Best anchorages and harbours in Normandy

Baie de Mont Saint Michel

Vast sand bay between Cancale and Granville, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list for the abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel. Tidal range reaches 14 metres at equinoctial springs, among the largest in Europe.

• Sheltered N, NE, W, E, SW, S, SE

Cancale

Open roadstead off the oyster port of Cancale, facing the Baie du Mont-Saint-Michel in Brittany.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E

Estuaire de l'Orne

Buoy mooring field of 180 berths in the estuary of the Orne, between Ouistreham and Merville-Franceville, in Calvados.

• Paid
• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW, S, SE

Île du Large (Est)

Rock-bottom anchorage on the east side of Île du Large, one of the Îles Saint-Marcouf, off the east coast of the Cotentin.

• Sheltered NW, N, W

Jonville

Open anchorage on the east coast of the Cotentin peninsula, just north of Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, with a sand bottom.

• Sheltered N, NE, SW, W, NW

La Mauvaise

Anchorage off the Normandy coast north of Granville, sand bottom, sheltered from NW, N, NE and W winds.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W

Mont Saint-Michel

Tidal anchorage in the bay of Mont Saint-Michel, Normandy, off the UNESCO World Heritage abbey island. Sand and mud bottom, shelter from NW through SE.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW, S, SE

Oissel Halt Fluvial

River halt on the Seine at Oissel, about 12 km upstream of Rouen, on the left bank in Normandy.

Plage d'Urville

Anchorage off the beach of Urville-Nacqueville on the north coast of the Cotentin, west of Cherbourg, with a mixed bottom of sand, rock and weed.

• Sheltered SE, S, SW

Veulettes

Open roadstead off the shingle beach of Veulettes-sur-Mer on the Côte d'Albâtre, Seine-Maritime, between Fécamp and Saint-Valery-en-Caux.

• Sheltered SW, S, SE

Caen

Wet basin in the centre of Caen at the head of the Canal de Caen à la Mer, 92 berths, max draught 3.4 m.

Pointe d'Agon

Sand anchorage in the Havre de Regnéville on the west coast of the Cotentin, 60 mooring buoys, sheltered from NW through SE.

• Free
• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SE

Port de Deauville

Lock-gated basin of 400 berths at the mouth of the Touques estuary, between Deauville and Trouville in Normandy.

Anse à la Truelle

Sheltered cove on the west coast of the Cotentin peninsula, south of Granville in Normandy.

• Sheltered W, SW, S, SE

Anse du Brick

Sandy cove on the north coast of the Cotentin peninsula, six miles east of Cherbourg, sheltered from westerly winds.

• Sheltered E, SW, S, SE

Barneville-Carteret

Tidal harbour on the west coast of the Cotentin in Manche, with a retention gate on the Gerfleur estuary keeping 700 berths afloat.

Dives - Cabourg - Houlgate

Marina of 560 berths at the mouth of the Dives river in Calvados, serving the three seaside towns of Dives-sur-Mer, Cabourg and Houlgate on the Côte Fleurie.

Falaises de Vaches Noires

Open roadstead off the cliffs between Villers-sur-Mer and Houlgate, on the Calvados coast of Normandy. Fair-weather anchorage only.

• Sheltered S, SE

Hérel - Granville

Marina of 1000 berths at Granville, on the Normandy coast facing the Chausey archipelago, 8 NM east of the islands.

Île Tatihou

Anchorage off the small island of Tatihou at the entrance to Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, Cotentin, sand bottom, sheltered from winds from NW through N and NE to W.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W

Poses

Point on the Seine at the Poses-Amfreville dam, the tidal limit of the river upstream from Rouen. Anchoring is prohibited in the dam and lock zone.

• Sheltered N, NE, W, SW, S

Saint Vaast la Hougue

Tidal marina on the east coast of the Cotentin peninsula in Normandy, behind the fortified island of Tatihou.

Ouistreham Riva-Bella

Lock-gated marina of 650 berths at the mouth of the Orne canal in Normandy, entry point to Caen by the ship canal.

Saint Valery-en-Caux

Lock-gated harbour of 560 berths set in a breach in the chalk cliffs of the Pays de Caux, on the Seine-Maritime coast between Dieppe and Fecamp.

YCT

Sailing club based in the marina of Le Tréport, on the Seine-Maritime coast at the mouth of the Bresle river.

Carentan

Marina of 350 berths in the Cotentin marshes, reached by a four mile canal from the Baie des Veys in eastern Normandy.

Cherbourg - Petite Rade

Prohibited anchorage zone inside the Petite Rade of Cherbourg, in Normandy. Yachts must use Port Chantereyne, 0.2 nm to the south.

• Sheltered NW, W, E, SW, S, SE

Côte de la Hougue

Sand anchorage off the Cotentin east coast, 0.8 NM south of Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue in Normandy.

• Sheltered SW, W, NW

Dieppe

Commercial and leisure port of 570 berths at the mouth of the Arques, on the chalk cliffs of the Pays de Caux in Normandy.

Grève de Blainvillais

Buoy field with 15 moorings off Blainville-sur-Mer on the west coast of the Cotentin, sand bottom, sheltered from NW through S.

• Paid
• Sheltered NW, W, SW, S