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Cap Gris Nez

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Sunset at Cape Gris Nez
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Sunset at Cape Gris Nez

Cap Gris Nez is a cape on the Côte d'Opale, in the Pas-de-Calais département, in northern France.

It is located between Wissant (Whitesand) and Audresselles, in the commune of Audinghen (Odingham).

The cliffs of the Cap Griz Nez are the closest point of France to England - 34 km (20 miles) from their English counterparts at Dover. Smothered in sea pinks and thrift, the cliffs are a perfect vantage point to see hundreds of ships from oil tankers to little fishing trawlers plying the waters below.

On the top of the cliff remain the ruins of an English fortress, built by King Henry VIII, at the beginning of the 16th century.

During the Second World War, the Germans built a blockhaus inside the ruins and the place was liberated by the Canadians in September 1944.

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