The holiday started with some excitement when one woman almost didn't make the ferry on time!

However in the end, thankfully, we were all aboard and on our way to Cherbourg.

We variously snoozed or chatted. There's not much of a deck to admire the view from on a fast cat! Before we knew it we were entering Cherbourg harbour.

Here we were met by Spencer who runs Chateau Bellenau, and Dean - the chateau's handyman and driver.

We were driven to the chateau in a jeep and a London black cab!

I had wondered what women would make of the chateau - what expectations the word 'chateau' might have conjoured up?

Chateau Bellenau isn't smart and posh like a stately home - it's more homely, charming, full of character...

I needn't have worried, everyone instantly loved the place! The classic chateau facade, large bedrooms - many of them singles, peacocks to welcome us, and gardens just waiting to be explored...

We settled in and came down for dinner - the fire was lit in the big hearth. Delicious food - salad, followed by savoury galettes, and rounded off by chocolate mousse.

Later we chatted in the lounge over coffee and tea, but most of us headed to bed pretty early.

The forecast was for rain - but it could not have been more wrong! We had a beautiful blue sky day with a cooling breeze.

Our first walk was an introduction to the Marais - since we are staying within the Park Regional des Marais de Cotentin et Bessin.

The marais are the lowlands of the area, flooded or 'whitened' in winter, then systematically drained in the spring to produce the extraordinarily rich pastures where Normandy cows and horses graze.

The herds are put out to pasture each June when the marais is deemed sufficiently drained - a big festival date - and the tradition endures.

We walked first to the Park visitors centre nearby and saw an excellent short film in English on the marais. Spencer & Dean then picked us up to drive us to Brevands.

From lovely Brevands church - which dates back to the 13th century - we headed down to the Carentan Canal built by Napoleon, and walked beside it towards the sea.

We didn't go as far as the sea today, but we could see it in the distance.

We stopped for lunch by the canal, then headed away from the water along farm tracks between fields where herds of cows grazed.

We passed several lovely old buildings on our walk. There were maisons de terre built partly of earth, and two larger old manor farms built around a paved courtyard.

Our circuit brought us back into Brevands past a lavoir - a 17th century communal 'wash house', and so back to the church where we were collected by car.

After showers and even snoozes, we met up for a drink on the terrace of the chateau's small bar.

Dinner followed and was delicious. I think we all ate too much!

The evening light was so beautiful that we took the opportunity to explore the chateau gardens.

These are unusual with paths through exotic trees, and paths that wind beside several waterways.

There are unexpected grottos and follies, ornate bridges, and a small lake overlooked by an arbour.

Hardly anyone wanted to stay up to see the pre-Bastille Day fireworks - but we were all woken at 11.30 none the less!

Bastille Day - a day off for most French people.

We were dropped off in Saint Fromand - a village to the south of Carentan with a bridge that proved strategic during the Liberation.

From here we started out by walking along the Vire river.

After a while we turned up into the 'bocage' - the gentle rolling hills above the marais.

The clouds came and went, and it was pleasantly cooler than yesterday - with an occasional light shower.

Our route took us through woods and along ancient sunken lanes with wheat and sweetcorn fields to each side.

Several times we espied the tower of Saint Fromand Abbey as we steadily drew nearer - our goal for the day.

The Benedictine Abbey of Saint Fromand dates from 871, though it has been sacked by Vikings, rebuilt, then destroyed by fire in the 15th century, rebuilt, then damaged and rebuilt after allied bombing during the war.

We looked around inside, then ate our lunch under the trees in front of the abbey.

From here we had a relatively short distance left before regaining Saint Fromand village.

Here the Bastille Day village boules match was in full swing!

We had promised ourselves tea - and indeed the woman at the Flamand Rose Hotel/cafe (Pink Flamingo) welcomed us with open arms.

While some women headed back to Justine's home made cake at the chateau, others asked to be dropped off near the National Park reserve and bird hide.

We saw great crested grebes, cormorants, divers, coots... and had a lovely walk back through the fields.

After dinner, Justine (who is our excellent cook) told us some of the history of the chateau.

She also showed us hidden bits of the gardens - the grottos (where she'd put candles beforehand) and the islands...

The chateau has the oldest palms in France, and possibly the tallest monkey puzzle tree in France...

It was a lovely way to finish the day.

Torrential rain and thunder in the night - I slept through it, but it was apparently quite a storm.

