Carnet de Voyage: Hiking and Oyster Shucking in Normandy

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Being the ultimate Francophile I have been to France many times with friends and family and at times as a solo traveller to attend language schools – “une vrai accro.” 

But this trip was the highlight of them all. With the Coronavirus in full swing, we were very optimistic in November 2020 and made reservations for a Backroads hiking tour of Normandy and Brittany in September 2021. 

My boyfriend, my stepson, and I met in Paris and took the train to Caen to tour the charming Normandy town for a few days before meeting our Backroads guide, Emmanuelle. The first day we left Caen and drove to Les Vergers de Fumichon, a working cider farm, and had our first taste of Calvados. After a tour of the farm and our Norman lunch, we set out on our hike through the countryside and hedgerows. As if on cue, a lone bagpiper appeared on the nearby road, and played, reminiscent of Private Bill Millin on the Normandy beaches on June 6, 1944. 

Our next stop was Bayeux to spend the night at Villa Lara. In the morning we were driven to the start of our first hike of the day which took us to Omaha Beach. There we met our local guide who gave us a historic, but very personal, account of the D-Day landings. We were surprised to be thanked, as Americans, by several different people for the role that our country played in saving France during WWII. Our hike took us to the American Cemetery, a very moving stop on the tour. After lunch, and the best île flottante on the planet, we continued our hike to another cider farm, and then back to Bayeux. 

After viewing the Bayeux Tapestry in the morning, we set out for another hike along the coast to the shocking German bunkers and guns that remain at Longues-sur-Mer. Then in complete contrast, we visited the peaceful Abbaye Sainte-Marie de Longues-sur-Mer where we had a picnic lunch, complete with folding our own crepes, in the former monks’ refectory. The visit included a special tour with the current owners of the Abbey. The church roof had collapsed at the end of the 19th century and has just now been rebuilt with the help of a government grant and, of course, the slate tile that we autographed and donated to the renovation. 

Early the next morning we caught the bus to Le Mont Saint-Michel, a dream of mine since I saw the photos in high school French class. It was as magical as I had imagined and was enhanced by our local guide’s explanations. The afternoon hike was capped off at the oyster farm and market in Cancale – the favourite oysters of Louis XIV. What fun to sit on the seawall drinking wine while eating the freshest oysters and throwing the shells back onto the beach. 

Now in Brittany, the hikes featured a more rocky coastline, but still beautiful. We ended the day visiting the little city of Saint-Malo followed by the ferry to Dinard where we spent two nights with more hikes and wonderful French food. There are too many highlights to recount here, but it was truly a special week for our blended family, which now included our Backroads guide, Emmanuelle!