For those interested in the Normandy Landings, La Croix is 20 minutes drive from Omaha Beach and the American military cemetery at Colleville sur Mer. Pointe du Hoc, the Mulberry Harbour at Arromanches, the gun batteries at Longues sur Mer, the British military cemetery at Bayeux, and Pegasus Bridge are all within easy reach. Nick will be glad to advise you and day tours can be booked by prior arrangement.

There are long sandy beaches with excellent bathing at Vierville, St Laurent sur Mer, and Colleville sur Mer, only 20 minutes away. Arromanches has crazy golf and other seaside attractions.

La Croix is only 15 minutes from the Forest of Balleroy - excellent for walks and picnics.

There are many marked cycling routes (mostly gentle gradients) and bikes can be hired in Le Molay Littry.

We are on the edge of the Regional Nature Park of the Marais of the Cotentin and Bessin, which has many places for observing wetland birds, including storks and egrets.

Bayeux, with its fine 11th-century cathedral and old streets and houses, is well worth exploring. The Tapestry should not be missed. Other nearby historic sites include the Romanesque abbey at Cerisy; the Renaissance chateau at Fontaine-Henri; the chateau at Balleroy (which also has an air balloon museum).

Caen is a lively university city with many bars and restaurants and good shops. Its two great abbeys founded by William the Conqueror and his wife Matilda are outstanding. The Memorial, a museum devoted to war and peace, is worth a whole day’s visit alone.

Day excursions can also be made to Mont St Michel, Monet’s garden at Giverny, the Suisse Normande, the Cotentin peninsula, Deauville, and Rouen. Train to Paris from Bayeux via Caen takes approximately 2.5 hours.

Le Molay Littry (4 km) has a full range of shops including a supermarket, boulangeries and cafés, and a market on Thursdays; medical services.

Tennis, riding, and golf are all locally available.

Bayeux (14 km) has a large choice of restaurants, creperies and pizzerias. There is a Michelin one-star restaurant at Balleroy (12 km). You can get good seafood (oysters and mussels) at Port en Bessin and Arromanches and elsewhere along the coast.