Our ideas for responsible travel

Looking for sustainable tourism? Discover La Manche

In recent years our consumption habits, leisure activities and ways of travelling have all changed. More and more people are rethinking their holidays, keen to reduce their impact and to reconnect with nature in a more authentic way.

There’s no need to travel to the ends of the earth for this: La Manche, with its wide open spaces, perfectly fits the bill! From ideas for days out and activities to accommodation suggestions, here are some tips to help you plan a responsible holiday in La Manche.

Here are our tips for enjoying a break in nature while keeping your impact on the environment to a minimum.

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.

Our gîtes for responsible travel

Responsibles gîtes

Trailer, yurt... our unusual addresses

quirky accommodation

Staying in a Station Verte

For a nature-focused break, book your holiday in one of the nine Stations Vertes in La Manche. These certified towns share a commitment to responsible tourism. Whether by the coast or nestled in the countryside, pick the Station Verte that suits you best.

Hiking or cycling 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.

Collecting litter

Tide bins and volunteer clean-ups

With 670 km of coastline, La Manche is full of beaches and spots that are the perfect place to stroll, unwind and reconnect with nature. To help protect these areas, tide bins have been placed along the shore, where visitors can deposit marine litter washed up on the beach.

Organised by various local groups, volunteer litter-picking events are becoming increasingly popular across La Manche. Beyond tidying the beaches, these community initiatives also raise awareness about how to collect waste responsibly:

The natural debris left by the tide (seaweed, shells, bits of crab shell, etc.) should be left untouched. It helps nourish the dunes and provides a vital food source for birds.
Collecting litter from the upper parts of the beach should be avoided between April and August, during the nesting season of the plovers – small migratory wading birds that lay their eggs directly on the sand.

Some activities for more responsible tourism

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.

Les Pluies de Juillet

Every July, Villedieu-les-Poêles hosts Les Pluies de Juillet, a festival committed to the ecological and social transition. The idea is once again to raise awareness about the ecological and social transition.

Our ideas for eating well

Restaurants, food trucks, and tea rooms… the chefs of La Manche offer lots of delicious vegetarian dishes. Here’s a selection of great spots for vegetarian dining!

Our vegetarian recommendations

Equinoxe

Let’s leave a positive footprint

Through this hospitality initiative, let’s make tourism in La Manche more responsible. Equinoxe encourages us to be mindful of the impact we leave and to promote good practices. Let’s protect what makes La Manche so special.

Equinoxe initiative