Although the house is in the middle of nowhere, making it perfect as a holiday retreat, there are plenty of places to visit in Normandy - many of them within easy reach.


The small market town of Gacé (situated on the road to Le Mans) is 6 miles away. There is a market held here every Saturday afternoon where you can buy cheese (and lots of it!); clothing; jam that's made locally by an English couple; meat; tons of local fruit and veg. And if you're looking for a few holiday souvenirs there are lots of trinkets to choose from. In the town there's also a supermarket with a fantastic fishmonger, several bars and restaurants and a pizzeria.




The delightful village of Saint Evroult Notre Dame du Bois, with its boating lake, beach, tennis courts, restaurants and ancient Abbey ruins is situated about 4 miles away. The lake is a pleasant spot for fishing, picnics, walks and pedallo hire in the summer.








Falaise, the birthplace of William the Conqueror is close by and his 11th-century medieval castle is worth a visit (pics of battlements etc). There's also an animated puppets museum that will appeal to the kids...





Going a bit further afield, the following places of interest are within easy reach:

Camembert is 12 miles away
Argentan is 23 miles away
Caen is 48 miles away
Rouen is an hour's drive away
Le Havre is 70 miles away
The centre of Paris is 98 miles away. Click for more info
Dieppe is 100 miles away
Boulogne is 176 miles away
Calais is 200 miles away

For further information about places to visit, click on the following links:

www.ornetourisme.com
This is a French tourist information site for Orne. There are plenty of listings for places to eat as well as natural and historical places to visit

www.normandy-tourism.org
Everything you need to know about Normandy, including culture, places to see, where to eat and much more

www.normandywithkids.com
Taking the kids? Have a look at this before setting off for lots of ideas for family-friendly trips out

www.fra.cityvox.fr/guide_alencon
An up-to-date guide of what's going on in the area. It's certainly worth a look before you leave just in case there is some kind festival or celebration happening around the corner. It also shows nice restaurants and local services such as baby sitters. On the down side, it's all in French! (Click on Yahoo to use their webpage translation service).

See the "useful info and maps" page for other sites