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The principal town of the region is inextricably linked with Ste Thérèse, who achieved posthumous renown for her book, Histoire d’une âme (Story of a Soul), and was canonized in 1925. On her account, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims flock here every year.

A visit to this enchanting château feels like entering a private world. Outside, turrets, towers, timbers and cleverly patterned brick; inside, oak furniture, Renaissance frescoes and thick, creaking floorboards.

A short track off the D47 brings you to the most romantic of all the Auge manors. It’s privately owned, but you can enter the adjoining farmyard to see the late-15th-century timbered, turreted house.

In the centre of Vimoutiers is a statue of Marie Harel, credited with inventing Camembert in the sleepy village of that name. The Musée du Camembert tells the story.

The market town huddles round its huge, sheltering church, all that is left of the rich Benedictine abbey that once stood here (see Eglise Abbatiale, St-Pierre-sur-Dives). The monks originally constructed the town’s venerable market hall.

There’s plenty to do here: step back into the 18th century in the elegant château itself; visit the museum of miniature furniture (see Musée du Mobilier Miniature, Vendeuvre); or wander in the delightful “surprise” water gardens.

A rare chance to look inside a medieval lord’s moated, fortified Auge manor. The former agricultural buildings house a museum of oil prospecting, connected with the Schlumberger Foundation.

One of the loveliest, and most popular villages in the area. Charming houses, each one striped with old beams and dripping with geraniums, cluster around the main square. There is a fine manor house.

In the village, look for St-Michel-de-Clermont, a charming chapel offering a fine panorama of the Pays d’Auge and the marshland beyond.

At this distillery, you can learn about the process of making the cider brandy Calvados – and, of course, taste the results.