Castle life

Wednesday 3 August

Under the sign of stone and water

Thursday 4 August

Picnic at Eleanor’s

Friday 5 August

The orchards of the bocage, the day of the gourmets

Saturday 6 August

The gorges of the Vire, mountains of Normandy

The D-Day Beaches

The Norman beaches, dominated by the concrete of the “Atlantic Wall”, Sainte-Mère-Eglise, Colleville-sur-Mer, Arromanches, Courseulles, Ouistreham, have just received the message. 6 June 1944 ! Dawn is breaking. “Overlord” ! Utah, Omaha, Sword, Gold and Juno. The landings of the allied forces, come to liberate our country from Nazi ideology. Memorable places -the American Cemetery of Colleville, HocPoint, Pegasus Bridge, the marshes of the 13,000 paratroops of the 101st and 82nd Airborne, the batteries of Azeville or of Longues-sur-Mer. The café Gondrée, first house in France to be liberated ; John Steel hanging by his parachute from a church spire ;the Kieffer commando at the the casino of Riva-Bella ; Bayeux, the first district to be liberated, and how many more places can be quoted ? To find them 67 years later at cycle speed as part of the “summer of cycletouring”, is another way to pay homage to the liberators and to approach the Norman people for whom that D-Day, as we still say today, was the summer of liberation.

16.

Tourism on a bike

1. Architecture : castles, manor houses, churches
2. Local life and products
3. Safety
4. 8 groups spread over 2 day
5. Conviviality
6. Good humor
7. Friendship
8. Nature and landscapes
9. History and legends
10. Exploration, curiosity

Photos  : Flers Castle Fortified church of Tinchebray Village of La Carneille river Orne at Pont d’Ouilly

The Suisse Normande (“Norman Switzerland”) – 43 km

We start at the Château of Pontécoulant, home of the Doulcet family of Pontécoulant from the 14th century to the start of the 20th. Nestled in the heart of the Norman Bocage beside the river Druance, it is 17 km from Flers. We have to climb some hills but it will be worth the effort. We will be presented with a magnificent panorama of the Suisse Normande. We will picnic outdoors at the launch point of the Para gliders. We can imagine their feelings. We reach the heart of the Suisse Normande on the banks of the river Orne and the Rochers des Parcs which is a haven for rock-climbing enthusiasts. Next we visit the lime kilns converted into a miniature railway museum. This has an astonishing miniature railway layout, one of the biggest in Europe, where at night the houses, trains, factories, merry-go-rounds, castles, are all lighted up like a fairyland. A bowl of cider, a pancake, and off to the Manor of Placy (16th century), the Rochers de la Houle and the Pain de Sucre(a rock formation by the river Orne)which we will look at from below. We pass through Clécy on the way back to our departure point via the long valley of the Porte stream.

The Landscape of Athis de l’Orne – 46 km

Our day starts in the village of La Carneille, 13 km from Flers. We will tell you the story of the tree of the dumb and will explain the history of Protestantism in this region when we visit a family cemetery. A little road will take us to a restored manor house on the way to the touristic village of Pont-d’Ouilly with its church and the Rock of the Lion. Then we follow the river Orne to St-Philbert for lunch. In the afternoon we will overlook the windings of the Orne and reach a high point of the Suisse Normande : the Roches d’Oëtre, a rocky spur 118mhigh which dominates the Athis landscape. A long descent takes us to a 16th century fortress and its mill which is recorded as long ago as 1125. Of course we have to climb again, up to La Forêt Auvray to see its old market hall. The day ends with a tour of the historic town of La Carneille.

The Chouans – 57 km

From Tinchebray, centre for ironmongery 13 km from Flers, we reach the charming little villages of Rully and Moncy where the priests Vallée and Dumont, who were practising their religion in secret, were shot and their bodies hung on the yew trees of the cemetery. We will cycle along little roads designed for loitering and dreaming towards our outdoor meal beside the pond of Tinchebray. We will explore the little lanes of Tinchebray and then visit the museum and the royal prison where the famous Chouan Michel Moulin (known as Michelot) was imprisoned. After this we will cross a special Bocage region with beech hedges raised up on their roots. There will be a short stop at the manor of La Guionnière, and another at the priory of Yvrandes, before the return to Tinchebray.

17.

Visit to the town of Flers

Sunday 31 July

It’s the exception that proves the rule : we start our week of tourism by bike with a walk through the streets of the town. Situated in a hilly region of the Bocage, the town of Flers presents someone who takes the time for a stroll with an interesting view of its architectural, industrial and historical past. For centuries life was organized around the castle (16th and 18th century), surrounded by a moat, whose orangery has been used as the Town Hall since 1902.13 hectares of parkland and two ponds create a pleasing environment. During our walk we will discover : The rich houses of the textile merchants of Flers ; The imposing and austere church of Saint-Germain, built in granite at the beginning of the 20th century, with its rose window, created by a master local glassworker, M. Chaudeurge ; The Paulette Duhalde square and its covered market dating from 1883 ; The church of Saint John (1865) with its roman doorway and gothic tower ; The beautiful Francois Mitterrand esplanade organized around the statue of the Flute Player and its fountain. This is the cultural center of the town. And more …

Towards Domfront – 26 km

We depart from Flers to go to the Benedictine Abbey of Lonlay, founded by the Count of Bellême at the beginning of the 11th century. There will be a short visit to an old cider press. Continuing our route towards Domfront, we will have a short stop at the Manor of La Chaslerie, magnificently restored by its owners, then another at the church of Notre-Dame-Sous-l’Eau, a jewel of Roman art, built in the 11th century and saved from destruction by Prosper Mérimée. We continue gently towards the medieval high town which in the 12th century held one of the most beautiful courts of Europe under Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II Plantagenet. The ruins of the castle, its park, its outlook point over the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, the old town with its lanes and old houses, are well worth a visit. We hope you have a good picnic and a good return ride on the cycle path - see you tomorrow.

Le Houlme – 51 km

The start point is the Town Hall of Durcet, 10 km from Flers, in a tastefully restored area. After the castle of Saint-Denis we will visit the living and speaking church of Ménil-Gondouin, the high point of the morning. We stop at Putanges Pont-Ecrepin, a typical town of the Houlme with a rich industrial past, today a tourist center with its three churches, its old houses and its ancient washhouses. A pleasant little road beside the lake of Rabodanges will take us to our picnic spot. Our route will take us up to the Manor of Sainte-Croix (15th to 17th century) surrounded by greenery and mirrored in its moat. We continue on the roads of the Bocage to the Castle of Le Repas which, my goodness, would even have pleased Gargantua. We can sharpen our knives on its grindstone before going on to Tourailles. We cross the Rouvre, popular for canoeing and fishing, to visit the Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Recouvrance, a place of pilgrimage since the 9th century visited by famous personages such as Henri IV. To get out of the Val Marie we will have a fairly steep climb. We stop for a rest at the castle of Tourailles. Then it’s back to Durcet.

The Iron Mines and the Land of Lancelot – 56 km

The start point is Banvou, 10 km from Flers. At the chapel of Saint-Ernier we will learn the legend of Sir Lancelot du Lac. After this we visit the kilns of Butte Rouge, remains of the distant mining past of La Ferrière-aux-Etangs. We follow the Mont-en-Gérôme road which goes through most of the Forest of Andaine. A quick stop at the grave of the Abbé Fauvel, just long enough to recount the legend. The visit and legends of the priory of Saint-Ortaire and Sainte-Radegonde will give us an appetite. We cross the spa town of Bagnoles-de-l’Orne through its Belle-Epoque district to reach the castle. From the Tower of Bonvouloir, object of many fantasies, we take little forest roads to the village of Dompierre to visit the Museum of Iron and Weaving. After that there are just a few more kilometers to get back to Banvou.

