I sneaked away for a few days’ r&r last week. It’s been a good (and tiring) season here at The Barn and Sandra and I thought we’d get away before the glorious weather faded.

We decided to travel by our trusty tandem ‘Daisy’ to La Maison du Vert in Normandy. And what a good choice that was. Apart from the rather rude awakening on the ferry to Caen at 4.45am the ride was fantastic. Normandy is beautiful and on a bike you really get a chance to savour the sights, sounds and smells of an area. It was also pretty flat!

We arrived at Debbie and Daniel’s place mid afternoon to be greeted with a glass of organic local cider and a (we thought) well earned slump in a garden swing seat. Bliss…..

It just got better and better from there on in. La Maison du Vert is a haven for veggies and vegans in France – wonderful food and a beautiful garden to laze in. Daniel labours away in the veg area and they are almost self sufficient in vegetables. With my interest in local food this was an unexpected delight. We were also able to do lots of really interesting walks around and about the Hotel.

We reluctantly said goodbye after three nights but found our way back to Caen was even better than the outward journey – 20km along a disused railway track and through villages and lanes that we had all to ourselves. We sat on the beach at Ouistreham and watched the sun set before whiling away a couple of hours before the ferry got in.

It was a truly enjoyable experience.