The towns of Rouen, Le Havre and Dieppe form the outermost limits of what is known as the ”magic triangle” in the French Normandy.
In the north, the commune of Etretat and its white chalk cliffs attract millions of tourists every year.
In the south, the river Seine meanders in large curves through undulating countryside, flanked by Norman monasteries, towards its estuary.
The landscape is characterised by gentle, rolling hills, pastures, poplar trees and orchards.
This part of Normandy is relatively unknown to foreigners, but French tourists have been coming here for years and call it affectionately the ”Pays de Caux”.
The magic triangle has plenty of peace and quiet as well as unspoilt nature to offer and is easy to explore.
Just after it passes through Rouen with its gothic cathedral, the river Seine winds its way through hills, woodland and moor en route to the sea.
After a few kilometres, the abbey of Saint George de Boscherville appears, one of the most attractive sights Normandy has to offer.
It draws visitors from all over the world, who marvel at its impressive Romanesque architecture and large gardens. They are so well maintained, even artichokes can grow here in the northerly climate.
Soon after leaving the abbey, travellers are greeted by what the French call ”the most beautiful ruin the country has to offer”.
The 46m towers of the abbey at Jumieges are testimony to the power this monastery once enjoyed. Along with abbey Saint Georges de Boscherville, Jumieges is a wonderful example of Romanesque-style architecture.
However, that wasn’t enough to stop the anti-church zeal of the French revolutionaries, who gutted the building in 1789.
At the next bend in the Seine stands the abbey of Saint Wandrille, where dozens of Benedictine monks work and pray.
Visitors are not allowed access to the entire abbey, but they can enjoy the gardens, the ruins of the gothic chapel, and — at selected times — they can admire the cloisters. A selection of goods made by the monks is for sale in the abbey’s shop.
The next settlement is called Caudebec-en-Caux, where travellers can choose to cross to the other bank of the Seine by ferry. There are no bridges, so the ferry is the only opportunity to cross the river, look back and admire the view.
This part of Normandy is just two-and-a-half hours from Paris and weekenders from the capital are often to be found enjoying local produce such as cider, calvados or crumb cake.
As the journey continues, the simple farmsteads along the roadside give way to more opulent country houses, which is a fitting announcement for the magic that awaits in Etretat.
For over 100 years, the famous cliffs of this area have been attracting not just Parisians, but people from all over the world, who admire the natural and stunning beauty.
Generations of painters have also recognised the cliffs’ aesthetic virtues and France’s museums are full of images of their cool, white beauty from artists such as Courbet, Boudin, Matisse, Corot and Delacroix.
Film directors Claude Lelouch and Claude Chabrol used the cliffs as backdrops for their movies and they also fascinated authors Victor Hugo and Guy de Maupassant.
The chalk cliffs rise majestically from the sea, testament to the forces of nature that created them. Visitors to the cliffs can gaze from the top out to sea and along the coastline, just like Boudin and the other painters did.
The coastline east of Etretat is called the Cote d’Albaitre — the Alabaster Coast — and at 130km in length, is France’s longest rocky coastline, broken only occasionally by villages, small bays and narrow inlets.
The best way to get to know the coast, which has been sculpted by nature through water, wind and rain, is by taking a trek along the GR21 path.
Close to the town of Fecamp, which during the medieval period was a marketplace for smoked herring, the path’s route runs close to the edge of the cliff, which is 126m above sea level.
Returning to the road will take travellers to the seaside resorts of Veuletter-sur-Meer, Saint Valery-en-Caux, Veules-les-Roses and their chateaus and country houses, which boast colourful flower gardens.
Varengeville has an interesting country manor that dates from the Renaissance, as well as the 9ha-large Moutiers Park with rare species of plants from around the world.
The final point on the journey is Dieppe, a growing town of 36 000 people.
Why not try one of its many fish restaurants or visit the coast to contemplate the sea and the beach, covered with smooth flint-stone pebbles known as ”galets troues”? — Sapa-dpa