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Ault, Somme

Commune in Hauts-de-France, France

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2180 characters
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1357064767 · 2026-05-31T15:15:46Z
Key vocabulary

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cliffs7 uses in this article department3 uses in this article beach3 uses in this article century2 uses in this article Aerial2 uses in this article during2 uses in this article gauge2 uses in this article which2 uses in this article construction1 uses in this article constantly1 uses in this article lighthouse1 uses in this article nineteenth1 uses in this article alongside1 uses in this article defending1 uses in this article marshland1 uses in this article reclaimed1 uses in this article sixteenth1 uses in this article southwest1 uses in this article Atlantic1 uses in this article concrete1 uses in this article

Overview

Ault (; Picard: Eut) is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.

Geography

Situated on the English Channel, on the D19 road, west of Abbeville, in the southwest of the department, Ault possesses chalk cliffs overlooking a beach of pebbles (and sand at low tide). To the south of the town is a large wooded area, the ‘Bois de Cise’, in a valley that leads on to the coast. To the north, the cliffs descend to the level of the beach at Onival. The area around the town, the 'hâble d’Ault' was mostly tidal marshland that has been reclaimed from the sea. Cattle, sheep and game are raised here.

Railways

Ault had a station on the standard gauge Woincourt to Onival line, which closed to passengers in May 1939, but saw much use during World War II to move materials for the Atlantic Wall. During the war, a metre gauge line was laid alongside the road from Lanchères, on the CFBS, to Ault. This line was dismantled after the war.

Places of interest

* The 15th / sixteenth century church of Saint-Pierre, * The war memorial, designed by Paul Landowski. * Two chapels, at Onival and Bois de Cise dating from the nineteenth century. * Several ancient village houses. * The lighthouse, with its lantern over 106 metres above sea-level. * The cliffs * The beaches of Ault and Bois de Cise.. * The ‘hâble d'Ault', with signed pathways.

Sea defences

The town has paid a heavy price defending itself against the sea, which is constantly washing away the beach, cliffs and public spaces, such as the car parks and gardens. The problem is ongoing. A "balcony on the sea", a huge concrete construction has been built but the risks remain. Signs of wear of the dyke under the casino have been noted. Aerial image of Ault (view from the west).jpg Aerial view of Ault and its cliffs Ault_falaises.jpg The cliffs BOIS_DE_CISE.JPG Bois de Cise and cliffs Ault, Bois de Cise, 2001-JS00498.jpg Ault, Bois de Cise, 80, Fr, juin 2001-JS00502.jpg Ault, Bois de Cise, fête juin 2002-JS03594.jpg Ault, Bois de Cise, fête juin 2002-JS03669.jpg Ault, Bois de Cise, fête juin 2002-JS03673.jpg JS09234.jpg JS09237.jpg JS09283.jpg JS09286.jpg JS09288.jpg JS09299.jpg JS09306.jpg JS09308.jpg JS09319.jpg

See also

Communes of the Somme department

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