Hikes around Granville:
The Sentier des Douaniers, and the cliffs of Carolles-Champeaux
Normandy Coastal Trail
A long walk along the seashore
Around Granville, hiking takes on a very special quality, with shifting light, salty air, and landscapes that suddenly open up to the vastness of the bay. For those who enjoy walking along the seashore, the Sentier des Douaniers is one of the most beautiful experiences to enjoy during a stay in southern Manche. This route corresponds to the GR223, a major marked trail that runs along the Normandy coast for about 650 kilometers, from Honfleur to Mont-Saint-Michel. Starting in Granville, it winds through a particularly inspiring stretch, taking in beaches, seaside villas, wooded valleys, and coastal panoramas.
From O2 Camping, it’s about a ten-minute drive to a spectacular area where the terrain—more rugged than elsewhere along this stretch of the coast—makes the walk a truly refreshing experience. The trail offers both the feeling of walking through an unspoiled landscape and the pleasure of making your way toward viewpoints that are well worth the effort.
Customs Officers’ Trail
The Customs Officers’ Trail between Granville and Carolles
On this stretch, the GR223 leaves Granville and follows the coastline toward Saint-Pair-sur-Mer, then continues on to Carolles and Champeaux, passing through a mix of beaches, rocky outcrops, and steeper sections. The route from Granville to the cliffs of Champeaux is about 20 kilometers long, making it a full day’s hike for dedicated hikers.
For a more leisurely option, many people simply choose to head to the cliffs of Carolles-Champeaux and explore the most scenic sections at their own pace—for example, by taking the Cabane Vauban hike. This flexibility is one of the trail’s greatest assets: it can be enjoyed as a trek, a half-day hike, or simply a contemplative stroll.
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The trail offers several highlights of the local landscape. Among the sights are the seaside villas of Saint-Pair-sur-Mer, the mouth of the Thar River, the Lude Valley, the Vauban huts, and, further on, the famous cliffs that frame the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel.
Highlights include the seaside villas of Saint-Pair-sur-Mer, the mouth of the Thar River, the Lude Valley, the Vauban huts, and, further on, the famous cliffs that frame the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel. Here, walking is more than just exercise: it becomes a way to interpret the landscape, to feel the sea, and to watch the bay gradually reveal itself.
Carolles Champeaux Cliffs
The Cliffs of Carolles-Champeaux, a spectacular site
The cliffs of Carolles and Champeaux are the only major cliff formation on the southern part of the western coast of the English Channel, making them a rare feature in the local landscape. They stretch for about 5 kilometers and rise an average of 60 to 80 meters above sea level.
The site has been protected since 2001 and boasts remarkable ecological richness, with a wide variety of plant and animal species documented by the Conservatoire du littoral. Granville Terre et Mer lists, in particular, 480 plant species, 30 species of grasshoppers, and 348 species of butterflies, which speaks volumes about the site’s natural value. But beyond the numbers, it is the experience itself that leaves the deepest impression.
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The moors, dotted with heather, gorse, broom, and blackthorn, add color to the cliffs as the seasons change, while the panorama opens up onto the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, offering one of those views that make you want to linger for a long time. This hike around Granville thus offers everything that many vacationers seek today: an authentic coastal trail, unspoiled nature, a true breath of fresh air, and the rare sensation of approaching the sea from above, amid the silence of the wind and the moor.
