Cap Gris-Nez

Well done Richard, you have reached Cap Gris-Nez on the French side of the Channel.

Located 26km south of Calais, the cliffs of Cap Gris-Nez are situated in the small farming commune of Audinghen.  Named after the Cape’s grey colour, the geology is a combination of sandstone, clay and chalk.  With beach deposits from the Jurassic period, fossil collectors can sometimes find extinct ammonites in the sandstones.

The top of the Cape’s cliffs provide a terrific vantage point to observe the passing ships, oil tankers and fishing trawlers and during migration season various species of birds that use the strait as a crossing point may be seen on the beaches below.

Due to its proximity to England the village of Audinghen was razed several times during the wars between the two countries.  In 1544, King Henry VIII, captured the territory around the cape and built a pentagonal shaped fort on the northside with the artillery dominating the lower ground to the east and easy access to supplies via sea.  Named Blackness, it was surrendered to the French by 1549.  As the English threat died down, the French abandoned the fort and demolished it shortly thereafter.

Three centuries later Audinghen under German occupation was destroyed once again when the British bombed the area during WWII.  The German army invaded the village in 1942 and built two batteries on the Cape, one facing Calais and the other Boulogne as part of an anticipated attack by the Allied forces.  Grosser Kurfürst Battery held three 170mm guns, whilst Todt Battery had four 380mm guns that could fire up to 55km and capable of reaching the British coast. 

Both batteries were protected by large concrete blockhouses.  After taking heavy air bombardment and being attacked from both sides on land the German garrison of 1600 surrendered in 1944.  Today, one of the blockhouses in Todt Battery houses the Atlantic Wall Museum.