If you go west from Cherbourg to LA HAGUE, the northern tip of the peninsula, you'll find wild and isolated countryside where you can lean into the wind, watch waves smashing against rocks or sunbathe in a spring profusion of wild flowers. The discharges of "low-level" radioactive wastes from the Cap Hague nuclear reprocessing plant may, however, discourage you from swimming. In 1980, the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior chased a ship bringing spent Japanese fuel into Cherbourg harbour. The Rainbow Warrior's crew were arrested, but all charges were dropped when 3000 Cherbourg dockers threatened to strike in their support.The main road, the D901, continues a couple of kilometres beyond the nuclear plant to GOURY, where the fields finally roll down to a craggy pebble coastline. Almost the only building here, the Auberge de Goury (tel 02.33.52.77.01; closed Mon), is a really excellent restaurant, facing the octagonal lifeboat station and looking out towards a slate-grey lighthouse. It specializes in charcoal-grilled fish and meat, with a wide-ranging cheeseboard that includes the extraordinary voluptueuse, and is very popular at lunchtimes. South of La Hague a great curve of sand – some of it military training ground – takes the land's edge to FLAMANVILLE and another nuclear installation. But the next two sweeps of beach down to CARTERET, with sand dunes like mini-mountain ranges, are probably the best beaches in Normandy: there are no resorts, no hotels and just two campsites – at LE ROZEL (Le Ranch; tel 02.33.10.07.10; closed Nov–March) and SURTAINVILLE (Les Mielles; tel 02.33.04.31.04).
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