Local Area

Dawn at Mont Saint Michel. France

An ideal location for exploring Normandy

La Bucaille is located in the countryside within easy walking or cycling of La Haye du Puits (1.5 miles), which has a host of shops and restaurants and plenty of bakeries.

The many sandy Atlantic beaches are a short drive, the nearest being only five miles away at Bretteville-Sur-Ay.

Here are some of the main attractions in the area. Normandy Visitors Guide

One of our local beaches 264

Mont-Saint-Michel

(pictured above) One of Normandy’s most recognisable landmarks, Mont Saint-Michel and its bay are part of the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. This rocky tidal island is France’s second most popular place to visit after Paris.

Bayeux

A beautiful town with its famous tapestry (1066) that is nearly 70 metres long, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England.

Stroll through the old town of Bayeux with many individual shops and timber-framed houses.

eux_Historic_Centre

Bayeux – Source: Anton Bielousov

Normandy beaches

Omaha Beach

Omaha beach – Source: Anton Bielousov

Two of the famous Normandie landing beaches, Omaha and Utah also with many museums are approximately 35-45 minutes drive away.

Re -live the exceptional exploits of the 2nd Battalion of the US Rangers at Pointe du Hoc.

Point du Hoc

Sainte-Mère-Eglise

Tourism in Sainte-Mère-Église today centres on its role in the D-Day invasion. There are many small museums (such as the Airborne Museum) and World War II-related giftshops and eating places.

A dummy paratrooper hangs from the church spire, commemorating the story of John Steele.

Normandy landings WWII

Normandy landings WWII – Source: Wikipedia

Saint-Malo

Saint-Malo during the Middle Ages was a fortified island at the mouth of the Rance River. Now inseparably attached to the mainland, Saint-Malo is the most visited place in Brittany.

Wander through the old walled city with its old port, many restaurants, cafés and bars along the seafront.

Saint Malo

Saint Malo

Granville

The old town of Granville preserves all the history of its military and religious past. The lower town was partly built on land reclaimed from the sea. The upper part of the old town is surrounded by ramparts from the fifteenth century.

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Granville

Granville – Source: Eric Pouhier

Villedieu-les-Poêles

Traditionally a centre of metalwork making brass and copperware. Visit its bell foundry, fonderie de cloches, browse the many shops of brass and copperware.

Granite architecture and cobbled passageways a lovely place to visit with its regular market held here on Tuesdays.

Villedieu Les Poelles

Villedieu-les-Poêles – Source: Pinpin

Avranches

One of the oldest towns in Normandy with its beautiful botanical gardens showing a panoramic view of the bay.

The town was founded on high ground overlooking the dunes and coastal marshes along the bay forming the corner between the peninsulas of the Cotentin and Brittany. From Avranches, it is possible to see the Mont Saint-Michel.

Avranches-botanical-Garden

Avranches botanical garden – Source: René Kretzler

Coutances

The City of Coutances is the location of Jazz sous les pommiers (Jazz under the apple trees), a yearly recurring international jazz festival that has been held since 1982. The festival traditionally takes place during the week of Ascension.

Coutances Cathedral is one of the major buildings of Norman architecture and has wonderful stained glass windows.

Coutances

Coutances – Source: Avroche

For the kids

For the children there is also a good day’s entertainment at Villedieu zoo, Festyland Theme Park outside of Caen and Forest Adventure only 20 minutes away at St-Sauveur-le-Vicomte, and of course the endless beaches on our doorstep.


festyland

Festyland, near Caen

Golf

For those of you who enjoy golf, Normandie was voted as one of the top ten destinations in the world in 2001 for golf, and we are lucky to have a very good selection of courses very nearby.


golf-club-du-champ-de-bataille-france-golf-course copy

Plenty of golf to enjoy in Normandy

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The Normandy/Manche region

orchards

Normandy is famous for its cider

Normandy is a major cider-producing region (very little wine is produced). Perry is also produced, but in less significant quantities. Apple brandy, of which the most famous variety is calvados, is also popular. The mealtime trou normand, or Norman break, is a pause between meal courses in which diners partake of a glassful of calvados, and is still observed in many homes and restaurants. Pommeau is an apéritif produced by blending unfermented cider and apple brandy. Another aperitif is the kir normand, a measure of crème de cassis topped up with cider.

Fromage-Normand-Normandy-cheeses-

Normandy cheeses

Parts of Normandy consist of rolling countryside typified by pasture for dairy cattle and apple orchards. A wide range of dairy products are produced and exported. Norman cheeses include Camembert, Livarot, Pont l’Évêque, Brillat-Savarin, Neufchâtel, Petit Suisse and Boursin. Normandy butter and Normandy cream are lavishly used in gastronomic specialties.

Fish and seafood are of superior quality in Normandy. Turbot and oysters from the Cotentin Peninsula are major delicacies throughout France. Normandy is the chief oyster-cultivating, scallop-exporting, and mussel-raising region in France.

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