Vire - is it a good base?

[Jill<br><br>Jill (99)]

We are going to Normandy at Easter and although we have visited quite a bit around Caen because we have French friends round there, we have only really passed through the rest of Normandy. This time, we want to base ourselves so that we can visit Manche, and also places lower down. We don't like flat areas and I thought that the area around Vire might be more attractive. Also, all my tourist information for Normandy is well out of date, and although I have ordered some through the internet, can you recommend any places of particular interest. My information shows nothing interesting in Manche at all. I thought we might head for Fougeres and Alencon, in the opposite directions and also go to Bayeux, although we have been there before.

If anyone has a Gite to sleep 3 in that area, but in a French community rather than isolated or with English people around, I'd also be interested to hear. Easter is very early this year, so we don't fancy our usual camping! Thanks.

[Dick Smith]

Vire is quietly provincial. There is a good couscous restaurant which is occasionally open, some creperies etc. and shops. There isn't a huge amount to do in Manche, it's pretty deeply rural, unless you want to look at where WW2 battles took place. We go there for the big Leclerc and But.

Caen is good, Bayeux is pleasant and has the tapestry and Mortain has the Village Enchantée and Les Cascades. Ducey is a pretty little town, but mostly its country views and contented cows. Good for unwinding.

[Russethouse]

I think there is a famous French designers house over on the west coast. (Its no good the name of the place escapes me) perhaps its too far?

I think C o co lives near Vire, sure she can advise......

[Will]

We aren't far from Vire. Vire is in Calvados, 14. Nothing in Manche (50)? Only France's biggest tourist attraction outside Paris, namely Mont St Michel. Christian Dior is the designer you are thinking of with the house/museum at Granville. Plenty of other attractions - try the tourist board sites or http://www.lepetitfute.com/tourisme_en_france/normandie/manche/index.php3

Anywhere in the area is a good base - depends what you want.

[Musicmonkey<ADDRESS><STRONG>Musicmonkey<STRONG><ADDRESS>]

I'm also choking on the proposed idea that there's nothing to do in Manche!  Our second home is near to Villedieu les Poeles and in that one town alone there is a wealth of things to do.  It is known for its bell making and copper pot making traditions (you can visit these)but you will also find Norman furniture, lace, pewter and clock museums.  It has an indoor swimming pool and there is another at Vire (larger and with outside slide) and an outdoor pool at Brecey.  Naturally, Villedieu has its own market, 14c church, tourist information, etc.

No more than an hour (or less) you have Mont St Michel, reptilarium nearby West and North coast beaches (and those with associations with D day events), Caen with a myriad of things to do and Bayeaux.  A lovely zoo is only 15 mins from us.

Cherbourg is only 1hr 45 mins away where you can visit La Cité de la Mer aquarium.  I could go on and on.  I have loads more attractions in my tourist information at the house for our guests.

 

 

[Harvey]

Have a look at this web site

http://www.normandy-tourism.org/gb/index.html

It as a calendar of most events in Normandy, from Markets to organised walks. I am sure you will be able to find something of interest in Manche!

[Jill<br><br>Jill (99)]

[quote]I'm also choking on the proposed idea that there's nothing to do in Manche! Our second home is near to Villedieu les Poeles and in that one town alone there is a wealth of things to do. It is known ...[/quote]

Thanks for the information everyone. I have been on some websites and I have asked for leaflets to be sent as I can then look at those if I get time to relax away from the computer. However, I have actually made a reservation for a gite in the middle of Villedieu les Poeles. I chose one in the middle of the town because I felt that Easter is too early to benefit from being in the countryside and we usually camp during our holidays. I felt it would be interesting to experience a different form of French culture and be in the middle of a town and hopefully be able to walk to a nearby boulangerie for fresh croissants and pain au chocolat in the mornings! I also thought it would give us more opportunity to use small shops instead of going to the hypermarket all the time. Whilst I'm not a town person, I've often said that it might be better to live in a small French town to become more part of it.

Villedieu looks pretty well situated and although we have been to Mont St Michel a few times, it might be a different experience if we visit out of French school holidays. We will have to go to St Malo of course - although my son will be SO jealous because he will be at his penfriend's house in Le Havre and attending a French Lycee some days! St Malo is a place we are always drawn back too. It's more than 25 years since I visited Bayeaux and we will certainly go there - just a pity my son will miss that visit.

