Normandy landing helps lift gloom of the financial crunch
Losing your wallet is never a good thing to do, especially just before going on holiday in the Euro zone.
With the pound being worth nearly a third less than it was the last time my family and I went to France over a year ago, I was surely going to need every penny possible.
Getting a little above one Euro to my hard-earned quid, it certainly made a difference to our credit crunch visit to Normandy where we stayed at La Cote de Nacre camping village, in Saint-Aubin-Sur-Mer, which we booked through Vacansoleil.
Though we were on a tight budget for the week's visit, we discovered you can still have an enjoyable holiday abroad without breaking the bank and needing a Government bailout, and if you play it wisely it's possible to save enough for the odd bottle of wine to take home.
This was in part because of the well-equipped La Cote De Nacre park and, indeed, the historically significant region which we chose to stay in with many of the landmarks easily accessed with little or no cost.
The site itself was extremely well kept with excellent facilities including an indoor and outdoor swimming pool with water slides, a skating rink, and play areas with various-sized inflatables which kept the kids amused. There was also activities throughout the day for younger children and at night-time there was occasional entertainment.
On the down side, the onsite supermarket was very expensive, with items costing around three times what you would normally pay in Britain. We also didn't venture into the camp eaterie after again seeing the high prices, and stuck to the more-realistic local supermarkets and good old-fashioned home cooking.
The accommodation is described as a 'bungalow' but we would call it a caravan.
Each mobile home is well situated with its own veranda and parking space and you do feel as though the space is yours and private enough.
The vans are clean, new looking and very pleasant but basic. Don't expect any of the creature comforts you would find in a caravan in Britain, as you won't find a TV, central heating or an electric kettle in your accommodation. We also found the lack of a proper oven pretty restrictive for cooking for a family of four, but seeing as though we were in France we were ready to adapt our Michelin-star inspired culinary skills.
We did find though on leaving one of the possible reasons why the 'bungalow' rentals are quite competitively priced is that you have to completely clean your caravan from top to bottom ready for the next occupants, and that doesn't mean a quick flick around with the cloth.
While most people would probably rather avoid housework on their holidays it is a great way to help keep the cost of your break down, though there is the option to pay for a cleaner if you'd prefer.
But this small sacrifice meant more resources were available for us to explore our surroundings outside of the campsite and one of the major advantages of taking the car to your holiday destination is you can certainly do that.
I'm sure many understand and know the importance of Normandy and you certainly can't avoid the recent history of the region, nor should you be able or want to'.
The campsite is 500 metres from the Juno beach section of Operation Overlord, where the Canadians landed on D-Day, and along with the Allies brought about the beginning of the end of the Second World War.
We spent many evenings enjoying an atmospheric stroll along the picturesque beach fronts at Saint-Aubin-Sur-Mer and neighbouring Courseulles-Sur-Mer admiring the many monuments and looking around the remains of guns and German fortifications.
The daytime was reserved for visiting the British landing beaches of Sword and Gold either side of Juno, and we also took a trip to Pegasus Bridge, which was captured in a daring raid, near Ouistreham, and its fascinating museum.
The four massive gun batteries next to a road near Arromanches certainly grabbed the attention of my seven-year-old son and he loved running around the remains of concrete bunkers and gun posts there.
Also, to put our Army-game addict son's exploits into perspective we took him to the beautifully kept and rather overwhelming Cimetiere Amercain, in Colleville-Sur-Mer, on Omaha beach, which gives a poignant and very real reminder of the many lives lost to free Europe. The sea of gravestones filling 172 acres was breathtaking and moving.
Within firing distance and also very significant to British history is the medieval town of Bayeaux, where the famous Tapestry is housed illustrating the Conquest of England by William, Duke of Normandy. The 70m-long piece of embroidery tells the story of the 1066 battle of Hastings and the events leading up to it, and was magnificent to see in the flesh.
You did get the feeling as though the recording is partly designed to hurry you along and get you out of the museum as quickly as possible.
Once outside there is plenty to see and do in the town which had a similar feel to York, except you could park close to the centre for free and within metres o f the main sights rather than miles.
There is also a very imposing Cathedral which is the beautifully ornate and was the original home of the Tapestry. We also managed to squeeze in a visit to the close-by city of Caen and climbed the battlements of William the Conqueror's Norman castle and had a look around the onsite art gallery.
Both Bayeux and Caen, like all the areas of France we have visited, are beautiful places and we felt safe and welcome throughout.
The rolling countryside and seemingly higher standard of living leaves you in no doubt as to why so many British people choose to live there.
And with Normandy only a ferry ride away after a 250-mile ride down the M1, it's a realistic option for holiday makers even during these money-conscious times.
It certainly gave us food for thought after returning home to Britain to find our garden wall had been knocked down without anybody owning up, and, no, there still hasn't been anybody kind enough to hand my wallet in. I guess they must be feeling the crunch too.Factfile
Our seven-day stay at La Cote de Nacre campsite in a Bali mobile home with Vancansoleil cost 473 (changes depending on the time of year), including ferry crossing from Dover to Calais which is arranged as part of the holiday. For an added supplement of 60 each way, we chose to take the ferry from Portsmouth to Caen instead. The campsite was 20 minutes from the port.
www.vacansoleil.co.uk to find more about the campsite, or ring 0333 700 5050 for bookings.
Road travel to Saint-Aubin-Sur-Mer, in France, was 260 miles.
Petrol is cheaper in the UK with the exchange rate at present, though diesel is still significantly lower in France.
The ferry took 5 hours, and was a good addition to the holiday
Entrance to the Bayeux Tapestry was €7.80 for adults, with kids free. The Cathedral was also free.
Food prices at the hypermarches were more than in Britain.
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Friday 10 February 2012
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