A NORMANDY GITE WITHIN EASY REACH OF ALL THE MAIN ATTRACTIONS

Location

Within 40kms (30 minutes)

Flers, Bagnoles de l’Orne, La Suisse Normandie

Within an hour

Alencon, St Hilaire Du Harcouet, Mont Saint Michel, Le Haras du Pin, Avranches, Bayeaux

Just a little further

D Day Landing Beaches, Cancale (for Oysters!), Caen, Granville (ferries to Jersey) & Deauville

Sites of Interest

There is so much to do in Normandy!

Normandy is famous for the D-Day landing beaches, its busy Channel ports and elegant resorts.

Going west of Le Havre there are smart resorts and sandy beaches, then the beaches of the D-Day landings give way to the wilder but still sandy beaches of Cherbourg ending in the Bay of Le Mont St Michel.

From Le Havre to Rouen and beyond the river Seine flows through attractive countryside with interesting sights along the way. Inland are extensive orchards producing delicious Cider, Calvados, Pommeau and Poire. For the real flavour visit one of the cider presses and sample the local tipple

The region of Orne features over 4,000 kilometres of walking paths and has many allocated cycle paths. Hot air ballooning, mountaineering, fishing, swimming, sailing and water sports are just some of the activities you can take part in during your stay.

Alencon - famous for lace, “Alencon Stitch" is one of the best-known styles of lace making. The Notre-Dame in Alencon is a magnificent early 16th century church famous for its entrance door and stained glass windows.

Avranches - Near Mont St Michel and overlooking the bay with several places to visit including the manuscripts of Mont St Michel Abbey at the Town Hall. There are gardens and a Museum. It was in Avranches that Henry II made public penance for the murder of Thomas Beckett.

Bagnoles - Nearer to Domfront is the spa town of Bagnoles-de l'Orne renowned for its legendary healing powers, a good day out with its lake, shops, spa stations and casino.

www.bagnoles-de-lorne.com

Bayeaux - Home of the world famous tapestry. There is also the General de Gaulle museum, the battle of Normandy museum and the “British” cemetery

www.bayeux-tourism.com

Caen - Capital of Normandy with its castle and the two abbeys - Abbaye aux Hommes and Abbaye aux Dames which have connections with William the Conqueror, an Art Museum, the Memorial Peace Museum, the Botanical Gardens and a Zoo set in 10 hectares of land. www.zoodejurques.fr There is also extensive shopping malls / department stores. Ouistreham is the port of Caen.

Deauville - developed into a seaside resort in 1860, and after the World War I became a popular holiday destination for the rich and famous. It has two marinas, a casino, 27 hole golf course, smart hotels and restaurant. Most recently Deauville hosts its international film festival to rival Cannes. There is also international show jumping held throughout the summer. Link to FFE.

Granville – A lively seaside resort with exceptionally good food, a sailing centre and commercial fishing port. Passenger ferries depart from here for the Channel Islands. Childhood home to Christian Dior it hosts a museum dedicated to him.

Haras du Pin – Well worth visiting for the stallion displays, guided tours and splendid architecture.

Le Chatellier (10 kms from Fougeres) – Parc Floral de Haute Bretagne, sixteen beautiful gardens, the website alone is worth a visit, www.parcfloralbretagne.com

Lisieux - An historic town whose history goes back over 2000 years there are many timber fronted houses. The Cathedral and Basilica are famous. Visit also the Parc Zoologique – highly professional conservation park. www.cerza.com

Mont St Michel - created in the 11th century and originally surrounded by water. Over the years this area silted up with the result of a causeway forming over which visitors can walk. Multi-million euro restoration work has gone on to make the sea surround it once again.