Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Pays d'Auge
Orchards of apple and pear, thatched houses and half-timbered manors
tucked into the hills, fat brown-and-white cows, immaculate studs, farmhouses
selling cider and cheese - that's the Pays d'Auge. Stretching north to the Côte
Fleurie
(see pp26-7)
, bisected by the River Touques, the region perfectly
encapsulates the distinctive charms of Normandy. The highlights described
here are a delightful selection of villages, views, manors, châteaux and
abbeys - and, of course, a Camembert museum and a Calvados distillery.
Top 10 Highlights
1 Lisieux
2 Château St-Germain-
de-Livet
3 Manoir de Coupesarte
4 Vimoutiers
5 St-Pierre-sur-Dives
6 Château de Vendeuvre
7 Château de Crèvecour-
en-Auge
8 Beuvron-en-Auge
9 Clermont-en-Auge
0 Maison des Calvados,
Cormeilles
Manoir de Coupesarte
Beuvron-en-Auge
makes a good place
for lunch, with plenty
of choice, including
gastronomic Pavé
d'Auge
(see p56)
,
cosy Boule d'Or
(see
p95)
, a crêperie and
tearooms.
Lisieux
The principal town of
the region is inextricably
linked with Ste Thérèse,
who achieved post-
humous renown for her
book,
Histoire d'une âme
(Story of a Soul), and
was canonized in 1925.
On her account, hundreds
of thousands of pilgrims
flock here every year.
Driven in numerical
order, the sights
listed here make an
excellent circular tour.
• Map E3-4, F3-F4
•
Office du Tourisme: 11
rue d'Alençon, Lisieux.
02 31 48 18 10
• Château St-Germain-
de-Livet: Map F4. Open
Feb-end Sep, mid-
Oct-Nov: 11am-5pm
Wed-Sun. Adm charge
•
Château de Vendeuvre:
Map E4. Open May-
Sep: 11am-6pm daily.
Adm charge
•
Château de Crèvecour-
en-Auge: Map E4. Open
Apr-Jun, Sep: 11am-6pm
daily; Jul, Aug:
11am-7pm daily; Oct:
11am-6pm Mon-Sat,
2-6pm Sun. Adm charge
• Maison des Calvados:
Map F3. Open Apr-Oct
daily. Adm charge
Manoir de
Coupesarte
A short track off the D47
brings you to the most
romantic of all the Auge
manors
(left)
. It's privately
owned, but you can enter
the adjoining farmyard to
see the late-15th-century
timbered, turreted house.
Vimoutiers
In the centre of
Vimoutiers is a statue
of Marie Harel
(right)
, credited
with inventing
Camembert in the
sleepy village of that
name
(see p110)
.
The Musée du
Camembert tells
the story.
Château St-
Germain-de-Livet
A visit to this enchanting
château feels like entering
a private world. Outside,
turrets, towers, timbers
and cleverly patterned
brick; inside, oak furniture,
Renaissance frescoes and
thick, creaking floorboards.
32
In Lisieux, you can visit Les Buissonnets, Thérèse's childhood home,
as well as the Cathédrale St-Pierre, where she attended mass.