18.

Sunday 31 July

Tackling Mont Cerisy

Mountain Bike

P0 : 8km,P1 : 24 km,P2 : 31 km,P3 : 56 km,P4 : 64 km

Every year on a Sunday in May crowds of visitors attack the hill which dominates the quiet Cerisy-Belle-Etoile to pick the pink flowers of the rhododendrons. “This morning you’ll need to take a deep breath : it goes up !” The first paths offer beautiful views over the green rolling hills and the blue horizon of the Bocage, with the farms and their herds of cows and calves, before you enjoy the coolness of the woodland and the paths lined with rhododendrons, which come out over the emblematic crenellated tower of the chateau, still showing the damage of the bombardment of June 1944.Before tipping into the descent you should re-read the instructions for off road riding, it’s going to need skill ! At the foot of the hill is the distillery of La Monnerie, where you might sip a little drop of something ; or may be you will prefer to take the path to Saint-Georges - unless you are one of those who will take on anything, in which case you will go further on, to look out at the distant Suisse Normande and return via the industrial Vallée de la Vère.

There follows a little rhyme in dialect … untranslatable.

19.

Overlooking the Bay

Road circuits

P1 : 100 km ; P2 : 150 km ; P3 : 200 km

For this first ride of the Semaine Fédérale, the roads we have chosen all lead, not to Rome, but to Mont-Saint-Michel, the “marvel of the West”. A dessert for starters – with sea air. On this Sunday morning it is good to start from a village near a place of meditation, famous since the Middle Ages, L’Abbaye Blanche(the White Abbey). Towards the Croix de Pierre (Stone Cross), to join the river Sélune and follow it to its mouth, at the foot of the village of Saint-Aubert, the founder of the fabulous abbey.

Before enjoying the view over the bay, the beautiful valley of the Sélune, after Saint-Hilaire-du Harcouët, will challenge you with windings and ups and downs around the dams of Vezins and La Roche-qui-Boit.

Perhaps you will be encouraged by the “Voice of the Tower”, Daniel Mangeas, native of Saint-Martin-de-Landelles, officiating that day at the Polynormande !

After Ducey, territory of the Counts of Montgomery, the small circuit (still 100 km !) goes directly towards the bay, whilst the other two have a pretty detour through Pontorson and especially Beauvoir, at the foot of Mont-Saint-Michel, before joining the main route on the little coastal roads of Val-Saint-Père.

North of Avranches, the strongest riders (192 km for a starter is n’t exactly short !) can go round the loop (Genêts, traditional start point for crossing the shore to Bec d’Andaine, Saint-Jean-le-Thomas, Carolles, Marcey-les-Grèves) which will give them a different view of the Mont and Tombelaine. The other riders, probably more numerous, return directly towards Le Neufbourg through the pleasant little valley of the river Sée. Easy as far as Cuves ! After that you come up out of the dip and climb towards the “enchanted village” of Bellefontaine, then Saint-Barthélémy, and finish beautifully. The return towards Le Neufbourg gives you a chance, on foot, to visit the beautiful waterfalls of La Cance, which you will certainly not have taken the time to seek out in the excitement of the morning start, and perhaps also, from the chapel of Saint-Michel, up above the White Abbey, you can catch a glimpse of Mont-Saint-Michel in the distance. A farewell look ?No ! The week has only just started.

On the route

• MORTAIN : The White Abbey, the church of Saint-Evroult (12th and 13th century), the chapel of Saint-Michel (“the little chapel”), the great and small waterfalls • Valley of the Selune : Vezins dam • DUCEY : Castle of the Montgomerys, old bridge over the Sélune

• MONT-SAINT-MICHEL The wonder of the West, greatest sight of Basse-Normandie

AVRANCHES Botanical gardens, view of Mont-Saint-Michel, the Scriptorium : manuscripts of Mont-Saint-Michel, the Treasure of Saint-Gervais, liberated on 31 July 1944 by Patton’s tanks in the Avranches offensive. • Cliffs of Champeaux, Saint-Jean-le-Thomas : most beautiful kilometer of France, view over the Mont-Saint-Michel and the bay • BELLEFONTAINE : “The enchanted village”, curious little park with rides for young children. • LE NEUFBOURG : “heritage village”. Guided walking tours with commentary during the day. Mère Poulard’s Omelette Something good to eat

The legend of this famous omelets was born in Mont-Saint-Michel. The “secret” has had all sorts of interpretations : a pan with a very long flexible handle, a very hot wood fire with a chimney that draws well, the quality of Norman butter, the crème fresh added to the beaten eggs. Mere Poulard was the origin at or of this recipe and she had a profound influence on French gastronomy and became part of the history and heritage of our country.

It was in 1888 that Annette Poulard opened her inn at Mont-Saint-Michel, in the heart of the medieval city of that Marvel of the West. At that time the raised road that joins Mont-Saint-Michel to the mainland did not exist and travellers arriving on foot, on horseback or in carriages were at the mercy of the tides when crossing the bay. They arrived therefore at any time of day or night, exhausted by a long and sometimes trying journey. To warm and comfort her guests, Mère Poulard always kept a fire in her great fireplace and thought up an easy dish which could be prepared quickly at any time. Thus was born this marvellous recipe. Over whelmed by this first discovery of Mère Poulard’s cooking, travellers kept an indelible memory of it and praised it to the skies when they returned home. The fame of Mere Poulard and her omelette grew and spread throughout the world.

Today you can still see the eggs beaten with a long whisk in a large copper bowl. The secret has been transmitted from generation to generation and is divided into more than twenty precise steps, from beating the eggs to cooking, not forgetting the careful selection of the eggs. What it is in fact is a soufflé omelette, sometimes with the addition of crème fraiche, where the whites and yolks are separated, beaten separately and cooked on a hot flame.

When the Parisian restaurant-owner Robert Viel wrote to Mère Poulard to ask for her recipe, she sent him this reply :

Monsieur Viel, Here is the recipe for the omelette : I break good eggs into a bowl, I beat them well, I put a good knob of butter in the pan, I add the eggs and I stir them constantly. I shall be happy, Monsieur, if this recipe pleases you.” – Annette Poulard.

20.

Monday 1 August

Stories and legends of Lancelot’s homeland

Mountain bike

P0:32km,P1:25km,P2:51 km,P3:60km,P4:76km, P5 : 85 km.

No cows and calves this morning !but all the forest you could want, 5400 hectares of conifers and deciduous trees with beautiful mature trees and many remarkable trees. On the edge of the forest of Andaines, La Ferrière-aux-Etangs retains traces of its mining origins. The city of Gué Plat and its one-starrefectory, the calcination furnaces of La Haie and La Butte Rouge, the well of Pralon and the mine workings of the past : here iron with its reddish coloration is the dominating colour. Of the castle in flames, nothing remains but the legend of Sir Lancelot du Lac ! Who would disturb you now apart from a young deer

Aroused from its peaceful retreat ? Surely not the fairies, even rival ones. L’Andaine, La Gione, Gisèle of Normandy, Mélusine of Poitou, They only come out at night, at the full moon or in the mists of autumn. Enjoy the peace of the surroundings and go on to discover the legend of the waters of Bagnoles. Ever since an old in the Middle Ages regained its youth, passing on to its master the vigour of a young bridegroom, “Bagnoles” is famous for its thermal springs. A high level of oligo-elements and low radioactivity give the local water therapeutic benefits which have attracted both those seeking a cure and tourists. The spa retains all the charm and elegance of its Belle Epoque villas. Wild forest with craggy hills, as in the gorges of Villiers whose hot springs have the same properties as the water of Bagnoles. Dip your feet in for a moment, then go on to the Chapel of Saint-Antoine, an ancient hermitage where pilgrims still come to seek a cure for their rheumatism or skin diseases by planting wooden crosses in the miraculous spring. It is time to think of getting back, tomorrow here will be more discoveries.

