There is a massive
château in the centre and many old
timber framed buildings. Strolling around the streets, we found the
small Centre for World Art in
an old convent with interesting displays of Indian village art. As we
were returning to the van we had some excitement when we came across a
building with smoke coming from the basement and watched as a man was
rescued rather precariously from the top floor window. Luckily the fire
was soon put out.
We stayed another night and visited
a nearby reservoir, grandly named as the Base de Loisirs de la
Haute-Vilaine although there wasn't much activity apart from a family
enjoying a typical large French picnic and a trip in a pedalo. We also
passed a rally of vintage cars, mostly French, but an Austin and Morris
among the Peugeots and
Citröens.
Nearing the end of our month long
trip, we crossed into Normandy but still had time to drive at our usual
leisurely pace, diverting to places of interest indicsted on the
Michelin maps, which we prefer to browse rather than the limited
information given on the satnav. We pulled into a
pleasant free aire at La Ferrière aux Étangs, on a former campsite by a lake. Taking an evening walk and
following signs to Mont Brûle, a steep
rocky path led to a large calvary and sepulchre in the woods.
Continuing on back roads, we arrived at the Roche d'Oetre in the
Normandie Suisse. There
is now a large visitor centre but the rocky outcrops with 180 metre
drops overlooking the
gorge are unfenced.
We bypassed Falaise and reachied Domfront, then turned off the main
road to visit the Château de Vendeuvre which was a two star attraction
in the road atlas. Not knowing what to expect, we bought tickets for
all the options. The ornately decorated rooms were full of period
furniture, some automata and
a collection of ornate dog kennels. We were given information sheets in
English which helped the tour. A path around the grounds led to the
surprise
garden where sensors operated hidden water jets - yes we did get a
soaking!
a surprise fountain
dog kennels
The gardens also had interesting features such as a massive pigeon
loft, a
shell house and exotic garden rooms. Finally in the orangery there were
displays of intricately carved miniature furniture.
After a night on another free aire in the village of Notre-Dame de
Courson, we drove on minor roads, to arrive
at the popular aire at La Mailleraye-s-Seine, and a pitch by the water's
edge to watch the variety of shipping, from barges to large freighters
and cruise ships passing by.
With just a couple of days to reach Dieppe, we drove across the
toll-free Pont de
Brottone and diverted to Allouville-Bellafosse, a
village just to the west of Yvetot, to visit an ancient 1200 year old
oak tree, complete with two tiny chapels inside the hollow trunk.
We continued through fields of blue
flowered lin (flax) to the coast at Veules les Roses, parking at the
clifftop aire, for a lunch stop
and walk along the prom, then took the main road to Hautot and
Varengeville-s-Mer where we visited the Maison du Bois des Moutiers, a
large house built by
the British architect Edwin Lutyens, with gardens designed by Gertrude
Jekyll. The house was closed but the gardens and woodlands
were open.
The gardens are famous for the collection of hortensias (hydrangeas),
but we
were too early for the flowering season.