Pays d'Auge

Description:

Introduction

The Pays d'Auge covers the part of Calvados from the Seine valley in the east to Caen in the west and includes the attractive Cote Fleurie where some of the most fashionable seaside resorts in France are located; these include Cabourg, Deaville, Trouville, Honfleur , Houlgate and Villers-sur-Mer.  These 'stations balnéaires' became extremely popular at the end of the 19th century and were visited or inhabited by some of the most famous artists and writers of the day including Boudin, Monet, Pissaro, Dufy, Proust and others.

The landscape varies from the apple orchards and green valleys around Lisieux to the wide marshes of the estuary of the river Dives near Cabourg to the west. The marshes with their special flora of yellow iris, bull rushes, ranunculus and other aquatic plants, are also a refuge for many birds such as yellow wagtail, hobby and red-backed shrike.

The area also has several chateaux and manoirs such as Criqueville-en-Auge, Béneauville, as well as the Abbaye de Saint-Martin (12th and 13th centuries) at Troarn. Another interesting feature is the Chaussée de Varaville, an ancient road across the marsh which used to be submerged at high tide and caused the king of France to lose half his army in 945AD.

The pays d'Auge has a special reputation for cheese and apples. The cheeses are world-renowned and include Camembert, Pont l'Eveque, Livarot and Pavé d'Auge. In the first weekend in August , the town of Livarot organises a fair celebrating local products and producers. Livarot is in the rolling countryside between the rivers Touques and La Vie. Further down the Touques valley towards Deauville is Pont l'Eveque. The valley also produces some of the best Calvados in the region. See for example the Calvados of the Chateau de Breuil, some 10km (6m) north of Lisieux. Here you can visit the distillery and the cider press and taste the produce.

The area around Lisieux has many attractive castles and manors including Crèvecoeur, Le Manoir de Coupesarte, and the chateaux of Grandchamp and Saint-Germain-de Livet.

The river Touques which passes through the Pays d'Auge from south to north is known for being one of the best sea-trout rivers in France; On some parts of the river only fly fishing is permitted.


See the other Pays of Normandy