The legend of the tripe kebabs of La Ferté-Macé

Something good to eat

The legend relates that a family of woodcutters, Zidor and Césarine, were chased from the forest by wolves, and arrived at La Ferté-Macé, where a butcher gave them the entrails of an animal he had just killed. Cesarine said to Zidor : “Wee at the skins of sausages and black pudding ;go and wash that stuff in the stream, but make sure you get it clean.” They put it all in the pot, with lots of other things and especially a good helping of butter, and of course as good Normans a little drop of something. Then, as with experience the dish got tastier and tastier, people heard of it and they started a restaurant. However, the greediest eaters didn’t leave much for the others, although everyone paid the same price. So to solve this problem Zidor found a solution : “We’ll make portions”.

Thus it was that the tripes were skewered on thin lengths of wood and everyone had an equal portion. And when a merchant passing through asked Zidor “What are you feeding us here ?” Zidor replied proudly “These, my friend, are tripe kebabs à la Ferté-Macé”.

So it is to this modest couple that we owe the tripe kebabs à la Ferté-Macé. How good that smells ! At lunch the tripe from other places is rubbish.

We like it at La Ferté in nice neat packets skewered on a wooden stick. Poem of Wilfried Challemel, native of La Ferté-Macé, 19th century.

21.

Stories and legends of Lancelot’s homeland

Road circuits

P1 : 34km ; P2:54km ; P3:80 km, P4 : 107 km, P5 : 135 km, P6 : 156 km, PS1 : 114 km

Today’s circuits go towards the south-east, to the hills – remains of ancient mountains of the Armorican Massif – and to the Andaine forest, remnant of an old Celtic forest which for a long time served as a border between Maine and Normandy.

The five circuits visit La Ferrière-aux-Etangs, whose name is very explicit (iron mines and ponds). The prosperity of this town was indeed for several centuries (until 1970) based on iron mining, but the old town, built on a high point from which you can see as far as Domfront, country residence of Henry II Plantagenet and Richard the Lion heart, interests many medievalists for its history and its legends. It was there that Lancelot, the perfect knight of the romances of Chrétien de Troyes, was stolen from his mother while she was looking after her husband, King Ban of Banoic, who had been mortally wounded as he hurried towards his burning castle. Lancelot was raised and educated by the Lady of the Lake, who introduced him later to the court of King Arthur.

The high point of the day is the pass of the Signal of Charlemagne. You reach it by the road along the ridge which forms a watershed between the Channeland the Atlantic, from which there is an extended view to north and south-east. You then descend towards the first mature forests of Andaine, Laye de Daine or Diane, a forest haunted by the “magic hunt”, frequented by fairies, the Lady of the Lake, the fairy of the heather, as is shown by the dolmen of the “fairy cave” at La Sauvagere and the place-names : Diana’s crossroads, the ladies’ round… Four circuits continue towards Bagnoles-de-l’Orne, a famous thermal spa, fountain of youth which revivified many people, particularly the lord of Bonvouloir (who erected a symptomatic and original tower as a (pagan) thanksgiving gift) and Sir Hugh of Tessé. But in this “miraculous” place, we are told, lived a witch who frightened the peasants, La Gione, and adragon which terrorized the inhabitants. This was turned to stone by the hermit Ortaire (Arthur), as might be seen in the Roc au Chien (“dog rock”)near the present-day hot springs.

The longest circuit, towards Carrouges, visits the land of fairy-stories of unhappy love : the fairy of Argouges, who still wanders, a sad wraith, at the tower where she lived ; the fairy of the fountain, stabbed by her rival, the Lady of Carrouges. After a stop at the visitor centre of the Regional Natural Park of Normandy and Maine, and a look at the castle of Carrouges, it is time to start back.

On the route

LA FERRIERE-AUX-ETANGS : an old mining town, old furnaces, mine works LA SAUVAGERE : village in bloom, Forge pond, neolithic grave of La Bertiniere (2 km away) BAGNOLES-DE-L’ORNE : thermal spa, Belle Epoque district, rock formations of Capucin and Roc au Chien(“Dog Rock”), Chateau de Tessé SAINT-MICHEL-DES-ANDAINES : Priory of Saint Ortaire LA-FERTE-MACE : toy museum LE CHAMP DE LA PIERRE : castle and old kilns CARROUGES : 14th-15th century castle, National Monument of Basse-Normandie ; Le Chapitre, centre for the Regional Natural Park of Normandy and Maine. Castle of LA MOTTE-FOUQUET JUVIGNY-SOUS-ANDAINE : Tower of Bonvouloir, chapel of Saint Geneviève.

22.

Tuesday 2 August

A hint of mountains

Mountain Bike

P0 : 27km, P1 : 25 km, P2 : 36 km, P3 : 41 km, P4 : 64 km.

Cows and calves indeed, and bulls too and not necessarily the ruminants you expect … Every where you go today there are these granite boulders adorning fields and meadows as the landscape starts to look like Switzerland in Normandy. An unusual ride, probably the wildest of the week. After La Carneille the song of the water over the pebbles will guide you along the Rouvre to the Roche d’Oëtre, a rocky spur like an eagle’s nest above the canopy of woods in the valley. And perhaps you could cross to the other side, to the wild gorges of the Orne and the ruined village of Saint-Aubert. The little sunken ways between green meadows first take you to La Forêt–Auvray and its 16th century market hall. After that they run between stone wall sand are bordered by tangled hedges, they follow cool winding streams or rise up to the tops of the hills. The roads of Sainte-Honorine-la-Guillaume and Mille Savates are no different and lead you to La Carneille, county town and home of the Blues during the Revolution. A day with a foretaste and a hint of mountains ! Bourdelots (apple dumplings)

Something good to eat

These are pastries made by placing ancored apple, either peeled or not, on a square base of short-crust or flaky pastry large enough to enclose it. The hole in the centre of the fruit is filled with sugar and a teaspoonful of Calvados, then topped with a knob of butter. The corners of the pastry are brought up and sealed round the apple and brushed with egg yolk before baking. Bourdelots are eaten hot or cold with fresh cream, washed down with Normandy cider. You can even flambé them with Calvados !

23.

Castle Life

Road circuits

P0 : 32km, P1 : 55 km, P2 : 97 km, P3 : 107 km, P4 : 138 km, P5 : 167 km, P6 : 190 km, PS1 : 150 km.

