Famous for its D-Day beaches and William the Conqueror, Normandy also serves up a family break as sparkling as its cider. This easy-to-reach destination is often overlooked for family trips as visitors flock to the Loire Valley or more expensive Cote d’Azur.
But after a three-year holiday hiatus we found Normandy was just the ticket.
We couldn’t wait to get on to our Brittany Ferries ship at Portsmouth for the seven-hour crossing to Caen. On board we were delighted to see the return of duty free due to Brexit and bagged a few bargains including a bottle of gin, bags of French chocolate and, in my case, Clarins face cream to ward off the impact of the aforementioned.
By the time our sons Nathan, 10, and 12-year-old Theo, watched a ship movie (Sing 2) and we tucked into boeuf bourguignon from the restaurant, it was time to disembark.
France has always topped the list for our family holidays but we usually drive further south, breaking up the journey with an overnight stay. While it’s a great opportunity to see different parts of the country, the boys inevitably get bored and end up rowing over what to watch on ancient CD players or whine as their tech runs out of power.
So they were thrilled to discover our accommodation at Siblu’s Domaine de Litteau park was less than an hour’s drive away from Caen, on the edge of the Cerisy Forest.
We’ve been to a Siblu park before, so knew roughly what to expect, but our three-bedroom mobile home was super spacious and fantastically equipped with all mod cons including a coffee maker, compact washing machine and even a walk-in dressing area.
Luckily for us, we caught the best of the early spring weather although my vampire-pale skin was lobster red after half an hour in the sunshine.
Seems those winter months hidden away left my milk-bottle legs at risk even with factor 30.
As my husband Jamie and I unpacked, the boys raced down to the play park with its huge inflatable pirate ship, climbing frames, BMX track and zip line. It wasn’t long before they were begging to go swimming in the heated, covered pool with its fun slide.
It’s easy to see why Siblu is a hit with families as there are playrooms for kids aged one to four and free kids’ clubs for children up to 15, offering activities such as art classes, treasure hunts and sports competitions.
Every Siblu site has evening entertainment, from sedate bingo nights to karaoke and disco evenings, so there’s something for everyone.
While the entertainment goes on for a large chunk of the day, there’s a relaxed “take it or leave it” vibe and daytime events are contained to specific areas making everything feel very laid-back.
We usually slouched down to the bar about 8pm and it was great to see the boys gain some independence running off to play with French kids, each trying to learn the other’s language.
Normandy has some unexpected delights for kids of allages.
Parc Festyland, just outside Caen, gets a huge thumbs-up from us with its 1066 rollercoaster, which makes you feel like you’re falling off the edge of a cliff, and Le Grand Tournoi ride, which gives you the sensation of flying while sitting on a metal horse. There’s plenty of rides for little ones too, including jumping frogs and a mini pirate ship. It’s worth taking a packed lunch as the park’s food, while delicious, isn’t cheap.
Just down the road at Feuguerolles-Bully we enjoyed climbing high up in the treetops and whizzing down zip lines at Accrofury, an activity centre based around a Hobbit theme.
The Galadriel course saw Theo and his dad climbing across a giant spider web before zooming down a 660ft long zip line while Nathan and I stuck to less challenging sections.
No trip to Normandy would be right without a little bit of Second World War history and we took the boys to the D-Day Experience just outside Carentan, the French town that the USA’s 101st Airborne Division took from the Germans as part of Operation Overlord.
After watching a 3D movie about the D-Day landings, we boarded a vintage C-47 plane that has been transformed into a hi-tech flight simulator. It replicates the journey of the 13,300 paratroopers who landed on foreign soil to fight for freedom.
It gives you just a tiny taste of how frightening it must have been for those men.
Another evening we took a drive to Omaha Beach just to walk along the sand and see the beautiful steel war memorial.
We’d also highly recommend the Cite de la Mer at Cherbourg, which we have previously visited.
The museum has a virtual underwater adventure where visitors can “dive” under the sea in a capsule while there’s also the chance to tour a real nuclear submarine.
Cherbourg’s former cruise terminal, where 281 people boarded the Titanic in 1912, still exists and visitors can sit in the same baggage corridor, and there’s also an exhibition dedicated to those who died.
We didn’t get a chance to discover the stunning tidal island of Mont St Michel with its abbey, the charming seaside town of Honfleur or the 11th century Bayeux Tapestry.
There’s just so much to see and do in Normandy that our week seemed to speed by so quickly.
It’s a sure sign of a tres bon holiday for everyone.
BOOK IT
Siblu offer a seven night self-catering break at Domaine de Litteau holiday village in Normandy from £600 based on up to six sharing a two-bedroom Excellence holiday and arriving on July 23. siblu.co.uk
GET THERE
Brittany Ferries operates the longer routes from Portsmouth, Poole and Plymouth direct to Brittany and Normandy. July fares on the Portsmouth-Caen crossing start from £195 each way for a car and family of four. brittany-ferries.co.uk
