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Another cheese with a long history, it tastes a great deal better than it smells.

Thalassotherapy (sea-water treatment) is a speciality of Norman resorts, and at bracing Luc-sur-Mer, the cure uses kelp extract. There’s also a sea-water hammam. Children can shore-fish for crabs, shrimps and clams, and admire the skeleton of a 19 m (76 ft) beached whale on display in the attractive municipal park.

A captivating medley of 16th- to 18th-century half-timbered buildings, Lyons-la-Forêt stands in a sylvan setting deep in the lovely Forêt de Lyons. It starred in both the 1934 Jean Renoir and the 1991 Claude Chabrol versions of Madame Bovary , whose intangible influence still permeates the area (see Gustave Flaubert).

Visit this picture-postcard town in the Lieure Valley and you’ll understand why Ravel used to come here to compose. Sights nearby include the impressive, early-17th-century pink-brick Château de Fleury-la-Forêt, with a superb collection of toys and dolls; Château de Vascoeuil, which has traditional cottages and modern sculpture in its grounds; and the ruined Cistercian Abbaye de Mortemer with its museum.

Hams and legs of lamb spit-roasted over an open fire by jolly patron Joseph Cotentin are the specialities at this popular rustic auberge .

L’Absinthe, close to the Vieux Port, is the most intimate hotel in Honfleur, with just seven, wellequipped, beamed bedrooms, a restaurant, a brasserie and a cosy, wood-panelled reception room.

Traditionally a metalworking area, the town plays host each Tuesday to Normandy’s biggest market. St Martin’s church and the château are both worth a visit.

Noisy and bustling, this huge market draws thousands of people to L’Aigle every Tuesday. Hundreds of stalls, piled high with regional bounty from fruit and vegetables to cheeses and cider, are crammed into the town centre. Meanwhile, the livestock market (8:30–10:30 am), the third largest in France, provides raucous accompaniment; it’s not for the tender-hearted.

Market day (Tuesday) is the best day for a walking tour of this historic town and its neighbouring cantons.