Bagnoles offers the "best of all Normandy worlds" - access to
the North and
West coasts, including Mont St Michel, the Cotentin, and the D-Day
Beaches,
all within about an hour's drive...
Bayeux and its Tapestry - on the trail of the Norman Conquest
Bayeux lies on the coast near Caen and is the home of the famous tapestry
that tells the tale of William the Conqueror's invasion of England in 1066.
Also, just a few minutes from Pierre Levée, you can also visit former castles
of William at Falaise and Domfront. Find out why the French know him
as
William the Bastard...
The D-Day Beaches
Nine centuries later the tide of invasion had turned... Visit the famous
Allied
landing beaches - Gold, Juno, Sword and Omaha, follow signposted routes
of the main campaigns, and visit the Caen Memorial museum, as well as
several
others commemorating the events of WWII.
Please note that June 2004 will be
the 60th anniversary of the landings, and
many visitors are expected to take
part in the memorial ceremonies. We warmly welcome former and
current
members of the Services.
Le Mont St Michel
One of France's most famous and popular tourist attractions, the famous Mount
and its
Abbey lie about an hour's
drive west of us. Nearby are fabulous sandy beaches of the
Cotentin west coast,
and the (former) pirate port of Saint Malo.
Floral and Illuminated Villages
The Floral Village Trail takes you through some of France's most quaint towns
and hamlets,
all competing for "flower power" prizes.
On winter evenings, the equally interesting Illuminated Village Trail
features a
wonderland of seasonal scenes and cottages decorated with coloured
lights.
Our local village, La Sauvagère, regularly wins prizes in both competitions!
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The Cotentin Peninsula
The finger of land stretching north from Mont St Michel to Cherbourg offers
literally
hundreds of sites worth visiting, including gardens, chateaux and museums.
Calvados and its Villages
The Calvados region lies a few miles to the north of us. You can follow the
Cider Trail,
sampling local ciders and apple brandy (calvados) as well as
visiting a number of
traditional half-timbered villages.
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Fougères
On the borders of Brittany, this historic town features a huge castle.
Lassay
A few miles south of us, Lassay has not one but three chateaux, and is well worth a visit.
Parks and Gardens
Partly due to its maritime micro- climate, Normandy has a huge choice of botanical gardens, parks and forests. The property lies at the very heart of France's largest national park, the Parc Naturel Régional de Normandie-Maine (230,000 hectares), as well as the Forest des Andaines. Our own private woodlands, more than 60 hectares, include 2 lakes, a choice of scenic paths, and form an important "green route" for wildlife migrating between the forests of La Ferté Macé and that of the Andaines. The Parc Normandie-Maine offers more than 2000 km of marked rambling routes as well as arboretums and locations of special scientific interest.
For further details, visit the official Park website:
www.parc-naturel-normandie-maine.fr/
La
Pierre Levée is either directly on, or adjacent to, the following sign-posted
tourist trails:
The
Stables and Castles Trail
Features
many the most impressive sites on the Normandy map – prestigious castles
including Sassy, O and Carrouges, as well as the world famous stud farms such as
the
Haras du Pin.
Lands
of Lancelot of the Lake
Legend
has it that King Arthur’s champion, and his Queen’s favorite, Sir Lancelot,
once lived in this region. Explore the magical, mystical history of sites lost
in the
ancient forest. We like to think that Arthur's father, King Uther Pendragon, came
to Pierre
Levee to claim his sword from the Lady of the Lake, and that he left it
in one
of our stones for his rightful heir to claim (we have a forge and the standing
stones, after all), but perhaps that’s only wishful thinking!
The
Three Forests Route
This
route takes in three of western France’s most important forests: Andaines,
Ecouves and the Ventes de Bourse. Discover ancient woodland, and if you are
lucky you will also meet some of the original inhabitants: several types of deer, red
squirrel, a host of bird species, and even wild boar!
The Iron Road
A
tourist trail with a difference. Explore
the industrial heritage of the region, based
on iron mining and metalwork, from
the 16th century to modern times. Both our
property and that of our
neighbours (appropriately named La Forge!) have been sites
of metalworking in
the past. You can even see the remnants of a blacksmith’s forge
in one of our
stables.
We are
also near to the
miniature mountains of the Alpes Mancelles and the Suisse Normande.
You can
find other excellent suggested itineraries in the Michelin Green Guide to
Normandy, or online at
For additional information about many of the above excursions, plus others, see our Normandy Links page.
If you have arrived at this page direct from a search engine,
please visit our home page for details of our Gite (family holiday cottage)
near the spa town of Bagnoles de l'Orne in Lower Normandy:
