Our Normandy invasion: birds, bikes and carting on the beaches
The unexpected roar of the Cherbourg-to-Paris TGV jolts me back to reality. Here in the middle of the reserve on Normandy’s Cotentin peninsula, you feel very far away from everything. Before the noise of the high-speed train interrupted, I was listening to the call of a lapwing and watching the oh-so-brief flashes of a dazzling bright blue kingfisher as it darted in and out of bushes on the riverbank.
The Marais (marshes) du Cotentin et du Bessin – Territoire Natural Regional Park is a nature reserve and bird sanctuary that offers visitors a window to the wetland ecology of Normandy.
Only about 50km from the port of Cherbourg, connected to Dublin by Irish Ferries, it’s an unexpected treat close to the World War Two battlefields and charming harbour towns for which Normandy is famous.
Spoonbills, white storks and marsh harriers are hardly – or never – seen in Ireland and if you’re part-time bird watchers like us, this is heaven. Google Translate is handy for the numerous info boards en route,
Even if you’ve no interest in wildlife or nature you can still enjoy the lakeside walks and the opportunity to hire an electric bike for €25 a day and tour the reserve at leisure.
Jean Baptiste Wetton, the senior ecologist who runs the state-funded facility, says bringing people closer to nature without lecturing or hectoring is all part of the plan.
‘You can spend all day here, cycling or walking and picnicking and nature is close. If you want to get closer we have hides set up at different spots where birds congregate.’
For him and his friendly team it is a ‘win win’ for tourism and the environment.
‘Bringing people closer to nature is a crucial part of climate-change awareness. The electric bikes are good because they encourage people who do not normally use bikes to get in the saddle. It’s the best way to see the countryside.’
I was pretty surprised about how fast you can go on an electric bike, and binoculars are available to hire for the bird-watchers.
As ever in rural France, turn the corner and there may be a beautiful chateau or pretty village bar with an inviting terrace, the perfect place for refreshments.
Or as happened to us, chance upon a craft cider producer.
Normandy, famous for its apples, has plenty of these tiny breweries.
And if when you think of cider you think only of Bulmer’s large bottles, you need to visit Pierre Mahieu’s cider farm in Bricquebosq. Down an impossibly narrow road bordered by splendid greenery swaying in the warm breeze, the brewery is a small operation specialising in cider and apple brandy or Calvados.
We were given a guided tour on the day by Sarah, a typical Norman with her black hair and freckles and passion for the land.
The process is simple – apples are harvested, crushed to a pulp to extract the juice and then either pasteurised and bottled for apple juice or fermented in vats for cider. And what remains after the fermentation process can then be distilled to make a fine Calvados.
The results were exquisite, the range of ciders, from dry to sweet, more delicate and ‘crafty’ than anything on offer in the Irish market and the Calvados pure and piquant.
All Pierre’s products were available locally and we came across them in nearby restaurants and shops. The family-run business is starting to sell to Parisian outlets and the whole experience was similar to visiting a vineyard with tasting and a little shop on site selling their product.
One advantage of travelling by ferry is you can buy as much as you like and bring it home with you.
It struck us as we cycled home on the wrong side of the road singing loudly the theme tune from Allo Allo, that the French system of minor roads and greenways make it the perfect European cycling destination.
With two growing boys, we’d wanted an outdoors holiday. Coming at the end of the first lockdown last year and with no vaccines in sight at that stage, keeping our family safe was paramount.
We left home in north Dublin one day last summer and less than a half an hour later, were driving on to the Irish Ferries ship, the WB Yeats at Dublin Port. The ship was sparkling clean with each cabin deep cleaned between voyages.
On our outward sailing, an announcement by the captain that our arrival in France would be delayed by three hours because of bad weather, was greeted with whoops of delight by the boys.
It meant three more hours in the gorgeous deluxe suite with two flatscreen TVs streaming the latest movie releases into every cabin, not to mention a mini-bar, generously stocked with every kind of drink and snack.
Within a few hours of arriving at our campsite on the western side of the Cotentin peninsula, we were on a windy beach at Vauville for a spot of Char a Voile or sand carting, which doesn’t sound half as glamourous.
The Char a Voile vehicle was like a cross between a mini Formula One racing car and a yacht.
The idea was that after receiving some instruction from the instructor Pierre (who could have doubled as prop forward for the French rugby team), you are given a course to follow – presumably so other users of the beach are not mown down – and left to you own devices.
I jumped into the contraption with great enthusiasm and quickly discovered my inner Mr Bean as I hurtled down the beach screaming, ‘Where are the brakes?’ My fears were soon put into perspective by the sight of young children trundling happily along the course
I HURTLED DOWN THE BEACH YELLING: “WHERE ARE
THE BRAKES?”
watched by proud parents.
The Char a Voile experience is good value at €25 an hour.
When we’d finished, Pierre, with a twinkle in his eye, pointed out Guernsey, a British island territory in the distance, and suggested to his Irish guests that we might like to plan an invasion.
The campsite we stayed in at, Le
Rozel, is small by French standards and provides everything form deluxe cabins with twin rooms and showers for €800 a week to tent pitches for about €30.
There are heated and outdoor pools and a small slide that proved very popular with the boys. A full restaurant opens in the evenings and there are entertainment nights with local singers and kids’ karaoke. The staff in the office are helpful and friendly and you can order croissants and baguettes for collection the following morning. The site itself is on sand dunes and a few minutes’ walk from a beautiful beach.
The beach is a magnet for surfers and anglers fishing for bass in the evenings and there is a pleasant cliff walk giving good views of the locale and, in the distance, the Channel Islands.
About 10km away is the town of Barneville-Carteret, a small harbour destination that enjoyed its heyday in the 1930s but still makes a very pleasant stop. Not least for its Michelin-star restaurant, La Marine.
A trip to this seaside restaurant is a big treat for adults or very well behaved older children.
The fact you can get a twocourse lunch here for just €29 demonstrates the value to be had when holidaying out of Ireland.
Leaving aside the beautifully
cooked food, the view is gorgeous, looking out on some 1930s villas that continue on the coast road outside the town.
To take a little bit of this gourmet heaven home, walk about
100m down the town’s Avenue De Republique to the Epicerie Fine. This fine food shop is perfect for replenishing the cupboard back home with treats that can’t be bought in Ireland or are prohibitively expensive here. The cassoulet, foie gras and lobster bisque that ended up in my basket will appear at special occasions during the year.
Wines to accompany them can be had from the very helpful Denis at Normandie Wines or Fred at the Wine, Beer, Supermarket. Ring ahead if you’re rushing for the boat and they’ll have your order ready (you can see their stock on the website). Or if you have time, spend an hour or two and they’ll open some bottles for you to taste before you purchase. Discounts up to 10% are available depending on how much you buy.
The journey back home on the WB Yeats is the perfect way to ease yourself back from the holiday. No mad airport queues and being squashed into a packed plane. We enjoyed a glass of wine on the spacious deck as the French pilot boat led us out of the harbour. A lovely dinner in one of the ships’s three restaurants and a good night’s sleep awaited us before we sailed into Dublin Bay the next morning.
Normandy is the perfect holiday for a good value, outdoors experience. As ever, we can’t wait to go back.
GOT FOIE GRAS AND LOBSTER BISQUE TO ENJOY AT HOME
France is an early adopter of the EU Digital Certificate: handy for those travelling with unvaccinated children. For entry to France fully vaccinated parents don’t need a PCR test, nor do children under 11. Older children can use rapid antigen tests (from €39) for arrival (with travel cert). France also offers free PCR tests for going home.