St Germain sur Ay Area.:
Enjoy a walk along the edge of the marshland and have a picnic at the Corps de Garde – a little chapel overlooking the estuary, stopping off at the Boulangerie for fresh bread and patisseries on the way back. Cycle to the beach and have a leisurely meal at the informal restaurants or enjoy a drink after a paddle or swim. During the summer months there is a busy little market down at the beach on Thursday and Sunday mornings. La Haye du Puits the nearest market town (8kms) away has a large weekly market on Wednesdays throughout the year and plenty of shops and bars. In August, during the annual Vide Grenier, its streets are closed for the day to traffic and over 300 stalls line the pavements with bric-a-brac and antiques for sale. Just down the ‘route touristique’ you could explore the little semi-ruined Chateau at Pirou with its own ‘Bayeux Tapestry’, displayed during July and August. At Pirou Plage sample a relaxing meal at our favourite restaurant and stroll along the sands.
Further away:
Several of the towns which can be found a little further away from St Germain sur Ay are: Portbail (12kms) with its shops, restaurants, beautiful beach and lively weekly market. Barneville-Carteret (25kms), two pleasant little seaside towns, with excellent seafood restaurants offering an alternative dinner venue. There is an excellent view from the cliffs above Carteret over the sea to the Island of Jersey. Isolated beaches can be accessed all along this stretch of the coast. Coutances (26kms) is the cathedral town of the area, with it Jardin des Plantes, providing a cool and relaxing place to sit after visiting the cathedral. In May Coutances hosts the Jazz sous les Pommiers Festival. From here drive down to the coast to Agon Coutainville with its public golf course, casino and restaurants – a good place to watch the sunset while enjoying a drink as the younger element windsurf or sailboard.
Travel a little bit further:
and visit Granville (55kms), home to the Christian Dior museum, or perhaps visit Villedieu-les-Poeles (59kms) known as the ‘City of Copper’ because of the fine copperware produced by its inhabitants. Here you can also visit one of the biggest and oldest bell foundries in France, which offers a guided tour in English. The hillside town of Avranches (81kms) with its war museum and magnificent view from the botanical gardens of the bay of Mont St Michel and then continue on to the most visited monument in France Mont St Michel itself (102kms). Compare the Pirou Tapestry to the original at Bayeux, easily reached by a quiet country road, and St Mere Eglise, with its War Museums, then travel on to the Normandy Landing Beaches which are within an hour’s drive from the gites. As a final suggestion if you have a passion for horses take a trip to the National Stud at St Lo (42kms).
Other Activities:
sand yachting, bird watching
