Discover the Pays d’Auge, Normandy

The coast and countryside of the Pays d’Auge region spans the Norman departments of Calvados, Orne, and Eure. Sarah Daly explores three very distinctive towns.

Between the ports of Ouistreham and Le Havre, not far from historic Caen, the chic seaside towns of Deauville and Trouville are jewels of the ‘flowery coast’ of Lower Normandy. To the south, rolling wooded countryside is dotted with pretty villages of half-timbered buildings, apple orchards and fields of brown and white Normandy cows. This is the homeland of cider, Calvados, and delicious local cheeses, including one of France’s favourites, the creamy soft Pont L’Eveque.

Trouville

Trouville may not be quite as famous as its chic next-door neighbour Deauville, but it is one of the only places in France where you can step from the front gate of your stylish villa directly on to a sandy beach. The narrow streets are packed with interesting shops and enticing restaurants, and the harbour front is home to the imposing Marché aux Poissons where you can buy – and eat – seafood straight from the boat. Legend has it that Trouville was founded by the Vikings and is older than Deauville. This small fishing village became famous after local artist Charles Mozin exhibited paintings in Paris showing the picturesque charms of Deauville.

It became a popular haunt for Impressionist painters and grew into the elegant resort that we see today. Trouville managed to escape the two world wars relatively unscathed, although the half-timbered seafront villas were incorporated into the Nazi’s formidable Atlantic Wall fortifications, with some having concrete bunkers attached at the rear. The villas were painted in drab colours to camouflage them when they became the lodgings for senior officers. Now restored to their former glory, they provide a welcome insight into another age.

Where to eat: Between 9am and 7pm from Monday to Sunday almost every day of the year, the Halle aux Poissons fish market in Trouville serves fresh seafood and shellfish on site. Whether you fancy oysters for breakfast, lobster for lunch or a huge spider crab as an afternoon snack, they’ve got you covered. Just bring your own bread!

Locals love: In Trouville’s former aquarium, once part of the imposing Hotel de Paris, restaurant l’Aquarius, overlooks the beach. As you would expect, there’s a real emphasis on seafood here, all deliciously fresh and beautifully presented.

Lisieux

Lisieux suffered devastating bombardment by the Allies in World War Two ahead of its liberation in 1944. As a result, this neat and compact town of around 55,000 inhabitants, has many mid-20^th-century buildings alongside medieval half-timbered treasures. The most impressive feature is surely the imposing, almost century-old basilica, set high on a ridge overlooking the town and medieval cathedral. Inside, the basilica walls are covered with mosaics illustrating the life of Saint Thérèse. Born in 1873 she died at just 24 in a Lisieux convent. Second only to Lourdes, Lisieux welcomes around 30,000 pilgrims each year to honour her life and works, but for non-believers the basilica is still worth a visit for its colourful interior and the sheer scale and beauty of its construction.

Based in a typical Norman half-timbered building, the town museum tells the story of Lisieux, from the Hundred Years’ War, when it was captured by the English, up until World War Two. Collections feature distinctive, glazed ceramics from the nearby Pré d’Auge workshop.

And don’t miss the chance to try the area’s famous apple brandy at nearby Château du Breuil, home to renowned Calvados distillery La Spiriterie Française.

Where to eat: Situated in the heart of Lisieux, Les Soeurs Pinard is a lively bar/restaurant with fresh and imaginative dishes.

Locals love: In the village of Manerbe, Le Pot d’Etain has a seafood and traditional French cuisine menu using local and seasonal products.

Pont L’Eveque

This historic town lies almost exactly halfway between Lisieux and the seaside towns of Deauville and Trouville. The medieval centre is full of typical Normandy half-timbered architecture and buildings which feature the region’s distinctive chequerboard Pré d’Auge glazed green bricks. The area is famous for Pont l’Eveque cheese. Production dates back to the early Middle Ages, the cheese originally made by monks and named after the village where they sold it at market. Perfect with a glass of refreshing local cider! At the local market you’ll find many small, traditional producers of Pont l’Eveque selling almost exclusively to their local customers. Head to the town hall to visit the town’s former prison where prisoners convicted of petty thefts were allowed their freedom during the day, returning for curfew every evening.

In the 1980s, earth was excavated to construct an extension of the A13 motorway past the town. The area naturally refilled and a lake with a beach now covers nearly 300 acres, a great base for water sports.

Where to eat: Eden Park hotel restaurant on the edge of the lake at Pont L’Eveque has gorgeous views over the water.

Don’t miss

Follow the Normandy cheese trail and discover sleepy villages, dairy farms and rolling fields – plus taste some of the creamiest, most delectable cheeses in the world: normandycheesetrail

Where to stay

Domaine Le Coq Enchanté is a little oasis of tranquillity nestled on the edge of the picture postcard village of Cambremer.
Pont L’Eveque: not far from the coast, Il Etait une Fois is a stylishly renovated B&B in a very traditional Norman townhouse which also has a cosy shepherd’s hut in the garden.