Conscious travel in La Manche

Head to La Manche for sustainable holidays

The last few years have seen major changes in our consumption patterns, our leisure time and the way we travel. More and more people are rethinking their holidays, looking for authenticity and ways to reconnect with nature. With its wide open spaces, La Manche is perfectly suited to this demand. Here are our suggestions to plan your sustainable holidays in La Manche, including ideas for outings and activities and accommodation recommendations.

Hiking in complete freedom

Soft tourism enables you to discover La Manche while taking your time, seeing the territory differently, and heading off the beaten track, all while limiting your impact on the environment. Adopting a slower approach to travel means exploring the territory on its cycle routes and paths.

Cycling

Three major routes to discover La Manche differently

La Vélowestnormandy

Covering a total distance of 230 km, this cycle route links the D-Day beaches to Mont Saint-Michel. Between greenways and country lanes, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to enjoy the Norman bocage landscapes and the cultural and historical heritage of La Manche.

La Véloscénie

From Paris, you can get to La Manche on the Véloscénie. This cycle route covers 450 km in 25 different stages, five of which are in La Manche. Starting at Notre-Dame de Paris and finishing at Mont Saint-Michel, the route takes you past lots of different historical buildings, symbols of French heritage.

La Vélomaritme

The Vélomaritime (the French part of the EuroVelo 4 cycle route) travels along the coast of Brittany and La Manche, before continuing to the Hauts-de-France region. This route also goes past the treasures of La Manche, including Mont Saint-Michel and its bay, Tatihou Island and the D-Day beaches.

The major cycle routes

Hiking

The coastal path for another perspective on La Manche

La Manche is a great place for anyone who loves walking, with several hiking trails through unexpected landscapes. The unmissable routes include the emblematic Sentier des Douaniers (Customs officers’ path, or GR®223) and the Chemins du Mont Saint-Michel (Pilgrims ways to Mont Saint-Michel). In addition, all of the cycling and horseriding paths are also open to hikers.

With its 23 stages, each one covering on average 15 to 25 km, the Sentier des Douaniers is the trail to choose if you want to push your limits. The GR®223 follows the coast of La Manche, from the Cotentin marshes to the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel, with the sea as a constant backdrop.

The GR®223

Walking by the sea

With its 670 km of coasts, La Manche is full of gorgeous spots and beaches for walks in the great outdoors. Long stretches of fine sand, where peace and tranquillity are the order of the day, more lively family beaches, surfing spots and unspoilt coves: there’s something for everyone in La Manche!
To unwind and reconnect with the elements, there’s nothing quite like an invigorating walk by the sea.

The best beaches

Beach cleaning

Making the beaches a better place to walk

Recently, the coast of La Manche has seen the arrival of beach cleanup stations, where walkers can dispose of any litter collected on the beach. Christophe Malterre, alias Malton, an artist from Cherbourg, has sculpted a number of these bins in the shape of fish, using his art for the environment.

Coastal associations, such as Les Ramasseurs de la Manche, regularly organise cleanup days on the beaches of La Manche. More and more activities are being put in place around the protection of beaches and the environment in general.

Roaming in the marshes

To discover La Manche differently, again with a view to sustainable tourism, the Marais-du-Cotentin has a new electric boat rental service on the Douve marshes. For a few hours, you’ll be totally immersed in the lush flora and fauna of this protected natural site.

Take time to observe, focus on what matters and disconnect: La Manche is the perfect place to unwind.

Activities in the Marais du Cotentin et du Bessin

Photo, © Xavier Lachenaud
Photo, © Captain Yvon
Photo, © Best Jobers
Photo, © Xavier Lachenaud

Enjoying the eco-citizen festivals

La Manche has plenty of music and festivals to offer. Music sets the pace of the territory throughout the year, and more and more festivals are beginning to take a sustainable approach.

Big events

Green River Valley Festival

This is the case of the Green River Valley Festival, which is held every year in the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel. For one weekend in September, the Cara-Meuh Farm hosts this festival dedicated to ecology. Green River Valley has two stages, with a number of artists, including international headliners. Workshops and conferences are also held in the sustainable festival village.

The festival is associated with the Avenir Climatique Association to support climate change issues.

Green River Valley Festival

Les Pluies de Juillet

Every July, Villedieu-les-Poêles hosts Les Pluies de Juillet, a festival committed to the ecological and social transition. In addition to this event, the association also organises the “Pluies de Juillet Tour”, an itinerant cultural programme that travels around Normandy.

The idea is once again to raise awareness about the ecological and social transition.

Les Pluies de Juillet

Our accommodation recommendations

For a sustainable stay in La Manche

There are lots of places to stay in La Manche where you can disconnect from city life and go green. The dawn chorus is surely the best possible wake up call! Here are our suggestions.

Book an Ecogîte

In the heart of the countryside or by the sea, several gîtes in La Manche have been awarded the “Ecogîte” label. Accommodation with this label is recognised as having a low environmental impact and adopting an ecological approach: it must respect the site and the natural and heritage environment, be built using healthy and ecological products, be energy and water efficient, run on renewable energy, and have access to waste recycling facilities.

Stay in a cabin

For a nature escape, try the Cabane Wooden, a cabin made entirely of wood. In the heart of the Côte des Havres, enjoy all the nautical and outdoor activities on offer just a stone’s throw from the cabin!

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Camp between land and sea

Do you prefer the lively family atmosphere of a campsite? Then O2 Camping is the perfect place for your sustainable holidays in La Manche. Slow tourism is the watchword of this campsite hidden away in the countryside not far from Granville.

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Gypsy caravans and yurts: quirky accommodation

Are you looking for quirky accommodation where you can totally reconnect with nature? A night in a gypsy caravan in a lush green setting, a stay in a yurt in the countryside, or a weekend in a treehouse: everything is possible in La Manche!

Selection of quirky accommodation