Here’s a story: once upon a time, a noble knight led his loyal but now-decrepit warhorse, Rapide, into the Forest of Andaine to die peacefully amid the foliage. The medieval lord was then astonished to spy Rapide cantering out of the woods, as magnificent as he was in his youthful pomp. Retracing his steps, the Seigneur de Tessé discovered the hot spring that had restored his steed’s vitality. Voilà: miraculous healing waters.
Here’s another story: once upon a time — 1886, in fact — a wealthy and influential politician, Albert Christophle, bought a tranche of hilltop overlooking thermal baths and a forest-cradled lake. Selling plots on which the moneyed classes could build luxurious villas, he created a fin-de-siècle playground of wellbeing replete with the casino, horse racing, tennis courts, golf course, promenades, luxury shops, cafés and restaurants such clients demand.
In their different ways, both tales explain the genesis of Normandy’s only spa resort, Bagnoles de l’Orne, where you come for the cure, but stay for the social, cultural and natural delights. In the spa’s heyday, pre-First World War and through the Années Folles (“Crazy Years”, or Roaring Twenties), these attractions — together with Christophle’s marketing acumen — lured the great and not-always-good from across Europe, including royals from Britain, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Romania and Greece. In the postwar years, though, those affluent aristos and the bourgeoisie decamped to more exotic climes, replaced by elderly, state-supported patients ambling the town’s thoroughfares and lakeside promenades between treatments.
Today, Bagnoles’ attractions — particularly its gastronomic offerings — are once again wooing the in-the-know French. But it’s health tourism that’s at the forefront. As yet, visitors are mostly domestic — although Brits are missing a trick. Bagnoles is just over an hour’s drive inland from Caen’s ferry port, and overnight sailings from Portsmouth make a weekend break eminently doable from these shores. Thanks to France’s fine cycle network, pedalling the 50-mile Vélo Francette route here from Caen is safe and simple too. So that’s what I did, getting in an active frame of mind from the get-go.
Hopping off my bike at the tourist office, I set out on foot to explore this curiously custom-built town. First I ascended the hill to the elegant grid of mini-palaces laid out by Christophle. Each villa is different, varying in size and opulence according to the taste and bank balance of its first owner. But all conform to Christophle’s strict specifications on style, materials, colours and decorations.
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Roaming the district now known as the Belle Époque Quarter is a property-porn peepshow, like browsing Rightmove’s more rarefied pages in person. I strolled covetously past mansions of brick and Armorican sandstone with decorations in just four permitted colours — green, red, yellow and blue, representing nature, earth, air and the healing local water. Some sport richly enamelled tilework and decorative flourishes on windows and gables; others are simpler, more elegant. The overall effect is a delightfully harmonious collage of about 40 villas, with more than a whiff of the golden age.
Fortunately the whiff at the B’O Thermal Spa Resort — the latest incarnation of the historic hot baths — is aromatic in the best sense, without the eggy pong of some sulphurous springs. I’d booked a post-pedal appointment with a masseuse and as I succumbed to the relaxing scents and piped music, my weary muscles were stroked and pummelled during a Sportif Normand massage (£93 for 50 minutes; bo-resort.com).
Like those well-heeled predecessors, on departing the spa I headed for the lake and the site of the original Casino des Thermes. Overshadowed by its surviving art deco rival, built in 1927, it was finally demolished in 1989 and replaced by the Hôtel Spa du Béryl, a three-star with all the architectural panache of a municipal leisure centre.
That shift speaks eloquently of the changing demographic of “curists” postwar when a visit, once an indulgence, became a prescription. Today, though, Bagnoles is attracting visitors with refined palates and a yen for the active life, as well as launching diverse events. A grassy amphitheatre is being installed in front of the long-defunct railway station, providing an additional venue for the town’s many alfresco shindigs — the annual Belle Époque Festival, fireworks, free concerts. Eye-catching art is popping up in and around town: a Nessie-esque “dragon” writhes in the lake. Nearby, I watched street artists paint dancers twirling across the whitewashed walls of the former Hôtel Nancy.
