Cap Fréhel and Fort la Latte: Seabird Cliffs and the Castle from The Vikings
Brittany, France
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Fréhel Cliff Walker
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250
XP
+100 France
= 350 total
1 day
Cap Fréhel and Fort la Latte: Seabird Cliffs and the Castle from The Vikings
250 + 100 XP
Cap Fréhel's lighthouse of 1950 stands on cliffs about 70 m above the sea, and the ledges below hold around 85 per cent of France's nesting guillemots; with Cap d'Erquy the headland has held the Grand Site de France label since September 2019. Along the coast path, Fort la Latte was begun in the 1340s by Étienne III Goüyon, lord of Matignon, and its keep dates from 1365-1370 — it is where Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis fought the final duel of The Vikings in 1958.
Required Activities
1
of 4
Climb the 145 steps of the Cap Fréhel lighthouse, inaugurated in 1950 and 32 m tall on a cliff that puts its lantern 103 m above the sea, and on a clear evening work out how far you can see — the light carries over 100 km. At its foot find the granite tower it replaced, built in 1701 by Vauban's pupil Garangeau
2
of 4
Look down on the Fauconnière stack and the cliff directly beneath your feet, and pick the three nesting species apart by where they sit: shags and guillemots on the ledges above, kittiwakes lower down, and with luck one of the 28 to 31 pairs of razorbills. Between 280 and 336 pairs of guillemots breed on this cliff, roughly 85 per cent of every guillemot nesting in France
3
of 4
Walk the GR 34 coast path along the cliffs from Cap Fréhel to Fort la Latte
4
of 4
Cross both drawbridges at Fort la Latte and notice they are deliberately out of line with each other, so no battering ram could be run straight through; find the cannonball oven in the lower court that gave French the phrase tirer à boulets rouges, the four tetramorph carvings in the yellow granite ring round the keep, and the Goyon mermaid over the keep door. Then climb the keep, where the last fight of The Vikings was filmed
Climb the 145 steps of the Cap Fréhel lighthouse, inaugurated in 1950 and 32 m tall on a cliff that puts its lantern 103 m above the sea, and on a clear evening work out how far you can see — the light carries over 100 km. At its foot find the granite tower it replaced, built in 1701 by Vauban's pupil Garangeau
Look down on the Fauconnière stack and the cliff directly beneath your feet, and pick the three nesting species apart by where they sit: shags and guillemots on the ledges above, kittiwakes lower down, and with luck one of the 28 to 31 pairs of razorbills. Between 280 and 336 pairs of guillemots breed on this cliff, roughly 85 per cent of every guillemot nesting in France
Walk the GR 34 coast path along the cliffs from Cap Fréhel to Fort la Latte
Cross both drawbridges at Fort la Latte and notice they are deliberately out of line with each other, so no battering ram could be run straight through; find the cannonball oven in the lower court that gave French the phrase tirer à boulets rouges, the four tetramorph carvings in the yellow granite ring round the keep, and the Goyon mermaid over the keep door. Then climb the keep, where the last fight of The Vikings was filmed
Before you go
Shags, guillemots and kittiwakes nest on the Fauconnière stack and the cliff below the viewpoint through spring and summer.
The GR34 between Cap Fréhel and Fort la Latte runs along unfenced cliff edge about 70 m above the sea, with children and dogs to be kept close; allow about an hour and a quarter each way, or park at each end. Fort la Latte is a private ticketed castle with a season and set hours, so check before walking over. The heath is protected for its nesting birds — stay on the marked paths and do not go down towards the ledges.
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Challenge Location
XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
250 XP
France country bonus
+100 XP
Potential total
350 XP
Country bonus earned on completion of your first challenge in France.
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