THREE MORE ADVENTURES AROUND THE VALLÈE D’ORNE

The River Orne flows through the Vallée d’Orne on its 94-mile journey north from Lower Normandy into the English Channel at Ouistreham, and you can bathe, paddle and splash at multiple points along its banks

Canoeing & kayaking

West of Falaise, pretty little Clécy is the area’s primary outdooractivity hub and viewpoint to catch a bird’s-eye sweep of the valley. Fuel up on coffee and picnic fare at the boulangerie on main square, Place du Tripot, before heading down to the river. Capa Venture rents canoes, kayaks and standup paddleboards. Paddle serene waters beneath the soaring arches of Clécy’s huge viaduct, built in 1866. Or join a more challenging half- or full-day kayaking expedition. Minibuses shuttle river explorers upstream to Pont d’Ouilly, from where it’s an eightmile paddle with occasional rapids back to Clécy. Guingettes, pop-up summer cafes, on riverbanks along the way provide a dash of vintage cool a la Renoir. capaclecy.fr

Taking the waters

In 2022, the belle époque spa town of Bagnoles-de-l’Orne became the first destination in France to receive a gold-certified Green Destinations award for sustainability from the Global Tourism Sustainable Council. French ‘curists’ have travelled here to take the thermal waters here since the Middle Ages. Combine a soak in the pool, fed by an underground spring, at B’O Spa Thermal with leisurely forest walks through a labyrinth of 300-yearold oaks in the protected Forêt d’Andaine. If you have a hankering for the old-school glamour of Honfleur on the coast, Bagnoles’ historic quarter of opulent art deco villas — east of the town’s centrepiece lake — is its inland soul sister. bo-resort.com

Bungee jumping

To ramp up the pace, join adrenaline junkies at the Souleuvre Viaduct, a 40-minute drive west of Clécy, a little west of Vallée de l’Orne. French engineer Gustave Eiffel masterminded the viaduct above the River Souleuvre in 1893 and trains to Caen trundled across it until 1960 when the railway line closed. From the highest of the five remaining granite-stone pillars, bungee jumpers at Skypark now make death-defying leaps of faith while enjoying stupendous aerial views of Normandy’s patchwork quilt of fields on the heartthumping, 200ft fall down to the river below. You can ask to be plunged waist-deep into the water if you dare. A zip-line and giant swing cater to the less intrepid. viaducdelasouleuvre.com

Bungee jumping at the Souleuvre Viaduct near Sourdeval