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Even more ambitious is the project encouraging outdoor pursuits in the Forest of Andaine, a woodland of oak, pine, beech and birch sprawling 20,000 acres either side of Bagnoles. Paths and signposts have been added to create 70 routes stretching over 800 miles — the most extensive trail system in the nationwide On Piste network (onpiste.com). Though colour-coding suggests whether they’re designed for running, Nordic walking, mountain biking or gravel biking, in truth they suit dawdlers and dashers alike.
Over three days, I hiked, ran and pedalled my way around the forest. Some routes entice with more legends: of Sir Lancelot — reputedly born nearby — and of the fairy for whom the megalithic dolmen Le Lit de la Gione (La Gione’s bed) is named. One led me to a priory dedicated to the 6th-century hermit St Ortaire, where sufferers would seek respite from rheumatism, cancer or a poor harvest by placing stones on a cairn or nearby branch, praying to Ortaire and his fellow saints Pérégrin and Radegonde. Others simply encourage arboreal immersion.
It was all leaving me in the finest of fettles. Trotting along on my second morning, I drank in the multifarious shades of green and the soundtrack of cuckoos, chiffchaffs, blackcaps and robins: less forest bathing, more invigorating sylvan shower. And a literal shower, as it happens: glistening drops filled deer hoof marks imprinted on the muddy path and bounced off carpets of nodding bluebells.
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Refreshed and a little damp, I retreated to town that afternoon for a little food therapy. First stop was Fromagerie des Roches, Sébastien Vapaille’s aromatic Aladdin’s cave; his cheese and charcuterie selection provided an introduction to the region’s finest produce (tasting board from £10pp; fromagerie-des-roches-bagnoles.com). Opposite, Maison Casati has been crafting exquisite macarons and artisan chocolates since 1946 (maisoncasati.com). And a pleasant 20-minute pedal along a traffic-free cycle path brought me to Michel Breton’s traditional cider farm, where I picked up a bottle of superlative perry for £3 and one of the appley apéritif pommeau for £9 (cidre-bretonmichel.com).
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That evening, I encountered another local legend: Franck Quinton, chef-patron at the Michelin-starred Le Manoir du Lys. His passion for the surrounding forest is beyond doubt — although the fungi-phobic need not apply. Mushrooms permeate every course: I spread mushroom butter on mushroom bread, enjoyed a starter of umami-heavy morels and tried an unexpectedly toothsome mushroom macaron and sorbet (three courses from £75; manoir-du-lys.fr).
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From there, it was just a half-mile hop to what might just be the best-value stay in Normandy. The Château du Gué aux Biches was already a fashionable hunting lodge, popular with the likes of Alexandre Dumas, before Albert Christophle bought it in 1868. It was while staying here that he “discovered” the thermal baths that sparked his grand plans for Bagnoles. His son Georges then transformed the château into the whimsical micro-palace it is today, with its turrets and loggia and lakes surrounded by 30-odd acres of rolling grounds a mile west of the town centre. The joyous interior, though, is the handiwork of the Danish owners Klaus Bentin and Soren Rasmussen, who’ve blended vintage furniture with playful decorative touches — Tintin-inspired pop art, miniature steampunk pigs. Guests can borrow bikes, and request pick-ups from nearby stations at Briouze or Argentan.
Lounging with a coupe of crémant in the grand salon before dinner, I felt like a house-party guest in a Poirot whodunnit — only with better plumbing and fewer homicides. Sensing that I was being watched, I peered up to meet the gaze of the extravagantly mutton-chopped mastermind of Bagnoles; his portrait hung nearby. Albert, santé: your good health — and, thanks to your efforts, mine too.
Paul Bloomfield was a guest of Bagnoles de l’Orne Tourism (bagnolesdelorne.co.uk), Orne Tourism (orne-normandy-travel.co.uk), Château du Gué aux Biches, which has B&B doubles from £150 (chateaudugueauxbiches.fr) and Brittany Ferries, which has Portsmouth–Caen/Ouistreham returns from £98 for foot passengers or cyclists (brittany-ferries.co.uk)
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More French towns within an hour of Caen
Bayeux
Yes, it has that long, old piece of tapestry, but even without Norman needlework this compact charmer’s medieval core has kerb appeal to spare. Spot gloriously grotesque spandrel carvings and angelic musicians in the Norman cathedral, pay your respects at the hugely moving War Cemetery — resting place of more than 4,600 Second World War casualties, 338 of them unidentified — and of course admire the 70m Bayeux Tapestry (£10; bayeuxmuseum.com). Hôtel de Brunville is a smart, central three-star.
