Eric and I have had fun exploring Normandy while living at a chateau in Bosgouet, but it’s time to move on. We hop in our tiny VW Golf to begin a month long road trip, following the Normandy and Brittany coastline before circling back through the Loire Valley to end in Paris.
Beuvron-en-Auge
Following the Cider Route, a popular scenic drive highlighting Normandy’s Pays d’Auge region, we enjoy pretty views of pristine countryside with rolling valleys and blooming apple orchards. Our first stop is the beautiful village of Beuvron-en-Auge.
Beuvron-en-Auge may be small but it has excellent shops. We buy cider, Calvados, a scarf, honey, and funky artwork. Everything wafting through the restaurant smells wonderful and I’m wishing we hadn’t packed a picnic lunch.
Walking through the church cemetery, we note all of the names that are familiar to us in Louisiana. The term “auge” translates as trough, and we see canals everywhere on this route. Driving the countryside of Normandy, especially along the cider route, reminds me of driving around the farm to table regions of Vermont and Washington.
Bayeaux
Having spent a month living in a chateau basement, Eric and I are ready for some luxury so we book a big suite at Manoir de Mathan and it is sooooooooo lovely. Built in the 17th century, this beautifully renovated manor farm is the perfect location for exploring Bayeaux while experiencing Normandy’s country life. We feel like royalty as we walk back from dinner at La Ferme de la Rançonnière.
We visit the requisite Bayeaux Tapestry and while it’s impressive I can’t say we enjoy the experience. It is insufferably hot and cramped inside the viewing space, so Eric and I become one of “those tourists” who race through the museum. I chuckle when one woman says “some people just don’t appreciate history” as we sail past her. I’m usually the judgy one.
D-Day Beaches of Normandy
My favorite classes in college were the World War II courses with Dr. Forrest and Eric is a big fan of this time period as well. So of course we visit the D-Day beaches, carefully selecting the ones we wish to see so we have time to fully appreciate these sites. Arromanches impresses us the most and we’re here at low tide so we get close up views of the Phoenix caissons—huge concrete blocks that were towed from England and sunk to form breakwaters, creating an artificial harbor for unloading troops, vehicles, and supplies after D-Day.
We enjoy a short hike along the GR®223, which offers the best views of Arromanches and the old blockships that were sunk along this coastline.
Next stop is Longues-sur-Mer, which has a nice walking path and well-preserved German artillery battery built atop the cliffs, featuring four massive naval guns in concrete bunkers. There are kids scrambling atop these bunkers, laughing in the sun, and it’s a reminder that even the darkest days will eventually give way to light.
We end with the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach. While it’s my least favorite of the D-Day beaches, simply because of the crowds, it is without a doubt a reverent place. We can hear the whispers of ghosts here, and the murals do an excellent job showing how complex operations were for taking back the European front.
Cotentin Peninsula
After the crowded D-Day towns we’re ready for a quiet escape, and we find that oasis in L’Anse du Brick. We spend a week in a cottage here, gazing out our window at the English Channel.
Our cottage is directly on the GR®223 hiking route, so we lace up our boots and start walking the coastline towards Port Pignot. It’s gorgeous, you’ll have to visit @ptavocados or @tripstowalkabout social media to see more photos.
We stop in the small village of Montfarville on our way to Barfleur, to visit what has to be my favorite church in Normandy, Église de Montfarville. It has the most beautiful frescos, so expressive, and the baptismal font is covered by a large wooden sculpture. We arrive just as the church bells ring.
It’s raining when we visit Barfleur so we keep our walks short, meandering this quiet port town on a market day. We glimpse a woman making baguettes, quickly rolling the dough on a long skinny blanket and wooden handle that she uses to flip off of the blanket.
We visit La Poterie de Barfleur, run by potter Ingrid Guilbert who creates beautifully hand-thrown stoneware and decorative roof finials inspired by local Norman traditions. We see these unique pieces all over walls and roofs throughout town.
We visit a vide la maison (garage sale) at a farm in Saussemesnil. I purchase a set of chicken butter knife holders and attempt to visit with the friendly homeowner. I love the Cotentin Peninsula, it still feels a little wild and removed from the busy tourist sites. The interior is hilly and full of forests and farms. With the exception of Cherbourg, most of the coastline is wild and dotted with small beach villages.
We get a sunny day and hike the GR®223 from Port Pignot to Plage de la Saline. The dunes at Plage de la Mondreé are stunning but swarming with bees, so we walk the beach instead of the official waymarked path. Tired thru-hikers are napping on the beach and couples are picnicking.
Interested in hiking? Read our Walking Holidays in Normandy guide!
Coastal Road of La Manche
While it’s hard to leave our cozy cottage, we’re ready to see the western coast of Cotentin and it’s time to move towards Brittany. The coastal road from Cherbourg to Mont Saint-Michel is fabulous, with beautiful viewpoints near Landemer and Port Racine.
It’s amazing how quickly terrain changes as we round the western side of the peninsula. Cliffs get higher and this is one of the prettiest sections of the GR®223, especially the section we hike from Baie d’Ecalgrain to Falaise du Jobourg.
More photo ops as we drive south, stopping at Plage de Vauville and the Biville and Hatainville Dunes.
One last stop, to see the great tidal mudflats surrounding Mont Saint-Michel from the beach at Bec d’Andaine. It is nearing sunset and we share the long sandy beach with only one couple, it’s marvelous and the perfect way to end our road trip along the Normandy coast.
Next Stop: Brittany Coast Adventures: GR34 by Car & Foot.
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