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Golfers are spoilt for choice in Normandy, which has 37 courses – 23 of them with 18 holes or more. Notable ones include Golf d’Étretat, situated on the clifftop above the famous Falaise d’Aval (see Étretat), and Golf de Saint-Saëns, with beautiful views over the Forêt d’Eawy. Deauville has no less than three top courses, and there are fine 27-hole courses at Omaha Beach and Granville.

Cycling is the best way to take in the glorious Norman countryside. Each département has marked cycle routes, with accompanying booklets available from tourist offices. In Manche, old railway lines and towpaths are being turned into cycle paths. The forests of Lyons and Brotonne and the Eure and Seine Valleys are all excellent cycling areas.

The Perche is particularly suited to mountain biking, with marked trails at various levels of difficulty (maps available from Mortagne-au-Perche and Domfront tourist offices). The terrain is also suitable in the Suisse Normande and at Amayé-sur-l’Orne.

Normandy is wonderful walking country. Official footpaths (marked by red-and-white posts) criss-cross the region, while the National Hiking Trails (Grandes Randonnées, or GR) provide spectacular long-distance routes. These include the GR23 (Seine and Forêt de Brotonne), GR223 (Cotentin Peninsula coast), and GR221 (Suisse Normande).

At the now defunct Souleuvre railway viaduct (built in 1889 by Gustave Eiffel), apparently sane people choose to dive toward the ground secured only by an elastic rope around the ankles, or scoot across the valley at 60 mph (100 kph) in a harness suspended from a cable.

Normandy has many equestrian centres – especially in the Orne, where, for example, Le Village du Cheval in St-Michel-des-Andaines offers a wide variety of horsey activities. You can take a full-blown trekking holiday or just a few hours’ ride (see On Horseback).

Normandy’s broad, sandy beaches lend themselves perfectly to sand yachting (char à voile ), particularly at Omaha Beach and along the west coast of the Cotentin Peninsula (there are large centres at Vauville and Portbail). You will also find windsurfing on offer, and something called “kitesurfing” (imagine snowboarding on water, wearing a harness with a kite attached). Sailors can choose from the 100 sailing schools and clubs along the coastline.

Condé-sur-Vire is Normandy’s largest canoeing and kayaking resort; the Vire makes a perfect family outing (see Vallée de la Vire). Canoeing is also on offer at Pont d’Ouilly in the Suisse Normande, on the Eure near Pacy-sur-Eure, and at Saint-Saëns in the Pays de Bray.

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.

Normandy has many base de loisirs (leisure bases) by lakes and on rivers, where you can enjoy swimming and watersports. Many also offer tennis, golf, riding, archery and other facilities.