La Pointe du Banc

The route starts at the SNSM car park in Saint-Germain-sur-Ay Plage.

Yellow markings

(S/E) Take the Boulevard Maritime, which runs alongside the SNSM car park, and head south. When you reach the junction with Rue de Savoie on your left, stay on the Boulevard Maritime on your right and follow the sea along the footpath for 700 m (please do not take the path over the dune for conservation reasons). At the very end of Boulevard Maritime, at the 90° left-hand bend, you will find the entrance to the Saint-Germain-sur-Ay dunes and the^GR®223trail.

(1) Take this path, following the trail through the dunes and using the posts strategically placed in spots visible from a distance to guide you. After 700 m, still on the^GR®223, turn left onto the gravel path. Follow it until you reach a road (Rue des Carrières) at number 18.

(2) Turn right onto it and continue towards Pointe du Banc. After 350 m, the tarmac road turns into a gravel track (take care as cars may still be using the track). Pass an oyster vending machine and continue straight on for 500 m until you reach a car park.

(3) Ignore this car park and take the dune path on your right, which will take you round the car park along the top of the dunes. Take the left-hand bend after 180 m, then continue straight on. Leave the sandy path on your right a few metres further on and take the next one, still on your right, after about sixty metres. Continue to the next car park at the edge of the harbour. Cross the car park, follow the access road for just a few metres, then turn right onto a dune path that will take you along the ridges for nearly 1 km.

(4) At the top of the first dune, you’ll have a breathtaking view of the bay at Saint-Germain-sur-Ay. Follow the path, keeping an eye out for the posts you’ll see in the distance. From this first summit, the path veers left, moving away from the bay’s edge. Continue to follow the posts and the dune ridges. Descend 800 m further along a path that will bring you back towards the harbour’s edge, arriving at a four-way junction.

(5) Take the path on the left, then continue along the harbour and reach a fork where you can choose between a path straight ahead and one on your left.

(6) Take the left-hand path to begin your return to Saint-Germain-sur-Ay beach. Follow the path straight ahead until you reach a small tarmac road (Avenue de la Pointe du Banc).

(7) Go through the wooden gate to enter the extensive pastureland and walk along the fence towards the houses. This turns off to the right after 70 m. Continue along the residential area on your left, pass the first footbridge and take the second one, which will lead you to No. 32 Rue des Chalmeignes.

(8) Turn right onto this street and continue straight on until you reach the junction with Avenue de Bretagne.

(9) Turn right onto this road and continue straight on until you reach a multi-way junction. Ignore Boulevard de la Plage and turn left (Rue de la Mer) to reach the SNSM car park (S/E).

The^GR® 223, also known as the ‘customs officers’ path’, stretches 446 km along the Channel coast. It links the Baie des Veys on the east coast to Mont Saint-Michel on the west coast. It takes around three weeks to walk the entire route.

The west coast of the Cotentin offers exceptional conditions that give its oysters a very briny and full-bodied flavour. The strongest tides in Europe ensure constant water circulation and exceptional water quality. As for the rivers flowing into the harbours, they provide essential nutrients for the shellfish.

Saint-Germain-sur-Ay Harbour: The west coast of the English Channel has eight harbours forming a unique ensemble found nowhere else in the world. Saint-Germain-sur-Ay Harbour is the second largest harbour on the west coast. In the Middle Ages, it was used for the extraction of seaweed, salt and the harvesting of glasswort.