From the Permanence, hilly little roads will take you to the Château des Tourailles and the Château du Repas whose walls are reflected in its moat. Putanges-Pont-Ecrepin is the point where the river Orne enters the Suisse Normande. Ménil-Jean has its church, its castle, its chapel of Notre-Dame with beautiful stained glass, and its stud farm. A true little village of Orne ! At Mesnil-Glaise the castle at the head of the escarpment dominates the river which has now left the quiet bed of its plain of origin. You see the roofs of the Château of Serans before you arrive at Ecouche, liberated on 13 August 1944 by the 2nd Armoured Division under General Leclerc. You are now riding on the plain, towards Argentan, where the horses in the meadows are the first sign of the stud farms. A district 80% destroyed before the Liberation, Argentan still has the keep of its 12th century fortifications, the church of Saint-Martin and the castle of the Dukes of Alençon, which now houses the Law Courts. Today, the Maison des Dentelles (Lace museum) reminds the visitor of the famous “Argentan stitch”. Still on the plain, castle life continues. In the distance are, Aubry-en-Exmes and Chambois, with its famous 12th century square keep, beneath which in August 1944 the horrifying battle of the encirclement of the German troops came to an end. On the heights, the Memorial of Montormel, built in 1994, commemorates the battles between the Allied Forces and the Germans between18th and 21st August 1944, the sacrifice of the Polish army enabling the Falaise Pocket to be closed and bringing to an end the Battle of Normandy.

Let us continue on our way… more castles ! The castle of Bourg-Saint-Léonard, a enchanting little Versailles in Orne, evokes noble festivals, theatre, balls and the refined pleasures of high society. A few turns of the pedals and we come to the other Versailles, that of the horse. Framed by greenery, with its Mansard architecture (wrought-iron railings and grand facades similar to the great houses of Ile-de-France) – it is the Haras du Pin. All around, many private stud farms remind us, if it is still necessary, that the horse is the flower of economic activity in Orne. Elite stallions, fine brood mares and their offspring are carefully raised by breeders and trainers whose passion for the horse goes deep within them. Castles, still and again ! Alménèches, the 18th century Château de Médavy with its domed towers and its moat filled by the water of the Orne, the elegant and refined Château d’O, jewel of the Renaissance, the imposing Sassy with its formal gardens, Rânes, the castle and the race course. The Pays du Houlme and the pond of Grand Hazé, more horses, quiet little roads for a peaceful return to the stable at Flers. Tomorrow is another day.

On your route

Besides the castles and horse studs mentioned in the text :

MENIL-GONDOUIN : the curious speaking and living church of Abbé Paysant SAINTE-CROIX-SUR-ORNE : 15th century manor house MONTMERREI : chapel of the Vieux Bourg FRANCHEVILLE : stud farm of the Coudraies BRIOUZE :Grand Hazé marsh, protected site.

24.

Wednesday 3 August

In the heart of the Suisse Normande

Mountain Bike

P0 : 35 km, P1:30 km ; P2 : 60 km ; P3 : 92 km

Not much time to count the cows and calves this morning ! Today is described as a mountain stage. Three loops of 30 kilometers leaving from Pont d’Ouilly, center of the day’s off road activity ; with the possibility, if you have the courage, of leaving Flers via Conde-sur-Noireau for a linking ride, doing the heart of Suisse Normande rides, and returning to base camp at the end of the day. Described by the weather forecasters as the “hills of Normandy” when a few snowflakes drift down in winter, the Suisse Normande is a paradise for both on and off road cycling. For lovers of climbs and descents, of “infernal” lookout points, of deep valleys as if cut by an axe, of shadow or full sun, it’s The mountains !Heather-clad stones or cliffs dotted with gorse, the rocks come in all colors. Temporary rivulets or lively streams, water flows towards the Orne, a quiet winding river which waters the green meadows. Clécy, le Bô.

Clécy the beautiful ! Clécy of the painters : Suisse Normande, colors and impressions of the four seasons. A friendly day too, with two welcome points shared with the road riders, who will have to contend with an area just as “Swiss” although it is in Calvados. Cycling on roads or cycling on tracks : it’s all cycling.

Teurgoule

Something good to eat

Local flavour and a Norman institution, teurgoule is a dessert like no other ! It is a sort of rice pudding, usually flavoured with cinnamon, cooked for a very long time in a special dish in a slow oven to the point where the grains of rice are almost indistinguishable.

The origin of the name seems to come from “to twist the mouth ”when eating teurgoule : some say because of eating it in a hurry when it’s too hot, others that before it reached its present-day soft consistency it took a lot of effort to chew.

The fact that the ingredients of this typically Norman dish– rice and cinnamon –are not of local origin is due to the fact that they formed part of the booty captured by 17th-century Norman pirates from Spanish galleons coming from the New World. Today the cinnamon is sometimes replaced by a vanilla pod, or caramel, or candied peel, or even a bay leaf.

Popular Norman Song

Chorus

 

To fill your mouth

You need teurgoule

You need fallue itou

Then you need a drink.

To fill your mouth

You need teurgoule

Because we’ll always love

Our old Norman dishes.

 

Verses :

 

When we have eaten plenty of rabbit and chicken

When we have eaten plenty of beans and mutton

When we have eaten plenty of good meat with garlic

When we have eaten plenty of veal and turkey

When we have drunk plenty of beer

When we have tasted the big, the small, the middling

When we have been at table for half a day

When we start singing, when we feel good.

Presumed author : Arthur Marye

Under the sign of stone and water

Road Circuits

P0 : 35km, P1 : 45 km, P2 : 66 km, P3 : 82 km, P4 : 121 km, P5 : 125 km, P6 : 140 km, P7 : 177 km.

Flers opens on to the Suisse Normande. Shady, hilly little roads lead us there. In the Bocage the predominant colour is green. You get a feeling of wellbeing and calm, cycling along in the shade of the hedges which divide the landscape into orchards of cider apples, into fields and meadows, until you com the “mountain” part of Normandy, where all through the day you will be surrounded by rock and water. Leaving Condé-sur-Noireau and the castle of Pontécoulant in their valley of the Druance, you climb the first heights overlooking the meanders of the river Orne, looking across to the escarpments opposite which fall steeply to the water above and below the Pont du Vey. Then on to the col of Saint-Martin-de-Sallen before reaching Thury-Harcourt. At the foot of the Roche a Bunel the calm waters of the Boucle du Hom form an almost perfect omega. The façade of the castle of the Harcourts deserves a moment of attention. The road immediately rises again through villages and hamlets with schist houses, to bring us new and surprising views of our Switzerland. Leave the par ascenders to jump off the crests of Saint-Omer ! The Suisse Normande offers you a panorama of the Orne far below encircling Clécy in a loop. It has everything : rocky promontories and towering cliffs covered with heather, green pastures and golden cornfields line the road which follows the little river all the way to Pont-d’Ouilly.

At the confluence of the rivers Rouvre and Noireau, the peaceful town, with its inns and its café, is also a crossroads on the road to Falaise. The bravest will get as far as this historic town with its imposing castle recalling William the Conqueror. Turning our backs on the Orne and the meander of Saint-Philibert, the Roche d’Oëtre with its human profile seems to watch over the remains of the ancient Norman mountains. The river Rouvre, 118 metres below, babbles over its bed of pebbles. Symbol of stone and water, the area reveals the geological history of our land. On the road back is La Carneille. Around its old market hall, the village has retained a surprising heritage to be found in its charming and flowery lanes. Flers once again awaits you for a well-earned rest. If you are overtaken by darkness, don’t look for enlightenment in the legend of the lad of Falaise and don’t risk taking “Switzerland for a lantern”.

