A striking area whose beauty lies not only in the landscape, Normandy is famed for its seafood and Celtic tradition. Certain areas of Normandy remain untouched and wonderfully old fashioned. Yet, from the stylish seaside resorts to the old half-timbered manor houses surrounded by lush pastures and cider orchards, Normandy still seems largely untouched by the rigours of the modern world. Laying on the upper edge of France, Normandy has a striking and wonderfully old-fashioned feel characterised by a craggy granite coastline, quiet villages and unspoilt countryside.
Towns such as Honfleur typify the picturesque maritime charm of its ports. The Manche department is the finger that points across the Channel at Britain, and it stretches from the port of Cherbourg on the tip of the Cotentin peninsula to the Mont St Michel — the most visited site in France — right on the border with Brittany.
The granite coastline, sandy coves and the inland bocage, a dense array of hedgerows and trees that so obstructed the Allies in , has changed little in centuries. A journey through Normandy cannot fail to reveal its significant part in western history. The Bayeux Tapestry depicts the Battle of Hastings and, most famously, its coastline hosts the five beaches onto which the Allied troops landed on D-Day.
Normandy has a rich landscape full of variety. Notable spots include Houlgate with its pretty promenade and vast sandy beach, and Cabourg, a popular resort with large sandy beach and a whiff of Edwardian elegance about it — stroll around the marina admiring the yachts or meander through the formal gardens.
The beaches may be wide and sandy, but the rolling countryside of the interior conceals a wealth of quiet, unassuming villages, ancient market towns and unspoilt countryside calling out for leisurely exploration. A hardy perennial camping destination, Normandy is a convenient entry point to much of France.
