these gorges carved by the runoff of rivers, typical of the country of Caux.
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This route has the gift of varying terrains and landscapes. On the coast, we go up and down the cliffs to the level of the English Channel (sporty). While certain parts of the route, between Étretat and Le Havre in particular, criss-cross the countryside of the hinterland. At the rate of 20 km per day, it takes nine days to complete the full route where we walk loaded.
93,700 voters
No luggage transport is indeed offered. Labeled by the French Hiking Federation (FFRP) for over forty years, however, the GR 21 has never caught the attention of travel specialists on foot with key services. At least so far. Because since its recent coronation, professionals are starting to take an interest in it. Orchestrated online for the third time in late 2019 by the FFRP, the election of the preferred GR mobilized 93,700 voters, twice the number of previous editions. The Norman road won the bet with 30.4% of the vote, far ahead of its dolphins, the GR 65- Compostelle by Le Puy in Haute-Loire (17%) and the GR 52 - Great crossing of the Mercantour in the Alpes-Maritimes (13.8%).