Along the route

CONDE-SUR-NOIREAU : Charles Léandre museum SAINT-MARTIN-DE-SALLEN : chapels of Saint-Joseph and Saint-Bénin ESSON : cemetery of the Nobles CLECY : miniature railway museum, Hardy museum, cafes along the river Orne, Pain du Sucre rock, Rochers des Parcs FALAISE : castle and equestrian statue of William the Conqueror, museum of automata MENIL-HUBERT-SUR-ORNE : village of Rouvrou SAINT-PHILIBERT-SUR-ORNE : loop in river Orne, Chapel of La Plisse Graphics museum of the Roche d’Oëtre LA CARNEILLE : old courthouse, market hall, washhouse on the Gine.

26.

Domfront and the Passais

In Normandy

it’s…a heritage, with the castle, the 11th century church of Notre-Dame sur l’Eau and the medieval city of Domfront … an exceptional site, with the chapels of the oratory at Passais and the village in flower of St-Fraimbault, known as the village of 100,000 flowers … a typical landscape, with a Norman Bocage strewn with pear-trees in blossom which will produce the traditional Domfront Perry and many leisure activities. With numerous tracks for walking, mountain-biking and cycling (on road or using the cycle track linking Domfront and Mont-St-Michel), as well as many other activities such a canoeing and rock-climbing… Office de Tourisme ……etc.

28.

Thursday 4 August

Picnic at Eleanor’s

Mountain Bike

P1 : 58 km, P2 : 75 km

The traditional picnic will be held at Domfront. A strategic site at the time of William the Conqueror and his sons, Domfront was also the favourite town of Henry II Plantagenet and of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Queen Eleanor, in the 12th century, held court and banquets there. But curiously, since the 16th century the best-known tale is that of the “hanged man”. The story is of Master Barbotte, a miller on the banks of Varenne who robbed and pillaged with “uncontrolled” Huguenots, certain of their impunity because of the arrival of the troops of Montgommery, Lord of Ducey. But the Catholics of Matignon gained the upper hand. It was wiser to hide with the fruits of pillage. Six months in the forest of Andaine is a long time. Barbotte thought he could lose himself in the crowds at the December fair. Recognised by his victims, the torturer was arrested by the governor and the prior who had him thrown into prison. Sentence was pronounced and executed so quickly that Barbotte stammered, as the hangman put the noose round his neck : “Ah, Domfront, unlucky town ! Arrived at noon, hanged at one o’clock !” The guards added, laughing, so they say : “But no time for lunch”.

Today it’s not Eleanor who holds a feast. Domfront is a gastronomic stage on the road to Mont-Saint-Michel, appreciated even by Protestants. Come and have lunch here in good company and stroll leisurely round the lanes and courtyards, admire the beauty of the site and the remains of the medieval golden age … before going back to Flers.

Message from the Mayor of Domfront

On 4th August 2011 Domfront will be happy to welcome within its walls the picnic of the 73rd Semaine Fédérale. A small town of 4,000 inhabitants, the medieval city is built at the top of a rocky spine which goes up to 215 metres, overlooking the river La Varenne. The town has numerous remains of fortifications and its towers and its narrow lanes lined with half-timbered houses give it a charm which enchants all its visitors. The castle, property of the Anglo-Norman kings, favoured home of the Plantagenet sovereigns, dates from the end of the 11th century. Over the years it underwent numerous sieges during the Hundred Years’ War and the religious wars. On the order of Henri IV, Sully had the castle dismantled because it could shelter groups of protestants or criminals. With its 10 surrounding towers, its ramparts, its internal courtyards and its half-timbered houses crowded together, Domfront remains a unique example of medieval architecture. There are numerous monuments and listed sites : the castle park, the ruins of the keep, the remains of the chapel of Saint-Symphorien, the church of Notre-Dame-sur-l’Eau, the church of Saint-Julien. But Domfront has other attactions. Town in bloom, it is also European Community, listed among the most beautiful places to visit in France and remarkable taste site. Its Norman Bocage countryside holds two Apellations d’Origine Controlée, for Domfront Calvados and Domfront Perry. Other local specialities include Domfront sablés (biscuits), Abbey sablés, Domfront rocks(chocolate with nuts)and Pommeau (apple aperitif). These can be enjoyed all the year round, but especially at the Medieval Festival which is held every two years, the next on 6 and 7 August 2011. I am sure the cycle tourists, mountain bikers and accompanying people of this Semaine Fédérale will appreciate the charms of our town. As of now I wish them welcome.

Didier Leduc, Mayor

Along the road

DOMPIERRE : museum of iron and thread SAINT-BOMER-LES-FORGES : manor of La Maigraire LA HAUTE-CHAPELLE : manors of La Chaslerie and La Guyardière DOMFRONT : ruins of castle and keep, encircling towers, church of Notre-Dame-sur-l’Eau, jewel of Roman art Megalithic bridge of La Vallée, over the Varenne between BANVOU and LE CHATELLIER.

Le Trou Normand

Something good to drink !

The expression “trou normand” denotes the habit, very popular in the past, of drinking, in one gulp, a small glass of calvados between two main courses of a lengthy meal. The lovers of the “trou normand” claimed that it restored the appetite by emptying the stomach and speeding up digestion. With the passage of time and better understanding of dietetics, it has been said that its effect was to dissolve fats.

A modern lighter version of the “trou normand” consists of serving a calvados sorbet.

The high alcoholic content of this spirit, if was drunk straight after eating a dish of seafood, was said to protect against indigestion.

28.

Thursday 4 August

Medieval Picnic

Road circuits :

P1 : 23 km, P2 : 46 km ; P3 : 57 km, P4 : 60 km.

a day to recover it’s a bit of an effort to get to the top of the rocky spur where the city of Domfront is perched. The circuit has been planned around the cycle path from Flers to Domfront. It depends on your physical condition how much extra effort you want to put into it. The medieval ambience and the implications of the famous last words will incline the day towards “good taste”. Domfront, unlucky town Oh no ! today it’s a lucky town ! “Arrived at noon, Calvados at one o’clock ! ” You will take your time over lunch ! And to enjoy the city of the Plantagenets, which will put on for the occasion the medieval guise of its olden days. But at last it will be time to mount your charger and return to Flers along the Varenne.

The “Calvados”

Something good to drink

In the 16th century a spirit was prepared by distilling cider. In 1553 Gilles de Gouberville, an officer of rivers and forests, notes it in his journal. The French Revolution and the development of better communications worked in favour of Calvados and it reached the capital. All spirits produced in Normandy are included under the generic term “Calvados”. During the First World War it was produced in quantity to the detriment of quality. To avoid this debasement and new requisitions during the Second World War, the producers got together to have their Calvados recognized with an Appelation d’Origine Contrôlée. There are three AOC , distinguished by the differences in the soil, the fruit used and the methods of distillation.

The Calvados AOC of the Pays d’Auge (since 1942) is a double distillation produced from 70% sour or sour-sweet apples growing on the clay and chalk slopes of Orne and Eure. A minimum of two years’ aging in oak casks is required.

AOCs concerning Calvados (since 1984), familiarly known as Calva. The Calvados has no set method of distillation but it is essentially produced in a column still. A minimum of two years’ aging in oak casks is prescribed. The Calvados AOC of Domfront (since 1998) is obtained by single distillation, 30% of perry pears are added to the cider to be distilled. The fruit is grown on the damper granitic soil typical of the Domfront region. A minimum three years’ aging in oak casks is obligatory.

30.

Friday 5 August

In the footsteps of King Arthur

Mountain bike

P1 : 22 km, P2 : 47 km, P3 : 65 km, P4 : 79 km.

