Tatihou Island

Discovery

Birdwatching paradise

Tatihou Island is a granite jewel set in the waters of the English Channel, off the coast of Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue. It can be reached on foot or by amphibious boat. A place of memory and discovery, Tatihou Island, dominated by the massive silhouette of one of the two Vauban towers, offers visitors, lovers of history and nature, a range of varied discoveries.

Heavenly in summer with its two small beaches and its Jardin d'Acclimatation, the island becomes much more enigmatic in winter.

And that's not the only dilemma: there is a constant debate here about whether it is better to admire it from the outside, from the port of Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue or Jonville beach for example, or go there to explore its mysteries?

– Well, both, my Captain, especially since the short distance between the island and the coast offers you an amazing journey. Depending on the tide, the boat that takes you there on the water can suddenly… lift itself up on its wheels, and bring you back to dry land!

A small piece of land located on the east coast of Cotentin, it is a garden on the sea which benefits from the roughness of the granite and the softness of the caressing breezes.

This small island of 28 hectares which offers a range of varied discoveries is accessible on foot or by amphibious boat depending on the tides. The island is an ornithological site where it is possible to observe more than a hundred species of birds throughout the year.

Tatihou would not be as fascinating without its tower. It was Benjamin Descombes, Vauban's engineer, who built this fortification in 1694 following the Battle of Barfleur. In 2008, UNESCO made no mistake in registering the two Vauban towers, which dominate the landscape, as World Heritage sites.

Today, Tatihou has become an unmissable site of Norman heritage, nestled in the harbor of Saint-Vaast-La-Hougue, it bears witness to 300 years of history. Over time, military events have given way to scientific, educational and cultural vocations, where military events and scientific, educational and cultural vocations have taken place over time.

The island was the scene of the famous Battle of La Hougue in 1692, it hosted sailors in quarantine from 1722 to 1860, and it was one of the first maritime stations of the Natural History Museum at the end of the XNUMXth century.

Later, from an aerium for children in fragile health, it became a rehabilitation center for adolescents in judicial or family placement.