Our next stop took us into Normandy and we decided to explore the Cotentin peninsula, heading first up the west side. As usual we had some potential stopping places in mind but found that the larger towns and villages were not well set up for motorhomes so we kept heading north towards the Cap de la Hague, the most northerly point on the peninsula. The mention of an off-grid spot, billed as being accessible by 4×4 vehicles, made Joe’s eyes light up and didn’t disappoint with stunning views along the coast and across to Alderney, and a beautiful sunset. This was the dramatic scenery of the Cotentin that we had anticipated, although in reality most of the scenery en route was gently rolling agricultural farm land.
In the morning we walked along the coastal path to look down at the Phare de Goury lighthouse at Cap de la Hague and the small village of Audeville. The donkey we hired for the day a couple of years ago was a Cotentin donkey so we had expected to see a few on our travels – in the event we only saw one.
From the west side we travelled east via Cherbourg to the east side of the peninsula, hoping to make a stop at Barfleur. Unfortunately we were thwarted again, this time by all suitable parking spots being taken by ‘gens de voyage’ or French citizens with a nomadic lifestyle rather than a fixed place of residence. This is not something we usually see as, by law, communes with more than 5,000 inhabitants are required to provide aires with facilities for ‘gens de voyages’ so they tend to be accommodated in those locations. Undeterred, but sorry not to have seen Barfleur at closer hand, we carried on to another lovely off-grid spot by a sandy beach. When we arrived the tide was out and the few people around were exploring the rock pools. By evening the scenery had changed completely with the tide high up on the beach. The sound of the waves lulled us to sleep.
Next stop the south eastern corner of the peninsula and into the Calvados region….