Today’s route takes you into the area around Passais and Domfront where the legend is still told of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. It is said that Arthur and his wife lived in separate chambers at the site of Fosse Arthur, beside the rocks which frame the tumultuous stream. They met at night in the middle of the river on the stone called “bed of thelovers”. For having abused the darkness of the night, they were carried away by the waters. Valley without return Sunken roads typical of the Bocage, forest paths in Halouze and remains of the old iron mines will lead you to Lonlay, with its Benedictine abbey and its biscuit factory. The figure-of-eight route will take you by the Lande Patrie to the Fosse Arthur, after which you come back to the delicious scent of the Abbey biscuits.

Then it’s time to think about the return to the city of the Counts of Flers, through the valley and a few hills. Mustn’t forget to bring in the cows and calves !

Domfront Poiré (Perry)

Something good to drink

Distinguished by the presence of orchards of tall pear trees unique in Europe, the region called Lower Domfrontais or Passais is situated at the crossroads of Normandy, Brittany and Maine. This is what contributes to the beauty and uniqueness of this Bocage.

Over the years the Domfrontais area has become the home of poiré (perry), today recognized and protected by an Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée. The pear trees which give the fruit from which the poiré is made are the descendants of trees cultivated by the Gauls, from which they already made a drink. Documents state that in 1453, the hospice of Argentan bought pears from the growers “at half a sou a bushel”.

History tells us that Domfront poiré continued to develop in an area which, over time, forged its own unique identity. “Domfront” poiré, produced in this region, results from the fermentation of fresh pulp of local varieties of “perry pears”, the principal one being Plant de Blanc. This variety of pear is the best known and the fruit, kept separate from the other varieties, forms a minimum 40% of the mix. Pear trees live a very long time, and it is not uncommon to find trees that are over 300 years old ! Sparkling in nature, of a pale yellow to golden color, its flavor is fruity and floral with a touch of bitterness which makes it very refreshing. Lightly alcoholic (around 4% by volume), it is drunk very cool, almost chilled. You will appreciate the subtle flavor of pears and the fresh bouquet of a traditional drink that is still up to date. It can be drunk as an aperitif or to accompany a meal. It can also be used in cooking both sweet and savory dishes. A typical product of this area, Domfront poiré has a collective trademark, “Le Roy des Vergers” (“King of the Orchards”) which can be used by all the members of the syndicate. A descriptive common label with the name of the producer allows them to be identified by the purchaser.

31.

The orchards of the Bocage

The day of the gourmets

Road circuits :

P0 : 32 km, P1 : 54 km, P2 : 88 km ; P3 : 118 km, P4 : 125 km, P5 : 137 km, P6 : 161 km.

You will become fine gourmets this Friday, because the local products are awaiting you. The long climb up to La Chapelle-Biche will wake your legs up before descending to Saint-Clair-de-Halouze and its forest, above which can be seen the remains of the last mine headgear, witness to mining activity in the days when iron was mined in Normandy. Saint-Bômer-les-Forges. You come to the first manor houses of the Domfrontais.

About forty are recorded, cradled in greenery or at the end of an avenue of trees. Their sturdy structure is sometimes reflected in the waters of a lake full of fish, starred with water lilies. Inside, great granite fireplaces decorated with coats of arms evoke nearby Brittany. We are in the Passais, country of passage. But soon you will find your selves pedaling among great three-hundred-year-old pear trees growing in green meadows with cows at pasture. Norman cows of course ! This is a chance to try the sparkling drink, fruity and lightly alcoholic, which is poiré, made from fermented pear juice… unless you are seduced by an aged Domfront Calvados, made from pears and apples, used for the famous “Trou Normand”. Saint-Fraimbault frames its welcome point in flowers.

The road which leads to Mantillyis the pear road ! At Barenton, besides the refreshments, a stop at the Maison de la Pomme et de la Poire (the House of Apples and Pears) will finish your package of tastes. Mortain will remind you that we are in the Mountains of Normandy and that, two thousand years later, their heights display two beautiful waterfalls – the great and the small ! On the way back, the wild site of the Fosse Arthur, and the tragic legend of King Arthur and his Guinevere carried away by the waters of the river, will be inescapable, before you get to Lonlay-l’Abbaye. The sweet scent of the biscuit factory often floats around here ; the famous biscuits are made from butter and cream from Isigny – another Appelation d’Origine Contrôlée ! A former Benedictine abbey helps to make this pretty village, cradled in the hollow of a green valley, a peaceful and refreshing place. From the heights of Chanu and Saint-Paul you can see Flers, and you just have to coast down to the Castle of the Alchemists of Flers, your taste buds still remembering the good things of the day.

Along the road

SAINT-CLAIR-DE-HALOUZE : mining town, many traces of iron mining SAINT-FRAIMBAULT : village and farms in flower along the poiré route PASSAIS : the two chapels of Notre-Dame-de-l’Oratoire ; dolmen “The Devil’s Table” BARENTON : Museum of Apples and Pears GER : “Le Placitre”, pottery museum MORTAIN : “la Petite Chapelle”, from which in good weather you can see Mont-Saint-Michel ; church of Saint-Evroult ; Abbaye Blanche SAINT-GEORGES-DE-ROUELLEY : Arthurian site, La Fosse Arthur LONLAY L’ABBAYE : Abbey church, Abbey biscuit factory

32.

Saturday 6 August

With the Chouans in the Bocage

Mountain bike

P1 : 26 km, P2 : 45 km, P3 : 78 km.

Often associated with the Vendée, the revolt of the peasants against the raising of troops intended to bring their brothers in the Vendee to their senses set fire to the Norman Bocage. With Count Louis de Frotté, who recruited, reorganized and directed the Royalist troops from the castle of Flers and numerous manors of the region, Michelot Moulin, a clever and charismatic cutler from Saint-Jean-des-Bois, And their men, you will creep furtively from sunken roads to woodland, from reed beds to orchards, spying out secret signals or observing, from the heights of Mont Crespin, the movements of the “blue ” columns of the young Republic. Don’t get too keen in case you get caught going through Tinchebray and taken to court and thrown into the royal prison, very well preserved.

“Who’s going to look after the cows ?” You will probably be safer on the land of the legion of Saint-Jean, home of the “white” insurrection in Normandy, at Chanu with its Bois Dauphy, the maquis of that time. Chouan for a day, you have to finish your week by going up to the castle to report on your expedition … in the heart of summer 2011 in Basse-Normandie.

Vire, the home of the Andouille (kind of sausage)

an internationally famous specialty…

Something good to eat

The recipe hasn’t changed since the Middle Ages ; no less than six stages are necessary to make a genuine Vire Andouille, which goes from an initial weight of 3 kg to a delicacy of 500 grammes. It is prepared from pigs’ entrails (paunch, small intestine and large intestine), carefully cleaned and de-fatted, cut into strips, put together and tied with string (the traditional assembly). The whole thing is salted and put in brine for several days. It is then enclosed in a skin (the large intestine). The fresh andouille is then hung over a fire of beech and apple wood for about one month. It is this smoking which gives the authentic taste and natural color to the Vire andouille. After smoking it is soaked in water for 48 hours to reduce the saltiness, then it is tied up and cooked slowly in a pot for around 12 hours. When it comes out of the pot it acquires its final color by oxidation in the air. The only thing left is to taste this flower of Norman gastronomy, hot or cold. You can recognize genuine Vire andouille by its label including the words “véritable andouille de Vire”.

