Normandy tour May/June 2016

One of Normandy's famous sandy beaches just waiting for some action! Normandy has everything - beach resorts, stunning white cliffs,  historic towns and villages, chateaux, old half-timbered houses, beautiful gardens, cider, calvados and fabulous cheeses.

The northern beaches are probably best known for the Normandy landings during the second world war. These are not far from Bayeux, home of the heritage listed tapestry celebrating the victory of William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy when he gained the crown of England after defeating King Harold.

Normandy also has the most visited place in France, the Mont St Michel, a tidal island with a magnificent Abbey overlooking swellings beneath and the bay around it. For over 100 years the low tide causeway was concreted over for access roads and car parks,but recently, this has been removed and a wooden boardwalk allowing the sea to flow underneath has been created. The island is once again an island.

For your next Slow Tour of Normandy send your details HERE

2016 tours - early bird bookings NOW!

The fabulous village and beach of St Croix is one of the places we visit on our Provence tour. Follow this link for more details: CLICK HERE

Early Bird reduction applies now to all 2016 tours!

Brittany - June 2016 

Photo taken from Ile aux Moines during our tour of the Morbihan Gulf.

Quimper's old town

Follow this link to see more about Brittany - CLICK HERE

June tour update

Some beautiful photos of Rocamadour taken by one of our group yesterday. We will be running this tour in the Dordogne region again in 2016. If you are interested to join us, please send an email by entering your details on the 'Contact Us' page at this link http://www.slowtours.com/index.php?PID=14

September tours 2015 - places still available

September tours 2015

7-14 September - Provence South - based near St Tropez. A week exploring the Mediterranean and inland to some of the Provence highlights. This is one of the fishing villages not far from where we will be staying.

One of the 'calanques' near Marseille and below - a view from the Ile St Marguerite to Cannes

Italian Lakes - 31 August - 7 September.
A stunning week of touring by ferry and car around this beautiful region of Italy. A couple of views of the Lake Como - on the quiet side

One of the small villages on the lake where we have a delightful Italian meal.

 One of the villas we visit - on the banks of the lake

 A visit to Bellagio by ferry

Loire Valley - 22 - 29 September. Visit some of the largest and most luxurious chateaux in France. This one is Chenonceau - chateau of the ladies

Tours for June 2015 - Book Now!

Tour announcement - 1-8 June 2015 - one week in the Languedoc Roussillon region (further details here). This is our usual accommodation in the foothills of the Pyrennees. A fabulous week with excursions to the mountains, the sea and across the border into Spain to see Salvador Dali's home and museum. Enquire now - click here. This tour followed by one week in the Dordogne (8-15 June - Dordogne details) and 10 days in Normandy and Brittany (15-25 June - Brittany and Normandy details).

Below is the rear view of our accommodation taken from one of the bedrooms.

Now is a great time to buy your flight tickets as the early bird discounts are available until end of October.

The coastal side of Provence

After a week in St Remy, the next tour is near the Provence coast to the west of Marseille. Beautiful weather accompanies us along the way. One day of rain - and when it rains here it really rains! - then back to the beautiful Mediterranean blue sky and blue sea. On 21st June there is a national 'Fete de la Musique' and around where we are the villages and towns attract the locals and tourists alike with a night of music and dancing in the streets. Photos below are of the Pope's palace and famous bridge at Avignon, the view from the village where we are accommodated, a stunning view from the mountain overlooking the township of Cassis and the local fishing port. If you are interested in this tour for 2015, we will be running it in June.

A Wonderful Week in Provence

Great weather, happy guests, fabulous food and wine with plenty to see and do.

Wonderful small hotel, excellent service and each day of this week was a great day!

  Nimes La Maison Carree

 Luberon lavender fields

 Water mill at Fontaine

Some photos from our wonderful week in the western part of Provence.

Tours for 2014

The photo above is of one of the chateaux of the Dukes of Brittany. It is less than 2 kilometres from where I lived near the village and beach of Suscinio. It still holds happy memories of my time there and my frequent visits with guests, as well as time for myself catching up with old friends. It was here that I used to pick up my children from the chateau car park after school- what a privilege! Can't wait to be there again next year! We will be running the Brittany tour in September 2014.

Tours for 2014 are up on the website and ready for bookings. Some guests have already booked for June tours, so send an email and let us know if you are thinking of joining us. Places still available.

In preparation for the 2014 Alsace tour

On my way back home, I visited the Alsace area in preparation for the 2014 tour. This is part of the 'Little Venice' in this German-influenced Alsace region town - close to the wine route where you will find plenty of wonderful white wines which grow well in this cooler climate.

