Lindbergh Dunes - Portbail Harbour

On the west coast of the Cotentin, from wild dunes to cultivated dunes, you will encounter a wide variety of environments in a largely unspoilt area. At the edge of the dunes, overlooking the harbour of Portbail, the trail offers magnificent views.

Details

61563
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.25 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 7 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 7 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 17 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 4 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Parking is available at the end of Avenue Foch.

(S/E) Take the path that continues along Avenue Foch towards the sea. Pass near a dune pond, then at the first crossroads, turn left towards the first houses of Denneville Plage. Ignore the numerous paths on either side of the main path.

(1) At the crossroads, turn left between two small embankments and stay on the main path (marked by wear). The path winds through the wooded dunes. Keep left at the first fork (wooden post in line with the right-hand lane). Take the right-hand lane at the second fork (two wooden posts in line with each other) then turn left onto Chemin des Mielles. On either side of this straight section, you will see fields used for growing vegetables.

(2) At the end of the road (see alternative route in Practical Information), turn right, then left, cross the D650 tourist road with caution and take the road opposite. At the T-junction, turn left and continue straight ahead at the next junction.

(3) At the end of the road, turn right, follow the road and then turn into the first road on the left. At the end of the road, cross the D650 tourist road with caution and take the road opposite. At the end of the road, turn left and you will come out at the Havre de Portbail opposite the submersible footbridge.

(4) Turn left, cross the wooden footbridge over the Pont aux Oeufs stream, then continue to the right along the path that runs alongside the harbour. At the Conservatoire du Littoral sign on the right, go up to the left, following the markings of a path a little further inland to avoid the edge of the dune, which has been weakened by erosion. Join the coastal path to pass in front of the port of Portbail.

(5) Pass the point to find yourself walking along the shore through the dunes, with the sea on your right. You will reach the beach, which you follow up.

(6) Turn right onto Avenue Guynemer.

(7) At the end of the road, turn left and continue straight ahead on Avenue Coli, where the tarmac turns to sand, to reach Avenue Foch (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 11 m - End of Avenue Foch
  2. 1 : km 0.47 - alt. 8 m - Crossroads
  3. 2 : km 1.85 - alt. 16 m - T-junction
  4. 3 : km 3.13 - alt. 14 m - Fork
  5. 4 : km 4.22 - alt. 6 m - Submersible footbridge
  6. 5 : km 6.22 - alt. 9 m - Pointe de Portbail
  7. 6 : km 7.59 - alt. 9 m - Avenue Guynemer
  8. 7 : km 7.91 - alt. 10 m - Avenue Coli
  9. S/E : km 8.25 - alt. 11 m - End of Avenue Foch

Notes

The starting point is at the end of Avenue Foch on Lindbergh Beach. Park here.
(2) Turn left, then right at the end of the road, then after 300 m take the sandy path on the left to reach the wooden footbridge, reducing the route to 7.37 km.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 45 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
User 28800089

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 21, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

no complaints

Machine-translated

Deric27
Deric27
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 02, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant short walk that can easily be extended as there are numerous paths to choose from without getting lost.
We chose to start from Port-Bail, taking the small footbridge over the Olonde, which allows you to join the route at point 4.
We then did it in reverse order (4-3-2).
Shortly before point 2, we continued south to Les Mielles d'Allone, then turned towards the sea and walked along the beach back to point 1.
Finally, we followed the route as indicated, through the dunes, which was very interesting.
We did not regret the extended route, which totalled 16 km in this direction.

Machine-translated

User 26705639

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Magnificent views of Le Havre.

Machine-translated

Lukowiak Michel
Lukowiak Michel

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice short hike, easier with a GPS device.

Machine-translated

Philhame
Philhame

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 27, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An easy route between dunes and beaches.

Machine-translated

Valentinfelix
Valentinfelix

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Easy hike
Very diverse landscapes including dunes, forests, views of the region's carrot and leek fields, ending at the beach
Recommended for the duration, the scenery and the tranquillity of the sites you pass through

Machine-translated

tishtosh
tishtosh

Overall rating : 3.5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful walk, but it ended up on the beach because there are many paths in the dunes and they are sometimes difficult to follow with GPS.
That didn't stop us from enjoying the route, though.

Machine-translated

JPBOILLOT
JPBOILLOT

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

At the start, the path through the wooded dunes is very narrow, so make sure you are on the right track.
At the end of the trail, it's best to stick to the shoreline, even if you're not sure where you are at low tide. Following the GR 223 trail offers a better view from higher up but is more tiring and unpredictable.
Overall, it's a beautiful, easy hike with lovely views of Portbail.

Machine-translated

Phil75020
Phil75020

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Machine-translated

violetjp1
violetjp1

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Another beautiful hike combining countryside and sea, with a very good balance between the two.
Although I visit the region regularly, I had never explored the Portbail harbour from this side before.

Thanks again to whoever took the time to create this hike.

Machine-translated

stephane.anquetil
stephane.anquetil

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 21, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An easy walk that can be adapted (even in the dunes where visibility is good and you can see the GR trail).
It is easier to park in the designated car park than in the residential area.
Bring shoes that are easy to take off or, conversely, well-closed if you want to trudge through the sand.
We had a week of rain and wind, but the dunes dry quickly, so there is no mud to worry about except in the fields.

Machine-translated

Mick88
Mick88

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I left Portbail and joined the route at the submersible bridge. I did the hike in the opposite direction as the tide was coming in. So I did the land part first to get to the sea when the tide was high. The sea part is magnificent.
I followed the GPS route.
Thank you for this beautiful route.

Machine-translated

JYLI
JYLI

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I followed the GPS track.

Machine-translated

Claude7222
Claude7222

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 15, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

clean shave

Machine-translated

FD RANDO
FD RANDO

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

beautiful weather for this lovely walk through the dunes with stunning views.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.