7 DAYS TRAVEL History all sewn up in Normandy
LINDSAY SUTTON follows in the footsteps of William the Conqueror as we remember the Norman Conquest
IT’S an old, old story – but one with an intriguing twist. Boy sees girl, they get together, and lo and behold, nine months later, a baby is born. In this case, the baby grew up to be William the Conqueror, the Norman duke who became the King of England. As we all know, 1066 and all that.
It all began nearly 1,000 years ago in the Castle of Falaise, a hugely impressive stronghold just a couple of hours from the English Channel ferry port of Caen.
William’s father – Robert the Magnificent, Duke of Normandy – was bowled over by the beauty and allure of local tanner’s daughter Arlette.
Robert demanded that she be brought to him, using the tradesman’s ‘back door’ entrance to Falaise Castle.
Arlette, however, insisted that if she accepted his ‘invitation,’ she would ride on horseback through the main gate, which is precisely what happened.
Their son is said to have inherited her strength of will, her determination and her pluck. It would stand him in good stead 38 years on when he brought 15,000 men and 4,000 horses on 1,000 specially built, Viking-style longboats to the shores of Sussex, ready to engage with King Harold at the Battle of Hastings.
Today, in reverse, a longweekend ferry trip to Normandy – and on to the great city of Rouen, where William died in 1087 – is hugely rewarding.
History surrounds you; impressive ruins of castles and abbeys are there in abundance; and there’s an equally impressive array of food and drink in this bread basket of France. It’s worth coming for the Calvados and cheeses alone!
Normandy has it all. It’s pretty accessible, with Brittany Ferries transporting you from Portsmouth on a cross-Channel trip to either Cherbourg or Caen. With the splendid facilities on board, the crossing is an experience in itself, especially when it is ‘flat-cap calm,’ as one traveller observed.
Once ashore, Bayeux is a perfect place to give you the big picture. The amazing, UNESCO-registered Bayeux Tapestry tells you the whole story of William’s epic and successful invasion of England.
The 70-metre, 11th Century tapestry is a masterpiece of woollen embroidery on woven linen, and is visited by nearly half a million people a year.
Guided by a headphone commentary, the visitor walks through a historical story that began exactly 950 years ago.
The tapestry’s use of colour and almost cartoon-style depictions give it a virtual 3D- style vigour, perfect for getting across the simple message: ‘William Rules, OK?’ In terms of art and of early propaganda, it is a masterpiece.
The idea of the tapestry was that of Bishop Odon, a relation of William, who wanted a depiction of how William came to occupy the throne of England, which had been promised to him by King Edward the Confessor, who spent much of his time in France before he inherited the English Crown.
It’s remarkable to recall that, just five generations before William, his ancestor, the Viking marauder Rollo, grabbed Normandy in a raid during the year 911, plundering the land and damaging many of the great Christian abbeys.
Ninety years on, the colonising Norsemen spoke French, had rebuilt the beautiful abbeys, and were quite a civilising force.
The old town of Bayeux is characterful too, with its halftimbered houses, narrow streets and impressive cathedral, where the tapestry was originally draped round the nave for 11th Century worshippers to see.
Across the street is the Assiette Normande, a restaurant affording views of the cathedral at very affordable prices into the bargain.
As for William, he spent his time in the cities of Caen and Rouen, building impressive castles and abbeys which still dominate the scene today.
Caen Castle is one of the largest Mediaeval enclosure in Europe, with its turreted and walkable walls, looking down on William’s ducal palace within.
The centre of Bayeux, Normandy. Inset right, Caen Castle
In its day, it was impregnable,nable, and the views from the castle ramparts over the city below and beyond give you the feeling of William’s power and prestige.
Even so, William broke the Pope’s rules by marrying a distant cousin, Mathilde of Flanders.
To buy back favour, he built two grand and impressive religious places of worship, the Abbaye aux Hommes, and the Abbaye aux Dames. Under William’s rule, Caen became a great city, and remains a centre of attraction to this day.
Falaise is well worth a visit. The castle’s immense keep perches high on a rocky outcrop, but is somewhat spoiled by a huge metallic structure designed to give access to the restored internal floors.
However, the plus factor is the ‘tablet tour.’ Each visitor is given a hand-held, touchscreen tablet that brings blank stone walls to life, with crackling fires in open hearths, rich tapestries on the walls and bustling sounds from the kitchen. From a tapestry to a tablet in one thousand years.
Quite a journey.