Another part of the 'Little Venice' where on the left of the photo, there is a large market hall with fresh bread, fruit, vegetable, cheese, fish and meat market - in fact you can buy almost any food you want in order to prepare a sumptuous meal or picnic.

On the right is part of the old centre of Colmar with many restaurants, bistros, cafes and bars. One of the local foods is the Tarte Flambante. If you are not sure of what that is, maybe that's an excuse to go there! Click here to find out more about the 2014 tour.

After the September tours

Some time to explore by myself or with friends is always appreciated after the tours finish. This is the lavoir at one of the delightful Brittany villages we will be visiting in 2014.

.... and this is one of the streets in the village. In 2014, one of the tours will be based not far from here. If this interests you, send an enquiry at  this link

It's great to get some photos at the end of the season when everything is quiet! Same picturesque village.

Mont St Michel heading for 2015

This is a photo of the work being undertaken around the Mont St Michel as at today's date - 30 September 2014. With the road previously built for ready access to the island, and the changing of tides, there is a risk that the area between the island and the marshes will become covered with grass, thus making the island part of the mainland. The French are now working on building boardwalks across to the island so that tidal waters can once again circulate around the flat sand beds between the island and the mainland. Work is scheduled to finish in 2015. The car park has been created around 2.5kms from the entry through the island's ramparts - a walk of 40 minutes, or you can do what we did and take the free shuttle bus!

Mont St Michel

This unforgettable landmark - the Mont St Michel - is the most popular site visit in France attracting millions of people every year. The Abbey built on top of the rocky island has been updated and modified since the original Roman building. The steps climbing to the top are a challenge but worth the effort. Medieval half-timbered houses with wooden and slate rooftops are an attractive addition to the lower levels of this remarkable island, with a range of bistros, restaurants, bars, hotels and shops for those who like to browse, eat and drink.

Bayeux

Bayeux cathedral - a part of our interesting walk around the old town of Bayeux, one of the few which remains unspoilt by the bombings of the second world war. After lunch, and a visit to the world famous Bayeux tapestry of William the Conqueror's successful battle of Hastings in 1066, we went to Omaha Beach. A tasting of the local Normandy artisan ice creams on the way there and some Calvados, cider and pommeau tasting on the return trip,  brought us back from the sombre thoughts of war to our more furtunate position today.

Normandy War Museum

A view of the garden in the early misty morning before leaving for the Normandy War Museum. A fine film lasting 25 minutes gave a good background of how the D-Day landings impacted the final outcome of the second world war. A sobering thought for all those who gave their lives.

Arrival in Normandy

Early morning at our chateau/hotel and a light mist softens the atmosphere. Close to Bayeux but away from the traffic, our first evening here was enjoyed in the dining room with Normandy food - local oysters and seafood with delicious sauces, topped off with fresh fruit and local ice cream.

Fougeres Castle

Leaving our delightful hotel this morning, the travel to Bayeux was broken at lunchtime with a visit to the chateau at Fougeres. One of the fortresses which protected Brittany from being taken over by the French for many years, it eventually succumbed after an intense battle in 1488, led by the King of France. Brittany became a part of France and the French King married Anne,  the daughter of the Duke of Brittany Francois II, who died not long after this battle. Anne, Duchess of Brittany,  was at that time the wealthiest woman in Europe, courted by many royals and was considered a good catch.  She became Queen of France, then after the death of her husband, King Charles VIII, who died childless, Anne married his successor, Louis XII, thus becoming the Queen of France twice!

Ile aux Moines

Our Friday excursion for the last day in Brittany was excellent. A boat trip across the Golfe du Morbihan to Ile aux Moines (Monk's Island), a brisk walk through the quaint village and along the coastal walking trail brought us to this little sandy (almost deserted) bay. The point of interest was in watching the process of extracting a boat from the bay with a tractor. It took so much discussion, removal of trousers and shoes, putting on of same and more discussion by two local men, we had a distinct impression that they had all day to complete the task. Lunch in a village creperie before walking to the port for the return trip completed a beautiful day.

Sailors paradise - La Trinite sur mer

La Trinite sur mer is one of the most important ports for sailors around the world as many famous regattas leave France here. Over 1000 moorings in the pleasure port makes a forest of masts. A pretty sight when we had a drink on the waterfront as the sun was going down.

Auray's old port of St Goustan

After a perfect lunch at the port of St Goustan at Auray we watched the kayaking where the current was obviously causing a lot of fun for the children. The tides are so large here that owners of larger boats have to make allowances for there being no water at all. The large blue boat above has a standing post attached to each side which is used to keep the boat upright when the tide goes out. Great technique!