Depart Bristol at 7.30am for the drive via London to Dover and the lunchtime ferry to Calais. Afternoon drive via Abbeville to the country outskirts of Rouen where we spend four nights at the 3*** Hôtel La Bertelière, a charming and elegant hotel in a secluded setting.
Spend a whole day in Rouen, the delightful capital of upper Normandy, a busy river port and commercial centre since Roman times. On arrival we invite you to acquaint yourselves with its history on a guided walking-tour that takes in several fine churches, the tumble of half-timbered houses in the old quarter and the Place du Vieux Marché where Joan of Arc was burnt as a heretic. Time then for lunch at leisure and afternoon free to explore the many facets of the city. We then return to the hotel.
Our drive this morning takes us to Fécamp, a busy cod-fishing port and home of the Bénédictine liqueur distilled from aromatic plants growing on the cliffs. We visit the museum and appraise the product! Late morning we cross the Seine via the magnificent new Pont de Normandie to lovely old Honfleur whose illustrious mariners and explorers brought fame to the town in the 17th century and whose school of painting in the 19th has left such an enchanting legacy. Take lunch overlooking the old harbour and visit St. Catherine's church built of wood by shipwrights. Afternoon at leisure in Honfleur then return to Rouen.
The loveliest of excursions today as we set off for Giverny to visit Monet's house and gardens. The painter lived in the village from 1883-1926; he created the beautiful themed gardens and lily pond and was in turn inspired by them to paint his masterpieces of the Impressionist School, flooded with dappled light. A whole morning is spent here. Drive to Vernon for the lunchtime period. Rejoin the coach for the drive to the great abbey of Jumièges and a guided visit of this Benedictine foundation, a medieval centre of learning known throughout Europe. Our day ends with a scenic drive along the Seine valley to visit Villequier, a small riverside village that found fame in its associations with Victor Hugo in 1843.
Today we leave La Bertelière and enjoy more of the charming Norman countryside as we travel to Pont l'Evêque. Here we visit a Calvados distillery and sample a glass of the golden apple-brandy that has fortified Normans for centuries! Opportunity to buy - you can cook with it too! At lunchtime we arrive in Bayeux and we meet up early afternoon to visit its Tapestry. This extraordinary sequence of embroideries upon linen, created by Saxon needlewomen, set out to justify the events of 1066 and offers today a vivid insight into 1lth century daily life. Leave early evening for the coppersmiths' town of Villedieu-les-Poêles where we spend the next four nights in the 2** Hôtel Le Fruitier, overlooking the market square. It is run with pride by the Lebargy family.
Leave after breakfast for a morning on the Mont-Saint-Michel. This great granite island, set like a jewel in the wide and shifting sands of the bay, is topped by its great abbey, 'the marvel of the western world'. A pilgrimage centre, it was founded in the 8th century and even today attracts penitents and tourists alike who throng its medieval thoroughfare with eyes fixed upon the gilded figure of Saint Michael. Ships and the sea are recurring themes in this land and we enjoy lunchtime at leisure in the corsair port of Saint-Malo, 'intra muros'. We end our day in Cancale, also just over the Breton border, to stroll along the sea front or down to the beach where the oyster-women may just tempt you to down a dozen 'al fresco'! This day at the sea might well have to be enjoyed 'in reverse' as we shall be dependent upon tide times. Return to hotel.
Driver day off. We have left this morning free for you to enjoy Villedieu. The town was founded by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem in the 12th century who set up their commandery in this 'Town of God'. The making of copper pots and pans dates from this period and, as the Norman dairy industry grew, the smiths supplied bowls and churns to every farm - hence the suffix 'les-Poêles'. You may choose to visit a copper workshop and one of the last remaining bell-foundries in France. Take lunch at leisure. In the afternoon we are taken by local coach and driver to Coutances to visit the splendid cathedral and lovely gardens of this hilltop town.
Leave after breakfast to the coast for a visit to the site of the Mulberry Harbour and the D-Day landing beaches. After lunch we continue to Caen, the second capital of Normandy and largely rebuilt after the last war. Join a guided visit of the two great abbeys founded by Duke William and his wife, Matilda, the Abbaye aux Hommes and the Abbaye aux Dames.
Today we leave Villedieu for a guided visit of the imposing 15th century manor-house of Saint-Germain-de-Livet. Then to Lisieux for lunch at leisure. Early afternoon we visit the great hilltop basilica, consecrated in 1954, impressive in size and richly decorated with mosaics and marble inlays, before returning to the Hôtel La Bertelière near Rouen.
Morning drive to Calais and the lunchtime ferry to Dover. Return via London to Bristol, arriving there early evening.