Barfleur

Barfleur was the principal Norman port for crossings to England in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, and William the Conqueror's ship for the 1066 invasion is said to have been built here. In November 1120 the White Ship left Barfleur carrying William Adelin, Henry I's only legitimate son, struck a rock offshore and sank with almost all aboard; the succession crisis that followed led to nearly two decades of civil war in England. The village today is grey granite, low and uniform, around a working harbour, listed among the most beautiful villages in France. The Gatteville lighthouse nearby is among the tallest in Europe.

What you actually see

• The granite harbour - low uniform stone houses around a working port.
• The White Ship rock - the Quilleboeuf reef where the 1120 wreck occurred.
• Gatteville lighthouse - one of Europe's tallest, climbed by 365 steps.
• The fishing boats - a working fleet landing shellfish.

When to go

April to October; the harbour dries at low tide and looks quite different across the cycle. The lighthouse opens seasonally. Winter is exposed and many businesses close.

Honest expectations

The village is small and quiet with little beyond the harbour and the lighthouse. The lighthouse climb is 365 steps. Access without a car is limited.

Nearby

Cherbourg lies west; the Utah Beach landings site is south.