DK Travel : Normandy

Normandy brings a dozen different images to mind: William the Conqueror, the D-Day landings, Mont-St-Michel; the bleak landscape of the Cotentin coast, the sparkling summertime playground of the Côte Fleurie; sumptuous châteaux, historic abbeys, famous gardens; the orchards of the Auge, the picture-postcard scenery of the Suisse Normande; Monet’s home at Giverny, the Cabourg immortalized by Proust – or perhaps it’s cider, calvados and camembert. Whatever your list, it will barely scratch the surface of this rich and rewarding region.

Fish

The Atlantic waters yield superb fish, supreme among which is the Dover sole.
Fishing

The marvellous diversity of Norman lakes and rivers makes freshwater fishing a rewarding and popular pastime. Sea fishing expeditions are organized from ports including Honfleur, Trouville, Dieppe and St-Valéry-en-Caux.
Foire au Boudin, Mortagne-au-Perche

For 40 years, a fair has been held in Mortagne-au-Perche halfway through Lent to celebrate the local gourmet speciality boudin noir , a long sausage made from pig’s blood, onions and pork fat. Over three days, butchers gather to sell more than 5 km (3 miles) of this delicacy. Competitions include one to find the person who can eat the most.
Foire aux Dindes, Sées

On the second Saturday in December, the seductive medieval town of Sées is filled with the sound of gobbling. People come from all over Orne and beyond to Normandy’s largest and most important turkey fair to preview their Christmas dinner.
Foire de Sainte-Croix, Lessay

The date of the first Holy Cross Fair is lost in the mists of time, but it was probably in the 11th century and supported by Benedictine monks. In the 21st century, some 400,000 people gather over three days on the second weekend in September. As well as almost 2,000 exhibitors and livestock sales, there are carnival rides and traditional spit roasts.
Forêt de Belleme

Like the Forêt du Perche et de la Trappe, this forest is dotted with pools, including the lovely Étang de la Herse. Of its many splendid oak trees, the most famous is the Chêne de l’École on the western fringes – 40 m (130 ft) tall and more than 300 years old.
Forêt de Brotonne

Heart of the Parc Naturel Régional des Boucles de la Seine Normande, this peaceful forest of towering oak, beech and pine, almost encircled by a loop in the Seine and reached by the soaring Brotonne Bridge, affords breathtaking views. It is home to deer, boar and hare, and in spring produces a carpet of bluebells.
Forêt de Lyons

This 100 sq km (37 sq mile) beech forest was a favourite hunting ground of Merovingian kings. Tall, slender beech trees cast a beautiful, dappled light, making it a perfect place for walking. As well as Lyons-la-Forêt (see Lyons-la-Forêt), there are two châteaux and the ruined Abbaye de Mortemer to explore.
Forêt de Reno-Valdieu

Walk or cycle along the path carved through the middle of the forest, and admire a magnificent line of giant oaks that soar up to 40 m (130 ft). They were planted in the 17th century, with beech trees, on the orders of Colbert, to make planks for naval ships.
Forêt de Roumare

With the Forêts de Rouvray, Verte and La Londe, this forest forms a 140 sq km (50 sq mile) crown around Rouen. Children will enjoy watching the roe and fallow deer and wild boar in the Parc Animalier (wildlife park) near Canteleu on its eastern border, where there is also a 15th-century subterranean convent in the caves of Ste-Barbe.