33.

Gorges of the Vire,

mountains of Normandy

Road circuits :

P0 : 32 km,P1 : 58 km, P2 : 80 km ; P3 : 108km, P4 : 158km, P5 : 184km, PS1 : 135km.

The Bocage is inseparable from the mountains of Normandy. Again today, the landscape might seem hostile to the cyclist. The little stream which rises in the reeds at the foot of the heights of Chaulieu will soon head for the heart of the Bocage, cascading from a height of 60 meters into the Vaux de Vire. From its fortified past Vire has only retained the ruins of its keep, the famous clock gate and some towers. The town was destroyed at the time of the Normandy Landings of 6 June 1944. Its reconstruction continued until 1960. The winding roads of the Bocage will take you to charming little villages. Hamlets and isolated farms stud the country side embellished with apple trees which give it a festive air. The production of cider and “Calva” is a delicate art, heritage of the past. Bounded by Orne, Manche and Calvados, the Vire bocage has retained wild, picturesque landscapes such as the gorges of Campeaux or the Roches de Ham, and peaceful ones along the Vire and its numerous tributaries, where valleys, fields and meadows nourish the famous Norman cows with brown or brindled patches. Green dominates, symbol of fertility and renewal, of the nourishing earth. There is a feeling that life is sweet. It is the country of granite, the blue granite of Vire which is seen everywhere in the construction of monuments, crucifixes and houses. Here and there remain copses and windbreak hedges, reminders of an age when the forests were much more extensive, and the district was served by a network of sunken roads running between banks. Roads which saw combat and also sheltered the Chouans of the Revolutionary period and the liberators of 1944.

As far as Condé-sur-Vire there are locks which calm the river which will accompany the cyclists to the last BPF of the week. Tinchebray, for its part, will be the last welcome point of the week. Of the battle in 1106 between the two sons of William the Conqueror, Henry and Robert, there remains only a date in Norman history. The town retains traces of its historic and industrial past, and has the title of capital of ironmongery. Towards Flers some little hills will remind you that the Norman Bocage is an old mountain which will need you to use low gears, but will give you a last view of its most beautiful landscape, with Mont de Cerisy and Mont Crespin (246 and 303 metres) no less.

Along the road

LA-LANDE-PATRY : thousand-year-old yew trees SAINT-CORNIER-DES-LANDES : nail museum SAINT-JEAN-DES-BOIS : manor of La Guionnière CHAULIEU : highest point of Sud - Manche – 368 metres, viewpoint indicator, 360 degree panorama SAINT-SEVER : l’Ermitage VALLEY OF THE VIRE : “Les planches d’Avenel”, the roches de Ham, the Chapelle sur Vire TORIGNI-SUR-VIRE : castle of the Matignons LA FERRIERE-HARANG : valley of the Souleuvre, bungee-jumping site VIRE : “les Vaux”, remains of fortifications with the Clock Gate and its 30-metre bell-tower TINCHEBRAY : fortified church of Saint Rémi, lanes and royal prison SAINT QUENTIN LES CHARDONNETS : the “extraordinary garden”, surprising examples of primitive art CERISY-BELLE-ETOILE : tourist site of Mont de Cerisy, paths lined with rhododendrons.

34.

Walking Tours

Each day, leaving from the permanence, a coach will take the walkers to various sites, some historic, some the home of legends. Led by guides from the French Walking Federation, we invite you to discover the many different faces of our region : the Bocage, its apple and pear orchards ; the forests, the rocks, the sea and the marvel (Mont-Saint-Michel).

On the programme :

The Andaine forest (the Gorges of Villiers, the hot springs, theFairy Gisèle’s cave) and Bagnoles-de-l’Orne in its frame of greenery (the lake, the Roc au Chien, the spa and the Castle of the Rocks). The Suisse Normande : from Pont-d’Ouilly to Clécy, following the river Orne, with the Rochers des Parcs and the Pain de Sucre rock. A historic site of the WWII Battle of Normandy, and the heart of the horse country : the Haras du Pin stud farm. Mortain : its waterfalls, the White Abbey, the Chapel of Saint-Michel and Hill 314, another site of the Battle of Normandy.

Exploring the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel.

Excursions

The programme put together by the three Tourist Committees of the Départements of Calvados, Manche and Orne invites you to discover the principal tourist centres of Basse-Normandie.

Everyday (except the Thursday)

• Mont-Saint-Michel : the marvel soon to be restored to the sea • The beaches of the Normandy Landings : memories of the war.

Excursions planned :

Two days during the week :

In Calvados : • William the Conqueror, his legendary story • The flowery coast : attraction beyond time and fashions

In Manche : • Granville … a beautiful diversion from the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel • The valley of the Sienne : Hambye and Villedieu-les-Poêles.

One day during the week :

In Calvados :

• Pays d’Auge : a postcard landscape where castles, manors and half-timbered houses rub shoulders In Manche : • Country outing in the heart of the Marshes of the Cotentin In Orne : • The Perche : knowhow and tradition • The National Stud Farm of Le Pin : the Versailles of the horse • Alençon the elegant • The three C’s of the Pays d’Auge of Orne : Cider, Camembert and Cheval (horse) • Wanderings in “Normandy-Maine”

Don’t forget your picnic basket for all the outings.

Free tours of the factory

Reservations : +33 (0)2.33.30.64.64

Guided into the heart of the factory, you will be able to see each stage in the manufacture of the biscuits ! Free tasting of our specialities ! Factory shop open to the public from Monday to Friday, 8.30 to 12.00 and 1.30 to 5. Biscuiterie de l’Abbaye : 61700 Lonlay l’Abbaye www.boutique-biscuits-abbaye.com

36.

Regional Natural Park of Normandie -Maine

Photo : Stones of the Rock au Chien

Legend : Identified sites Park welcome centers

In the heart of the Regional Natural Park of Normandie-Maine The natural park offers visitors a rich and fragile landscape of contrasts. Situated on the foothills of the Armorica Massif, the park presents a great variety of landscapes as a result of centuries of human activity. The hills, stretching for 100 km from west to east, form the highest points in the West of France. Covered in vast woods and forests, the high ground forms the boundary of the territory of the Park, lined with high places, fortifications and abbeys separating the Duchy of Normandy from the Kingdom of France. The Bocage, a link between the different patches of forest, presents a multiplicity of landscape elements with its hedges, its sunken roads, its pastures and its well-known or chards of pears and apples– which you will explore on the circuit “The Orchards of the Bocage”.

Water is one of the most important elements of the Park. For thousands of years watercourses have formed valleys and gorges, creating a diverse topography with steep hills.

Many legends have grown up around the wild and rugged sites, such as caves, gorges, shale and springs. Magnificent and mysterious, they form a magical fairy universe which is explored on the circuit “Stories and Legends”. It is thus quite natural that outdoor activities have developed here such as walking, cycling, riding, canoeing, rock-climbing and fishing.

Shop-windows on the region, the Park Welcome Centre at Carrouges and the House of Apples and Pears at Barenton welcome visitors and guide them on their exploration of the region.

37.

Invitation to young people

The Youth committee of the cycling league of Basse-Normandy offers you two unforgettable weeks :

A mountain-bike journey on the theme of liberty

The previous week, starting at the Peace Memorial at Caen, the route will take you from the Normandy Landings beaches to Flers in the footsteps of the liberators of June 1944. You will ride through the heart of the region which was the site of the first hopes for the restoration of peace. Another way of life – “the summer of cycle tourism in Basse-Normandie” and of exploring – before the Semaine Fédérale – the beaches, the paths, the hills and valleys of Normandy !

