short haul FEATURE: Normandy
speckled by gaily-coloured deck chairs and parasols. Built in 1923, its ‘sea bathing establishment’ is a complex of galleries and atriums and fountains decorated with Pompeian baths and mosaics. Visitors can relax in a deckchair or a wooden bathing cabin. This is also horse country, with stud farms, equestrian centres and a racetrack (those up at sunrise will see racehorses training on the beach). Neighbouring Trouville was once Deauville’s trendier sister but today is perhaps more Margate to Deauville’s Brighton. Stop by the fi sh market, whose stalls of shrimp, mackerel, scallop, sole and lobster extend the length of the port behind the casino. Adventure activities in Normandy include excellent golf, tandem sky diving, micro-gliding, horse riding, canoeing and kite surfi ng. Or sign up for the new History on 2 wheels, a cycle route (Véloroute) linking the D-Day beaches to iconic Mont-Saint-Michel.
The 230km trail is an original and
active way to discover the history and natural beauty of the region. Contact:
normandie-tourisme.fr
This page clockwise: Golf du Granville; Kite surfi ng on the Cote Fleurie; Ocean colour scene at Golf du Granville; next page: the cliff at Etretat, a military cdemetary and Camembert
Where to book it BRITTANY FERRIES – 0871 244 1400
Brittany Ferries operates services between Portsmouth and Caen, Cherbourg and Le Havre, plus Poole to Cherbourg.
brittany-ferries.co.uk
CITYJET – 0871 266 33 777 CityJet is operating a two-times-a- week service (Fridays and Sundays) between London City Airport and Deauville-Normandie Airport throughout 2013. Its summer service (July 22-August 28 2013) sees additional fl ights on Mondays and Wednesdays.
cityjet.com
Golfers’ delight U
K golfers have been trans- porting their clubs and birdie ambitions to Normandy for
several decades – and it’s not diffi - cult to understand why. Travelling there is easy by ferry,
many courses are of top quality and in excellent condition, there is plenty of variety – both parkland and coastal layouts – and they are excellent value for money. Moreover, rather than the usual
post-round burger, ploughman’s lunch or scampi and chips, don’t be surprised if the clubhouse serves up moules marinier, soupe de poisson maison or Filet de Cabillaud. But perhaps most appealing of all,
62 July/August 2013
on most days outside of weekends the empty courses will number more fl agsticks than golfers. Looking out across the undulating fairways of the excellent Golf du Granville course in the west of the region, the wispy maize-coloured sea-grasses being buffeted by strong breezes blowing off the Bay of Mont St Michel, there were few signs of golfers bar some fellow travel writers seemingly encamped in the deep bunkers of the hole ahead.
Described as the only true links
course in France, Golf du Granville will likely be the highlight of any Normandy golf trip and is well worth crossing the Channel for. With its sand dunes, clingfi lm rough and contoured greens, and those devilish sea breezes, it is similar to St George’s (an Open course) in Sandwich Bay, Kent, and just as enjoyable to play. Granville is the home town of Christian Dior and golfers will fi nd its marvellous golf course designed just to their liking. We were guests of Brittany Ferries, which operates an extensive programme of self-drive golf breaks in France and Spain with packages based around sailings from Portsmouth, Poole and Plymouth to Caen, Cherbourg (Normandy),
www.sellinglonghaul.com
St Malo and Roscoff (Brittany) and Santander and Bilbao (Spain). We arrived in Caen at 06.45 after
a comfortable overnight sailing from Portsmouth and just a couple of hours later were teeing off at Golf Blue Green d’Houlgate, an ideal ‘starter course’ to kick off any Normandy golf break. This is not a course that sets out
to beat you up, but it offers plenty of challenges – such as water hazards on the fi rst three holes. The course is also known as Golf de Beuzeval, the name of the impressive castle which sits in the same river valley through which the lower half of the course winds. There are plenty of other palatial- looking chateaux to admire as you make your way around the course. One of the advantages of playing golf in Normandy is that the courses are rarely far apart from each other and playing two rounds a day on different courses is quite feasible. Another is that some of the leading courses also have an onsite hotel. After leaving Golf Blue Green d’Houlgate we made the short journey to Barriere du Deauville. Although tree lined, the fairways are wide enough and many sweep downhill, which encourages players to ‘let rip’ with the driver. Occasionally, great views of the sea,
LUCINDA BELITHER
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