Getting to Normandy by boat from the UK is straightforward. Take
your bike to Portsmouth and then an overnight ferry to Le Havre or Caen, and
you can explore the D-day beaches, historic towns including Bayeux, Caen,
Honfleur and Lisieux, and some splendid countryside.
But I recently discovered the Suisse Normande, a more hidden part of Normandy and an amazingly pleasant and easy
way of exploring it by bike and on foot. Even with a relaxed pace, you can
really see a lot in a three or four day trip.
The key is a cycleway along the river Orne - an entirely traffic-free, well paved and flat route. This takes you
from the estuary at Ouistreham where the Caen ferry comes in, nine miles later
into Caen, then a further 25 or so miles crisscrossing the meandering river by
bridge and viaduct to reach a small town called Clecy in the Suisse Normande –
a very scenic and hilly subregion, as its name implies.
It’s then worth
spending a couple of nights here and doing the exceptionally beautiful walk
round the hills in the area. After that you can either retrace your steps and
get the afternoon ferry from Ouistreham on day 3, or extend the trip by a day
via Bayeux and the D-day beaches.
I've set out options for the trip as a whole in these itineraries.
Here you can find info on each section of the itineraries
Finally, here are some accommodation suggestions, most particularly a gem of a b and b near Clecy which is a perfect base to explore this area.