Details Room-only doubles from £90 (hotel-de-brunville.com)
Beuvron-en-Auge
This chocolate-box living-museum hamlet of timber-framed houses dating from the 16th to 18th centuries is the centrepiece of the Pays d’Auge, a swathe of cows and cidre and cheesemakers that might reasonably be compared to the Cotswolds. Browse flea markets and the artisan stalls of the Espace Métiers d’Art for ceramics, woodcrafts, art and chocolate, and follow the Cider Route between orchards and traditional producers in the surrounding countryside. Pavé d’Hôtes has an acclaimed restaurant in a historic timber-framed building.
Details B&B doubles from £98 (pavedhotes.com)
Clécy
True, the section of the Armorican Massif dubbed Suisse Normande (Norman Switzerland) doesn’t scale Matterhorn heights, but its crags, gorges and leafy vistas set souls soaring nonetheless. The gateway town of Clécy is a sleepy but charming burg, home to a museum dedicated to the impressionist artist André Hardy who immortalised local landscapes. It’s a fine base for kayaking, climbing, mountain-biking and otherwise adventuring on and around the Orne gorge. Stay at Hôtel au Site Normand.
Details Room-only doubles from £95 (hotel-ausitenormand-clecy.com)
Arromanches
This effervescent little coastal town is best known for its various sites and memorials linked to the landings of June 6, 1944. The hulking remains of the temporary Mulberry Harbour are scattered dramatically around the bay, and the impressive D-Day Museum, recently opened after a total rebuild, vividly recounts the story of that project. But Arromanches is a joy to visit simply for its lively vibe and wonderful golden-sand beach. The D-Day Aviators guesthouse is the place to stay.
Details B&B doubles from £110 (ddayaviators.com)
Caen
Though clobbered during the 1944 Allied invasion, Caen’s essential charm survived — as did several major historic sites. The colossal castle constructed by William before he became the Conqueror, one of the mightiest bastions in Europe, encompasses a couple of fascinating museums and affords sweeping views from its burly walls. Pockets of old Caen linger in the Vaugueux and St-Sauveur districts; beyond the latter stands the magnificent Romanesque Abbaye aux Hommes, housing William’s tomb. Chez Laurence du Tilly has chic apartments sleeping up to four.
Details B&B apartments for two from £153 (laurencedutilly.fr)
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How to visit Normandy’s key D-Day sites
By Lucy Thackray
All eyes are on Normandy this summer, with a programme of special events and celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings. While tickets are sold out and registration is full for many of the organised events, several still have availability or are open to the public. On June 1, for example, 22 communes along the Normandy coast will set off synchronised firework displays; earlier that day, there is a free concert on the beach at Vierville-sur-Mer, and the local artist Sébastien Yondo Makembe will be creating a huge public artwork on Arromanches beach (80e-normandie.fr).
There are still tickets available for a re-creation of the assault on the Merville Battery, on June 5 and 6 (£17; batterie-merville.com), and on June 9, a Liberty Parade of 300 historic vehicles will pass through Bayeux from 11am, with vintage aircraft scheduled to do a flypast (en.normandie-tourisme.fr). If you’re visiting any time before August 23, drop in on the D-Day Through the Eyes of Civilians exhibition at Calvados Archives (free; archives.calvados.fr). In Caen, the Memorial Caen museum has an anniversary exhibition until January 2025 on why D-Day was a turning point in American history (£9; memorial-caen.com).
If you’re visiting outside the anniversary programme, the classic D-Day trail includes Omaha beach (known as “Bloody Omaha” as the Allies sustained the largest amount of casualties there), the neat rows of solemn white crosses at the American Cemetery in Colleville-Sur-Mer, the Longues-Sur-Mer Battery between Omaha and Gold beaches, and Utah beach with its Landing Museum (£8; utah-beach.com). Many also visit the Pointe du Hoc clifftop landmark, a vital scene of the battle. It’s easy to drive yourself around the area, but a day trip with a guide (usually arranged from Caen or Bayeux) can bring the history to life for you.
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