There are plenty of beautiful villages and places to visit here in the locality, either by bike or on foot. There are many ideal places for taking a picnic and if you want to sample some of the local life there is a bar and épicerie in the next village. Just a little a further from the same village, in a forest on a hill, is an enormous Bronze Age camp called the Camp Celtic, or Camp Caesar as it is more usually known locally. It is unusual in that instead of being just earthworks it has a huge stone wall perimeter, which has largely been restored.

A poppy field in bloom.

FURTHER AFIELD

Apple orchards abound here, it being the cider area of France. If you're into sampling local produce, it may be worth a tour round the many farms in the area which sell their own cider, as well as the distilled form of cider called Calvados (very strong!). You could combine this with cheese tasting as very near here are Camembert and Livarot which have working museums where you can see how their cheeses are made. Many of the towns in the area have fabulous markets which are well worth a visit, not least to sample the local colour. You'll find a multitude of fresh local products on sale such as cheeses, cream, vegetables, flowers, fruit, mushrooms, etc., as well as livestock such as rabbits, chickens, geese, and so on.

The D-day Landing Beaches and the Rive Bella coastal resort are less than an hour's drive away. Falaise (10 minutes), was where William the Conqueror was born and his castle still stands there. Argentan is where the National Stud, Haras Du Pin, is based and you can go and watch shows and see the thoroughbreds and Alençon (30 minutes) is an ancient and unspoilt town, famous for lace making.

A little further away are Bayeux and its famous tapestry and in Beny Bocage, you can go bungy jumping. Caen has a good nightlife, shopping and museums and Deauville has a racecourse.

A good day out within an easy drive is Mont Saint Michel (2 hours), and Disneyland Paris (2 1/2 hours).