Motorhome Tour: Brittany

We’d not been this way for some time. Travelling to France most years to mosey around in the campervan and visit the French side of the family (our son is married to a French woman), we’ve used Eurotunnel. But with the unappealing prospect of post-Brexit queues at south coast terminals, we opted for a daytime crossing to Cherbourg.

Arriving in France, we were en route to the Cotentin’s east coast, heading for Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue.

We stayed two nights at Camping La Gallouette, perfectly placed for walking to the town and harbour, or along the adjacent sea wall to the Hougue. Saint Vaast, I discovered, is the patron saint for the healing of sight, with churches in Belgium and England dedicated to him, as well as those in the town itself.

Note a ‘Hougue’ is a hill or mound which made sense when viewed in the context of the surrounding flat coastal landscape and marshes.

The Hougue and its peninsula is home to the UNESCO Tour Vauban, along with a similar tower on the tiny offshore island of Tatihou. Both were built in 1694 as fortifications to protect the harbour at St Vaast. This was a tad retrospective as, in the 1692 Battle of La Hougue between the French and English (both engaged in the Nine Years’ War), the French lost 12 ships. Walking in such a tranquil seashore landscape with the setting sun filling the sky with pearly pinks and blues, it was hard to imagine a raging sea battle just offshore.

Our stroll to the town and harbour of Saint-Vaast brought back memories from our previous visit. Was the quirky grocers shop, Maison Gosselin, still there? Yes, it was open for business as it has been since 1889. An emporium with so many lines of food, ranging from the everyday to the exotic, and with a focus on tinned seafood, it’s a fascinating place to window shop or browse.

Stopping at medieval Villedieu-les-Poêles for a break, we liked the look of the town – a new place for us – and decided to stay and explore. We found Camping Les Chevaliers de Malte tucked away behind the cinema, a convenient short distance from the town.

Villedieu takes the ‘poêles’ part of its name from the manufacture of cooking pots, which goes back to the twelfth century. As we wandered through the attractive winding streets, we saw numerous artisan shops, many of them specialising in copper pots and pans of all shapes and sizes. A statue of a large copper pot on a plinth stands near the church at the centre of the town, which was busy with people sitting outside enjoying the aperitif hour.

Inside Notre Dame church we discovered a copper Maltese cross, connecting the Knights of Malta (the name of the campsite) and the town. The first French order of the Knights of Malta was founded in Villedieu in 1130.

Avranches is one of the oldest towns in Normandy. It is hilly, offering good views of the surrounding countryside, coast and Mont St Michel.

Parking near the impressive church of Notre-Dame-des-Champs, we set off to explore the nearby botanical gardens, found the Mont St-Michel view, then followed directions to the Plate-Forme, the site of the old cathedral. A lively Sunday morning flea market was in full swing nearby, but we had this historic site to ourselves.

It was here in 1172 that Henry II of England and Duke of Normandy, publicly repented for the murder of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170. Henry, excommunicated by the Pope, begged absolution. Barefoot, on his knees and dressed only in a shirt, he made public penance at the door of the old cathedral. The stone where he knelt is inset in this quiet grassed area overlooking the coast; standing on it, I had a quiet shiver of its embedded history.

The Botanical Garden in Avranches is free to enter, offers disabled access and has panoramic views of the bay and Mont St-Michel

This is part of a longer tour which carries on to the Dronne and the Dordogne. Read more about this in the March 2023 issue of MMM.

Suggested places to stay

Brittany Ferries

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