Normandy

Medcins du Monde UK  (World Doctors) runs an annual London to Paris Bike ride to raise funds (10-13 July 2009).

Day 1

Cycling from London to Dover.

Board the ferry at Dover, arrive in Dieppe in the evening.

Day 2

Set off 10.00 am through the lovely French countryside.

Finish cycling early evening and stay overnight in a French country inn.

Day 3

Leave the hotel at 9.00 am.
Let’s go!

Finish cycling mid-late afternoon in Paris.

Day 4

Free morning with suggested options.

Transfer from hotel to Gare du Nord for Eurostar, arrive in St Pancras

Although it may be too late to register to take part in this 300km ride, you can watch and support them as they cycle through the English and French countryside - and it is easier to get to watch this  than the Tour de France,
For more info see: www.medecinsdumonde.org.uk

Every year the town of Coutances on the western side of the Cherbourg peninsula holds a Jazz festival enticingly entitled Jazz sous les Pommiers (Jazz under the Apple Trees). in 2009 it runs from 16-23 May.

In addition to daily concerts there is also a daily online concert featuring a personal favourite - saxophonist Andy Shepperd and his quintet on Friday 22 May at 19.45 (French time - go to http://normandie.france3.fr

Every day there are numerous concerts on Friday and Saturday running throughout the afternoon and into the night - with more than one opportunity to see each artiste or band. Some concerts are in the openair and the late night “Jazz Club” does not require advanced booking. Music will fill the streets, the cafes and churches of the town throughout the week.

For more info see Jazz sous les Pommiers

For more info on the region see www.paysdecoutances.fr

Situated on the borders of Normandy, Brittany  and the Loire Valley, there is a good B&B/Chambres d’Hote near St Hilaire du Harcouet :-

set in a quiet hamlet in the  beautiful Mayenne countryside, on the border with Normandy and Brittany.It  is only 20 minutes from the A84 autoroute, which links the Channel ports of Cherbourg and Caen with Brittany and the Loire Valley…has five bedrooms on the upper floor, including a family suite. On the ground floor, there is a large dining room and a comfortable lounge area for guests to relax in. The extensive landscaped gardens have a beautiful terrace for outdoor eating or relaxing, and a lake completes the idyllic countryside setting

This English-owned B&B has five tastefully decorated double or twin bedded rooms, including a family suite, suitable for families of up to 6 people and makes an ideal base for touring the many delights of the area or as a stop-over on the journey west or southwards.

Le Mont St Michel is 40 minutes by car. Other towns in the area are Fougeres, Rennes, Dinan, St Malo and many more.

The famous racing circuit of Le Mans is an hour and a half away, as are the beaches of the 1944 Normandy landings and the Bayeux Tapestry.

To find out more about the B&B use the enquiry form below:-

cforms contact form by delicious:days

For more info on the region see www.tourisme-mayenne.com

France need not be too expensive this year despite the poor exchange rate against the euro, especially if you take advantage of early booking discounts on most of the cross-channel ferry operators.

For example Brittany Ferries on the western Channel offers early booking offers which can save up to 25% on selected cottages right through the rest of the year and 10% on gite holidays in Normandy!

Or for those planning a camping holiday there is the option of Chalet Camping with one night FREE! (Great for families with children of all ages or active couples, they offer plenty of on site activities and entertainment)

Save up to 25% on selected apartments in France

Also check out the following:-

Day Trips to France & Cruises -Whale & Dolphin Cruise - Hotel breaks from only £79
2 night Cherbourg Break
2 night Ouistreham Break
2 night Roscoff Break
2 night St Malo Break

For more details see www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/offers

Tour de Normandie - classic car rally

The 2009 Tour de Normandie takes place 17-21 June 2009 and comprises a leisurely amble through the Normandy countryside (le Bocage) and along the coast. Starting from Beuzeville (27 Eure, Normandie) the with music and a parade of the vehicles on 17 June, the rally proper starts with a route heading east from Pont de l’Arche (27 Eure) to Domfront (61 Orne, Normandie) before heading for Touques (14 Calvados).
As with so many such events, you don’t have to be fanatical about classic cars to enjoy it - you’ll discover the French countryside and a carnival atmosphere which will be enjoyable on many levels. Somehow, summer skies, iconic french cars, music, Normandy cheese, butter, apples, cider, calvados topped with the sandy beaches of the Normandy coast sounds pretty good.

For more info see
ASSOCIATION TOUR DE NORMANDIE DES VEHICULES HISTORIQUES
1, rue Guillaume Le Conquérant
14400 RYES
www.tourdenormandie.com

It should come as little surprise really, but Normandy is a great destination for gardeners - with a milder climate than further south, the classic image is of lush green landscapes and a surprising collection of interesting and varied gardening schemes from classic very formal French to something more akin to the elusive English cottage garden. Within easy reach of Dieppe, Calais, Boulogne and Le Havre are numerous interesting “jardins” to visit, which will also get you into corners of France that you might otherwise have speeded past.

Le Jardin Plume (pictured above, is relatively new modern garden with some dramatic vistas and a wealth of interesting planting - enhanced by the fact that they also run an on-site nursery open to the public (from March to November).

Les Jardins du Bois des Moutiers is just down the coast from Dieppe in Varengeville and features a house built by Lutyens and gardens influenced by the distinguished English gardener, Gertrude Jekyll.

Le Clos du Coudray at Etaimpuis north of Rouen is both a formal garden with a rose garden surrounded by a less formal series of plantings and water features at Etaimpuis north of Rouen.

Les Jardins Agapanthe between Rouen and Dieppe at Grigneuseville (just a few kilometres from the Clos du Coudray (above)), it is the creation of a landscape architect and offers something quite different from the pure geometric lines of classic French gardens, “Agapanthe is set an unusual space, in which the luxuriance of the vegetation appeals to all the senses.”
Les Jardins de Bellevue at nearby Beaumont-le-Hareng
covers 15 acres on the edge of the Forêt d’Eawy. Beds, trees and shrubs are full of interest throughout the whole year. The gardens are particularly noted for two national collections of hellebores and meconopsis.
The Potager at Chateau de Bosmelet is a favourite kitchen garden in the grounds of a fine 17th century chateau at Auffay south of Dieppe.
Les Jardins de Vasterival are owned and designed by a Romanian Princess Sturdza who may be on hand to give you a guided tour of this woodland garden near the coast at Ste Marguerite-sur-Mer.
Chateau de Miromesnil is another fine chateau with a kitchen garden at Tourville-sur-Arques just south of Dieppe “Separated by alleys made of grass, the squares are ordered with vegetables and flowers that contrastswith the profusion of annual flowers on the sides: a fantastic harmony of delicate colours that vary according to the season.”

See our map of the Normandy Gardens

For more info on French Gardens try the Official French Gardens site at Le Comité des Parcs et Jardins de France