ABOVE: Back Road To Beauty

Back Road To Beauty

Instead of hurtling down motorways, why not potter through France this summer? I discovered this route a couple of years ago – a route that avoids big towns and main roads as it meanders along a dozen river valleys from near the Channel coast to close to Mediterranean shores. If you are not in a hurry and prefer to be a dawdler instead of a dasher, then this itinerary is for you. In my hundreds of journeys up and down France this is the prettiest and most peaceful long-distance route I have driven.

The journey begins at Pont-l’Évêque in Normandy – a cosy town with a medley of colourful colombage houses. You can’t visit Pont-l’Évêque without trying its eponymous cheese, and where better to try it than the cosy old coaching inn Auberge de l’Aigle d’Or. From the alluring Pont-l’Évêque take the back road along the Toques Valley that leads to a kingdom of opulence far removed from the hurlyburly of rushing traffic.

At Pierrefitte-en-Auge there are charming old cottages with the ridges of their thatched roofs planted with irises. At Le Breuil-en-Auge search out le château. Hidden behind a monumental gateway this rosy-tiled beauty is famed for its calvados – guided tours are available and quite enlightening.


Read the full article on pages 33-40 of this months issue.

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