I'm hoping that my French friends who live in the Caen region will find Villedieu convenient enough to let us play hosts for a change! We've been to them lots of times, but when they used to come to England (bc) it was always to stay with their French aunt who lived nearby.

I'm sure we will find a fair few things to visit in La Manche. But we know that in that position we can always fall back on Brittany. I've not been to Fougeres and that looks as though it may be worth a trip.

Oh, and let's not forget - there will be an R in the month!

[zeb]

[quote]I'm also choking on the proposed idea that there's nothing to do in Manche! Our second home is near to Villedieu les Poeles and in that one town alone there is a wealth of things to do. It is known ...[/quote]

I shouldn't be too put out, musicmonkey. Jill said something along the same lines about the Charente last year!!!!

Helen..... LOL

 

 

 

[cathyb]

We have been visiting La Manche for about 7 years and liked it so much we have just bought a holiday house there.  Granted we like seaside locations and there is plenty of beach there.  However, I would agree with others about other things to see and do as you can't always rely on beach weather - we have always found plenty. I can recommend Portbail, Carteret, Barfleur is nice and is bustling even in the autumn.  Coutances is a lovely city and would also be worth considering as a base - we love the public gardens there and there are lots of little cafes and restaurants.  I also agree about the zoo at Villedieu, especially if you have young children - it is about the nicest one I have ever been to and the lemur compound is brilliant.  Also great playground area to visit once you have seen all the animals.  The Utah beach and St Mere Eglise museums are well worth a visit and St Mere Eglise itself is a lovely little town.  Also a lovely drive between the southern most bit of the west coast round to Mont-st-michel - very winding and pretty.  I know of nice gites in Carteret and Barfleur if you are interested.  Once french owned and one english owned - although I will say both towns are very popular with brits as they are so near the ferry.

[Jill<br><br>Jill (99)]

It all depends on what people are interested in as to whether they consider an area worth visiting. We enjoy historical and archeological places - especially Medieval and Roman. My daughter and I enjoy old villages, but my son and husband only like those in much smaller doses. None of us have any interest in gardens, churches or beaches. Whilst we used to visit zoos, our children are 14 and 17 so have gone beyond that stage. We like to hire cycles if there is an off road cycle trail and if it is not too hilly as we don't get much opportunity to keep in practice when we are home. In summer we enjoy a canoeing trip. We like to be in hilly places with good views - which doesn't really work with cycling though! It is all subjective. The tourist information I have about Manche is old, and I'm waiting for some new stuff to arrive, which hopefully will give more information. But the stuff I got for the Charente region was last year, and for us there would have been only enough things of interest to last us a couple of days - within our range of interest. In 2004 we visited Limousin for a week and the tourist information did imply that we would have enough to do to keep us busy. But although we had chosen a location in the middle of all the historical stuff, we found that most of it couldn't be visited when we got there, so ended up going from one closed castle to another. In Alsace the year before, I spent a day while the others were at a theme park going from one village to another and that was great. The Dordogne probably gave us different expectations. There is just so much fascinating stuff to visit in that area. We were there in 2004 and found that there were things which had opened to the public which hadn't been open 5 years earlier and after 2 separate week's there, we know there will still be a lot to occupy us on a future visit.

Near Villedieu, I think we should get a good mix of scenery in different directions looking at my relief map. But in March, we will probably need inside locations to go to as much as possible.

Personally, I feel that tourist offices could give a lot more information. Frequently, all you get is brochures showing, say, an attractive view and going on about the fresh air etc, or a medieval village and there may or may not be more worth visiting. It depends. More and more places of interest are getting onto the internet now, so it should become easier to find out more detailed information.

[David584]

Jill

Have you tried this site? http://www.vire-tourisme.com/an/ The link gives the pages in English.

The only reason that I know about it is because I was given the tourist booklet by the owner of Le Chapeau Rouge restaurant which is located not that far from the Torigini Sur Vire exit off the A84. The booklet is a mine of information in relation to what is on etc and the site even more so.

Villedieu les Poeles is a nice town and so is the drive along the D924 from Villedieu towards Vire.

I noticed from one of your postings that you say that you have made a reservation for a gite in Villedieu Les Poeles. I hope that your holiday is a success and that all of you get what you want from it.