Ideal for travelers looking to get away from it all, this cycling holiday takes you, along the small roads and greenways of Normandy, to discover a medieval Normandy with an exceptional natural, historical and cultural heritage.
It is a safe and signposted route, a cycle route that extends over 1500 km from Roscoff to Dunkirk. A fraction of EuroVelo 4, the Vélomaritime, dedicated to lovers of the sea.
The journey begins in Caen, city of William the Conqueror and capital of Lower Normandy, and then you head to the coast by bike. In the first stage, paths and bike paths alternate, along the mythical landing beaches. In addition to the magnificent villas, the Côte de Nacre offers many viewpoints over the sea.
Arrival at the traveler's expense to Caen, easily accessible by train. The town of Caen, city of William the Conqueror, offers you a concentration of medieval heritage: the ducal castle, the Abbey of Men and the Abbey of Women. Review the history of the 0th century at the Peace Memorial.
We pedal towards the Canadian cemetery of Reviers along charming country roads to reach Juno, where the landing of the Canadian troops took place: don't miss the museum that tells of the landing, and also the history of Canada during the war. Continue the journey towards Arromanches and its Mulberry port, where you can visit the Arromanches landing museum and the famous 360 museum. From the 360 museum there are fantastic views of the entire bay that give you an idea of the scale of the Mulberry project. To finish this day full of history, we headed, along secondary roads, to the center of the city of Bayeux, well known for its tapestry.
We cycle to Port-en-Bessin and take the Vélomaritime route that takes us to the sea. From the charming little fishing port you can leave the official route to follow the Côte de Nacre towards the American Cemetery, Omaha Beach and then Pointe du Hoc. Three sites full of history that provide a better understanding of the difficulty of the landing and the importance of the human losses on D-Day. You then enter a unique landscape, that of the Cotentin Marshes Regional Natural Park. You will arrive in Isigny-sur-Mer, known for its dairy activity, with its famous “Isigny candies”, and fishing, with its “caïeux”. Finally our destination, Carentan. You leave the Cotentin marshes and its canals to reach the landscapes of the Normandy forests. The landscape evolves into meadows where horses are king. In fact, this region is famous for being the capital of the horse. The Canal de Vire will accompany you to Saint-Lô, where the National Stud Farm is located.
Leaving Saint-Lô, a calm and exuberant nature surrounds you in the Vire valley, which was once home to barge navigation. Sheep meadows, horses and green pastures follow the route on the towpath to the Roches de Ham, a rocky outcrop rising more than 100 meters high offering a unique panorama of the surrounding countryside. In Pont-Farcy you leave the Vélomaritime to reach Vire along small country roads. Vire, and its Porte-Horloge, is a pleasant transit town located on a rocky promontory overlooking the Vire.
The Vélomaritime departs Vire heading west before plunging into the authentic landscapes of the Normandy countryside. A break that invites you to daydream is essential in Mortain, to admire the Petite Cascade, at the confluence of Cance and Cançon. Here the river descends over the rocks over a height of more than 30 meters before continuing in a narrow whitewater canyon that crosses from footbridge to footbridge. From the junction between the Vélomaritime and the Véloscénie, you continue your journey towards Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët.
Today you head back to the sea, to the bay of Mont Saint-Michel. The Vélomaritime joins the mouth of the Sélune along a charming and very pleasant greenway. The Normandy countryside gives way to the salt meadows of the bay. In the distance, you can see the majestic Mont Saint-Michel. An additional effort awaits you, this time on foot, to reach the heights and the famous abbey.
