Things to do within a radius of 90 kms (1.5 hours)

• Mediaeval Abbeys
  • Abbaye d'Hambye – with much else besides
  • Abbaye de La Lucerne
  • Abbaye du Mont Saint-Michel – be sure to avoid the worst of the crowds by going early!
• Châteaux
  • Domfront
  • Caen
  • Falaise
  • Pirou – very suitable for children with a nice beach nearby
• Beaches
  • Pirou
  • Agon-Coutainville
  • Bréhal
• Childen's Playgrounds
  • La Chapelle-sur-Vire
  • Vire at the swimming pool
  • Condé-sur-Vire beside the Vélorail
    • Local Walks
      • 60 minutes – short circuit around Pont-Farcy: Turn right at the end of our lane; take first left until you reach a T-junction; turn left along a lane until you reach the main road; turn left past the cemetery and into Pont-Farcy village; turn left at the cross-roads and up the main street; continue out of the village for about 300 metres and take the first road to the left (marked for Le Boquet) and turn right into our lane after about 300 metres.
      • 100 minutes – longer circuit to the top of the hills and the Orientation table with spectacular views: Turn right at the end of our lane; take the right-hand fork in the road after 1 km; continue along this road for 1.5 km and at the top of the hill and just past La Ricouvière, look for a sign to the right marked Table d'Orientation; walk up through the field path for about 1 km into the forest turning left towards the Orientation Table. After this you can choose to go through the forest and back down the main road, or retrace your steps.
      • The 'Voie Verte' towpath along the river Vire from Pont-Farcy bridge to Tessy (7km), to La Chapelle-sur-Vire (12km), to Condé-sur-Vire kayak centre (19km). Highly recommended.
• Museums & Places of Interest
  • Musée de la Percée – Saint-Martin des Besaces – Small museum about Britain's Operation Bluecoat in the 1944 Battle of Normandy.
  • Vire – Excellent local museum spanning a wide range of Normandy art, history and culture.
  • Normandy Victory Museum - Catz, Near Carentan – America's part in the 1944 Battle of Normandy.
  • Le Scriptorial - Avranches – A museum with children and adults in mind which explores the manuscripts of Mont Saint-Michel and much else.
  • Musée du Débarquement - Arromanches ‐ fascinating museum about the D-Day Landings and the British artificial harbour with amazing views from the cliff-tops above. Stands in the middle of the 80km coastline on which the British, Candians, French and Americans landed in 1944.
  • Tilly-sur-Seulles – Small museum about the British experience in the 1944 Battle of Normandy
  • Bayeux Tapestry – temporarily not available while the museum is being re-modelled
  • Musée de Bayeux – a fascinating mix of displays in perhaps the most historic city in Normandy which miraculously survived WWll almost untouched.
  • The Bailey Bridge at Pont-Farcy – once part of the artificial harbour at Arromanches, saved by local volunteers in 2008 and now a Monument Historique.
  • The Mur à Abeilles – at Tessy-sur-Vire – an historic wall of bee-hives and the largest of its kind in France.
  • British Normandy Memorial – Ver-sur-Mer – the very impressive site commemorating British troops killed or lost in the Battle of Normandy.
• Historic Towns
  • Avranches – Scriptorial Museum and Saturday market
  • Barfleur – Fishing port and sea-food
  • Bayeux – Exceptional cathedral and home of the Tapestry
  • Caen – Capital of Calvados
  • Cherbourg – Cité de la Mer...
  • Coutances – Amazing cathedral
  • Dinan – Not to be missed!
  • Domfront – Mediaeval castle
  • Falaise – William the Conqueror's castle (supposedly!)
  • Fougères – A child-friendly castle
  • Granville – Sea-food and day-trips to Chausey Island
  • Honfleur – Top notch tourist town
  • Saint-Lô Capital of Manche Département (90% destroyed by Allied bombardment in WWll)
  • Island of Tatihou, Saint Vaast-la-Hougue – A world apart, not far away
  • Villedieu – a delightful and well-preserved mediaeval town.
  • Vire Our nearest town (85% destroyed by Allied bombardment in WWll)
• Activities
  • Swimming Pool – Vire (with large playground outside)
  • Swimming Pool – Villedieu
  • Walking, climbing, kayaking – at Clécy and La Suisse-Normande
  • Kayaking on the river Vire – Pont-Farcy
  • Bungee-jumping and other high-adrenaline activities – Skypark, Viaduct Souleuvre, near Bény-Bocage
  • Vélorail at Condé-sur-Vire – pedal your way along an old railway line through the Norman countryside. Children's playground nearby.
  • Festyland – Near Caen – adventure theme-park for children.
  • Jurques Zoo
  • Champrepus Zoo
• Weekly Markets
  • Tuesday morning: Villedieu
  • Friday morning: Vire
  • Saturday morning: Avranches (highly recommended)