E L T I P S V R T
Peering from our capsule, we took in a strange world of simmering volcanos where giant whales swam frighteningly close.
“It’s better than Disneyland!” yelled our eight-year-old, Nathan, when we stepped off the underwater virtual adventure at Cité de la Mer in Cherbourg, France.
The action was inside Cherbourg’s former cruise terminal, where 281 passengers boarded the Titanic more than a century ago.
Visitors can sit in the very baggage corridor where they waited before viewing a 3D exhibit that tells the tragic story.
There is also the chance to tour a real nuclear submarine, which hubby Jamie got very excited about.
Back on dry land, our home for the week was a Siblu holiday park in nearby Normandy.
I still long for luxury hotels but the kids find them boring. And I refuse to go camping after a spider-related episode in Australia. So a DIY driving break, sorting our own travel and accommodation in a mobile home, is the perfect compromise.
Siblu operates 17 family holiday parks across France, from Normandy to the Cote d’azur, and the Loire to the Vendée. Since our eldest Theo, who is ten, was studying the Second World War at school, we settled on Le Domaine de Litteau, near Bayeux. It is one of the smaller sites, surrounded by beautiful fields and woodland.
Our kids set about spending their holiday money the moment we walked on to our Brittany Ferry from Portsmouth to Caen.
Full up on delicious food and a couple of bottles of small wine during the six-hour sailing, our Siblu site was just an hour’s drive away.
Waiting for us at Le Domaine de Litteau was a warm indoor swimming pool, boules area, fab play park and giant inflatable pirate ship.
Siblu is known for its kids’ clubs and evening entertainment and we
BOOK visits in advance. Every attraction we went to had English versions of their websites if your French is not so good.
TAKE your own packed lunch when you got to Festyland theme park. The queues for food are long and not worth the wait.
STOCK up on grub for your mobile home at one of the bigger French supermarkets to save cash.
Look for a Leclerc or, if you prefer familiar names,
hunt out an Aldi. loved the live shows, dancing, quizzes and daytime activities.
Our excellence mobile home was a winner too, with comfy beds, a hot shower that was surprisingly spacious and a fully equipped kitchen.
Realistic
Theo and Jamie fitted in some father-son bonding time after travelling by car to the Normandy beaches. Theo’s lessons hit home as he walked along Omaha and Utah beaches and saw the challenges the US forces would have faced as they scaled the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc. Thousands lost their lives.
We were amazed how realistic the D-day experience was at the Dead Man’s Corner Museum in Saint-come-du-mont, with the avatar of a US Lieutenant Colonel handing us a mission.
Once on board the C-47 simulator, housed in a genuine aircraft, we got a tiny insight into how terrifying it must have been for paratroopers as we were rocked by explosions.
Normandy is also home to the 70 metre long Bayeux Tapestry.
The boys were in stitches with the special audio tour, learning about the Norman Conquest.
Bayeux itself is a beautiful medieval place with cobbled streets, half-timbered houses and a gorgeous Norman-gothic cathedral.
The Festyland theme park on the Caen ring road also got the thumbs up from the boys.
They loved the Jules Verne carousel, Valhalla Viking ride and bouncing frogs, while us grown-ups enjoyed strapping ourselves into flying mechanical horses.
There is tons to do in Normandy and while the weather might be hit and miss in the low season – the fun never is.
FACTFILE: Seven nights at Siblu’s Domaine de Litteau park in Normandy in July from £840, based on up to six sharing a two-bed Elegance holiday home. See siblu.com. Brittany Ferries operates routes from Portsmouth, Poole and Plymouth direct to Brittany and Normandy. Travel overnight by cruise-ferry in a cabin or whisk across the Channel in three hours. July fares from £323 return for a car and family of four. See brittany-ferries.co.uk.