Lower
NormandyLower Normandy: What’s a Weekend There Like?

Despite this context, many French people didn’t lose heart. If we had to stay, why not rediscover our regions and everything our country has to amaze us? For us, the choice was made: a weekend on the Normandy coast!

The Sentier des Douaniers (customs officers’ path), or GR®223, runs along the coast from Le Havre to Mont-Saint-Michel. With a tight schedule, 3 days ahead of us and a 6 pm curfew, we had to rethink the route: we decided to start near Cherbourg, then head down to Mont-Saint-Michel.

We started at the port du Hâble, a peaceful little harbour with a café by the water. The place is really pleasant, with a small pebble beach and a few boats. In the distance, you can see the old fort up on the heights. Not very busy, the spot is perfect for a short break.

We carried on to Port Racine, one of the smallest harbours in France. So it’s not unusual to come across other tourists there. A nice spot, with pretty colourful doors and a view from above that’s ideal for a few photos!

We continued to Cap de la Hague for a short hike, from the La Hague signal station to the port of Goury. It’s one of my favourite places of this weekend: we felt far from everything, with the weather constantly changing. The sky alternated between clear blue and heavy rain in the middle of the walk. The bushes stopped the strong wind coming off the sea, and the thick grass of the fields, flattened by the wind, made for a most comfortable bed.

The colours of the fields, the rocks and the sea make the place unique, and yet so simple.

I absolutely loved this place, so different from anything I had seen before!

The Nez de Jobourg is very popular with hikers, and I understand why! This path, on the edge between land and sea, offers a dizzying view over a blue, sometimes azure sea, and land dotted with yellow flowers. The contrast is striking!

In the distance, you can see the Cap de la Hague lighthouse, and the fields along the coast make the place calm and soothing.

My favourite place of this short weekend!

A huge beach, magnificent dunes and a few bunkers as a reminder of the area’s history. Nothing more, nothing less. Reachable on foot through the dunes, the spot offers a landscape stretching as far as the eye can see that deserves all your curiosity. I’ll definitely go back when the weather allows!

Port-Bail is a must-see village in the Cotentin. Its harbour, linked to the village by a long bridge, offers a panorama over the sea and the whole village. But what makes the place so special is the tide, which changes the landscape from one hour to the next. You discover lifeless boats stranded on a beach of mud, and a few hours later they are back in the water: crossing on foot is then only possible via the 13-arch bridge.

To end on a high note, we went back to visit Mont-Saint-Michel before leaving.

Lower Normandy is a place where you can live all 4 seasons in a single day, and that’s what made all our walks so charming. For photography, or for those who love to take in the view and get away from it all, it’s the ideal place. From one hour to the next, the landscape changes: soft light becomes warm, then cold, and the colours in turn highlight the sea, the brick, the green countryside, then the earth.

I expected to get some fresh air, nothing more. I took enormous pleasure in looking at this sea, these towns and these harbours of the Cotentin.