NORMANDY

6 THINGS YOU MUST DO IN...

IT’S one of the most momentous dates in our history, and to mark the 950th anniversary this month of the bloody Battle of Hastings, GARETH HUW DAVIES visits William the Conqueror’s handsome home of Normandy, from where he plotted to wrestle the crown from King Harold in 1066… 1. CONQUEROR’S CATHEDRAL

THE Normans left us fine churches, cathedrals and castles. And their own buildings are outstanding too. William consecrated Bayeux Cathedral in 1077, and it may have been here that in 1064 Harold swore a controversial oath of loyalty to William. An hour by road from Bayeux is the Chateau de Falaise, where William was born and raised, although the tremendous edifice we see today dates from the 1100s. It’s the work of his son, Henry I, based on the Norman castles built in England after the Conquest.

2. A WARM WELCOME

BAYEUX loves the British. The town, 40 minutes from the D-Day beaches, was unscathed in the course of the subsequent Normandy invasion in 1944. Units of the British Army liberated it on June 7, the day after the occupying Germans fled.

During my visit this year, the town was full of Union Jacks, and signs proclaiming ‘Welcome to our Liberators’ filled the windows of shops and restaurants. The largest Second World War British military cemetery is at Bayeux.

Take a pleasant stroll around the town’s narrow streets, with picturesque views of the River Aure. I recommend L’Angle Saint Laurent restaurant (langlesaintlaurent.com) if you’re looking for no-nonsense French cooking.

3. LIFE’S RICH TAPESTRY

THE victors always get to tell the story of war. An account of the successful campaign culminating in the Battle of Hastings, the 230ft Bayeux Tapestry is one of the best and earliest examples. Commissioned in the 1070s, it was stitched with the highest skill, out of dyed, spun wool. It is on permanent display under low lighting in the Bayeux Museum. The audio guide explains the action in the 50 scenes. Look, too, at the fascinating goings-on in the borders. They include the earliest known depictions of Halley’s Comet and of the harrow.

You may embroider your own tapestry with a kit from Bayeux Broderie, run by master craftswoman Chantal James. She opened her new shop at Rue de Nesmond earlier this year.

4. RURAL RETREAT

WE STAYED at the Chateau La Cheneviere (lacheneviere.com), a shining example of how a determined family with a vision can turn a dilapidated 18th Century building into a five-star resort. It’s an elegant and peaceful countryside retreat, about six miles from Bayeux and 22 miles from Caen airport.

The chateau has a highly rated restaurant, and it serves a super breakfast, with bread and pastries from the illustrious Fournil de Saint Loup bakery, and honey from its own hives.

This is a good base from which to explore the Normandy beaches. I REACHED Normandy on the easiest journey I have taken in years. I hopped on a direct train from London’s Liverpool Street station to little, uncrowded Southend Airport (southendairport.com), and then took a Flybe flight to Caen, which took less than an hour.

Normandy is a fertile region, famous for producing milk and cheese, while an abundant supply of apples grows in its orchards.

It is a place for pleasant wanderings between pretty villages and small ports. There’s a rich smattering of ancient churches, historic buildings, tearooms and restaurants. The Michelin-starred Le Pavé d’Auge restaurant in the picturesque village of Beuvron is recommended. We also took a stroll in seaside Trouville, where Marcel Proust lived, and toured Port-enBessin, where the PLUTO pipeline, which fuelled the 1944 invasion, came ashore from England.

6. HIDDEN TREASURES

FRANCE is good at promoting worthwhile areas you might otherwise drive straight past. The Orne department, in the south of Normandy, proves this point. Domfront (57 miles from Bayeux) with its Plantagenet castle and cathedral, is at the crossroads of two great cycling routes: the 280-mile Paris to Mont St-Michel Veloscenic; and the Velo Francette, running 390 miles from Caen to La Rochelle.

The National Equestrian Stud Farm (the ‘Versailles of the Horse’) is at Haras du Pin. And they still make, by hand, the famous namesake soft cheese at the village of Camembert.

Meanwhile, Argentan has two 15th Century churches, a castle and a 14th Century chapel.