By morning the skies were clearing, and by the time we set off the sun was shining.

Today we aimed both to have a walk and to visit the superb medieval town of Bayeux.

After a drive to Ryes village, near Bayeux, we headed towards the sea at Arramanches.

Our walk took us along a lovely low ridge through wheat and corn fields until the sea appeared before us.

Arramanches is a small seaside resort which became of significant importance during D-day when the allies towed the famous Mulberry harbour there.

This temporary harbour was for a while the largest harbour in the world, supplying all the troups who'd landed elsewhere along the Normandy coast. Sections of it still remain in place today.

We reached the cliffs above Arramanches where we visited the Cinema Circulaire.

This 360 degree cinema shows a moving film made up of clippings from the D-day landings.

After lunch on the cliffs, we wandered down to Arramanches - buying ice creams, postcards and bottles of water to cope with the warm weather (so much for the stormy forecast!)

We caught the public bus to Bayeux, and headed for the first open bar we saw - for cold drinks!

Bayeux has a beautiful medieval centre which was mercifully undamaged by the allied bombings during the war.

The cathedral was nearby, so we took a look inside before wandering down to the Bayeux Tapestry.

The Tapestry proved absolutely breathtaking - the detail, the expressions on the faces, the scenes of Norman life, the history... Most of us viewed it twice!

There was time to wander through the medieval centre of Bayeux, or take the small tourist 'train' around the streets.

Later we all met up again to eat, and enjoyed a delicious meal at a brasserie - from gorgeous salads to steaks...

Spencer and Dean came to collect us - and no sooner had we set off home but the skies opened.

The storm was brief, so it was possible to sit out with a drink at the chateau once we'd showered and changed.

More rain in the night. Not sure what the forecast was meant to be for today - but the weather was fine as we set out for the Foret de Saint Sauveur.

Our final walk took us through beautiful deciduous woods, starting with an arboretum with all manner of different trees, from elms to ceders, and a sequoia we couldn't find.

From here we took a woodland path in a large circle through these ancient woods - huge beeches and oaks sheltered smaller holly, hazel, and silver birch.

We reached a tranquill waterlily pond full of frogs and newts - a good place for a break in the sun.

From here on the path got wetter from all the nocturnal rain - with plenty of mud to negotiate!

Finally we exited the woods and headed for Mont de Besneville - a neighbouring hill of 120m covered in silver birch, heather, gorse, and ling.

At the top, after a gentle climb of about 50m, there was the base of an old windmill - which had been turned into an observation tower.

We had 360 degree views over northern Normandy, and could even see the sea to the west, including the Channel Island of Jersey.

After lunch here we made our way off the hill, avoiding the wettest looking paths, and ending up on small lanes as we made our way to Besneville.

Here there is a small cafe - part of a grocer's shop - called Cafe Roger.

The owner, Madame Roger, hastily cleared her latest grocery delivery from the main table so that we could sit down.

Cider, beer, tea, cafe au lait.... then, for some, a little shopping for things to take home from the shop next door - cheese, biscuits, wine....

On the way back some of us with Dean stopped to quickly visit the ruined chateau of Saint Sauveur le Vicomte which is currently having conservation work done on it.

We were incredibly lucky because, as we drove home, the skies opened and we had a terrific storm.

Back at Chateau Bellenau there was tea and cake, some of Marianne's Swiss chocolate, showers, books to read, women to chat to...

Some of had arranged an early morning lift from Spencer to Utah Beach so that we could eat our breakfast there.

Utah is the nearest beach to the chateau, and was one of the American landing beaches on D-day.

The tide was low, the sun shining, and beyond the dunes we were greeted with a huge spread of sand.

The hard packed sand, once a pre-requisit for being able to land tanks, was now being used by horses pulling racing traps - about 15 of them in all, exercising up and down the beach.

At the water's edge in the distance, small trucks were pulled up beside the oyster beds exposed at low tide.

In the middle of the beach lay a relic of D-day, a barnacled and seaweed covered landing craft slowly disappearing into the sand.

It was great to eat our croissants with this view before us, then walk to the water's edge for a paddle.

All too soon it was time to get back to the chateau for our drive to Cherbourg. We hugged Marianne goodbye who was driving back to Switzerland...

Time too to bid our kind drivers goodbye, and catch our fast-cat ferry home...

Lovely group, thank you for making it such an enjoyable first Normandy holiday. There will be more!