A multi-activity cycling and mountain-biking holiday during the Semaine Fédérale You can have a ball at Flers if you take advantage of the wide variety of outdoor activities available in Normandy !

Cycling, of course ! But there’s also canoeing, rock-climbing, long-distance rally, BMX, paint-ball, all sorts of fun !

If you are a road rider, you can win the “Aiglons” certificate with a series of Audax rides : 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 km, led by official leaders from the French Audax Union.

In the evening there various activities (DJ evening, sporting challenges …) The welcome centre for young people will be in the wooded surroundings of the “Petit Sem”, a couple of pedal-strokes from the Permanence and Federal Village.

You can choose group camping, where you can enjoy the Semaine Fédérale to the full among friends, or sign in by the day, going back to your family or your other club members in the evening. See you soon, the young people of Normandy are expecting you !

39. WIN* YOUR ACCOMMODATION fort he Semaine Fédérale 2011 on the Bagnoles de l’Orne stand ! *Free game with no obligation to purchase

20 km from Flers Bagnoles de l’Orne in Normandy

Nearly 20 hotels (500 rooms) 30 Restaurants 3-star Camping with 250 places More than 600 furnished flats

www.bagnolesdelorne.com Phone +33 (0)233 37 85 66

39.

Entertainment

The entertainment provided by the continual ballet of the cyclists on the roads and tracks is countered by that of the organization’s partner communities and associations. The festive atmosphere is an essential part of the Semaine Fédérale. Doesn’t it form part of every invitation ?

Far be it from FLERS to depart from this rule !

The high points are the opening ceremony, the procession and the closing ceremony. To these are added the entertainment provided by the local community : the region of Basse-Normandie, the three county councils and the district of Flers, at the welcome points and at the Permanence, each having a special day with a programme that they have chosen.

Orne on Monday, Flers district on Tuesday, Calvados on Wednesday, Manche on Friday and the region of Basse-Normandie on Saturday.

Music and folklore associations and local knowledge specialists will join up with the cycling clubs who will meet participants on the circuits : US Acome Mortain, les Cyclotouristes de Ducey et d’Avranches, l’Amicale Cyclotouriste de la Ferrière-aux-Etangs, les Cyclotouristes d’Andaines, les Cyclotouristes Alençonnais, l’OC Briouze, les cyclos Randonneurs Argentanais, les Randonneurs du Perche, l’Union Cyclo Aiglonne, le SLSN de Condé-sur-Noireau, le Vélo Club Lexovien, les Clubs de La hoguette, de Mézidon-Canon et du Laizon, les Cyclos Domfrontais, les Ecureuils du Bocage, les Cyclos Barentonnais, Tinchebray Cyclo, l’AC Séverine, les Cyclos du Bocage Virois et UCT Saint-Lô.

The city of Flers will organize evening entertainments :

SUNDAY :

procession to the Permanence for the opening ceremony, followed by a reception.

MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY and FRIDAY :

from 7.00 pm to 10.00 pm : Street entertainment by professional companies and local troupes.

MONDAY and TUESDAY :

Riding evenings with the Haras du Pin, on the castle lawn.

WEDNESDAY :

Steak evening, 800 people in a marquee with a concert of French song sound jazz.

THURSDAY :

Traders’ evening with open-air entertainment and films.

FRIDAY :

Contemporary circus at 9.00 pm on the lawn in the castle grounds.

SATURDAY :

9.00 am to 10.00 pm : local produce market. In the evening, stroll and final show, “in the moonlight” at the castle with the Company of the Quidams, production “Herbert’s Dream” followed by the lighting up and illumination of the castle. From midnight, dance with live music in the town center.

Thursday’s picnic at Domfront : “Medieval” entertainments. Each day, the decor and decoration with flowers of the welcome points and villages on the circuits will be part of a competition.

On return from the rides there will be meetings and talks given by local people with an interest in history and local culture : landscapes of Normandy, iron mining, the industrial heritage, the distilleries ,the Chouans in Normandy. The arts will not be forgotten with Bidons sans Frontieres, “temporary highlighters” and their installations on the routes, not forgetting the cultural events organized by the town of Flers.

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The organizing committee

Grouped around the President of the regional League of Basse-Normandie,

Hubert HUET, and Yves GOUASDOUE, Mayor of Flers and President of the Local District of Flers, the organizing committee of Flers 2022 depends on :

 the clubs of the Flers district : Les Randonneurs Cyclotouristes du Val-de-Vère, lesCyclos de Messei, lesLéopards Cyclos de Saint-Georges,

 the clubs of Orne : lesCyclotouristes d’Andaines, l’Amicale Cyclotouriste de la Ferrière-aux-Etangs

 the clubs of Calvados : SLSN Condé-sur-Noireau, EGAS Caen,

 the clubs of Manche : l’US Acome Mortain, leCyclo-Club Montebourg - Saint-Germain-de-Tournebut.

It is completed by Robert Massion, representative of the FFCT, and Patrick Lesellier, vice-president of the CAPF in charge of Tourism.

Co-ordination between COSFIC (the organizing committee of the SF) and CAPF is handled by Stéphanie Margueritte.

THE OFFICE :

President of COSFIC : Hubert HUET Delegate Presidents : Jean DUMAINE – organization at Flers ; ClaudeR OBILLARD – federal activities Secretary : Elisabeth MARIE Treasurer : Fabrice DAVID Vice-Presidents : Chantal GAUMER, communications ; Guy DEFORGE, permanence ; Roger LOUVET, welcome points. Members : Claudine DEFORGE, Jean GABRIEL, Alain GRANJON, Luc GRANTE, Philippe HAUREE THE COMMISSIONS : Finance : Fabrice DAVID and Jean GABRIEL Communications : Chantal GAUMER and Jean GILLES Insurance : Jean GABRIEL and Jean-Claude SOHIER Partners : Marc PRADAL and Chantal GAUMER Multimedia/Photos/Vidéo : Damien ROBILLARD, Arsène MAULAVE and Gilbert LECLEC’H Lasting Development : Luc GRANTE and Pierre PREVEL Culture : Lucien RAOULT and Carlo FERRARI BER : Michel GUERARD and Serge GUILLAUME Secretariat : Elisabeth MARIE Logistics : Michel CHEDEVILLE and Jean RAUCOULE Security : Philippe HAUREE and Henri LEPRINCE Accommodation : Peggy GEORGELIN and Gérard LEMEE Catering : Marcel LECARDRONNEL and Claude BAGLIN Permanence : Guy DEFORGE and Michel PINOT Entertainment/Tourism : Jean-Louis GAUMER and Peggy GEORGELIN Registration/Complaints : Alain GRANJON and Daniel ANSEL Volunteers : Claudine DEFORGE and Nadine PROD’HOMME Road circuits : Guy POIRRIER and Jean-Claude BRARD Offroad circuits : Philippe BOISGONTIER and Michel LHOMER Welcome points : Roger LOUVET and Louis BELLIARD Guided cycle tours : Carlo FERRARI and Marie-Therese ROBILLARD Young people : Adrien LACY and Vincent ROUSSEL Walks : Arlette JEANNE and Jean-Paul BOISGONTIER

43.

You are expected

We are waiting to welcome you

Flers 2011

Many thanks to Angela SMITH for this traduction.