Our visit to Normandy and most importantly the Chateau did not disappoint. We discovered so much during our trip..sampled the local food and drink and gathered information to take the stress out of your journey over to us in June.
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Following our visit to the chateau and the beautiful region for which it's situated, we wish to give you an insight to what we discovered. For those who wish to see more of the Chateau and can't wait until June, check out the sneak peak page for a chance to see more.
At last, we had finally got a date in the diary to visit the Chateau we had booked 10 months previously. It felt like an age having researched the venue and viewing it through the powers of FaceTime. Mid afternoon, finished work half day and off we trot to Folkestone to board the Eurotunnel over to France, going to be a late one but with the excitement priming, nothing would stop us from getting there. We had 4 days to gather as much information as we can..oh and wine..must not forget the wine!
The Eurotunnel is a stress free experience, even with the COVID regulations in place at the time of travel, it was very straightforward getting through customs and border control having uploaded the paperwork at the time of booking. 30 minutes later and we are in France and hot footing to our overnight stop, which was much needed as at the time of writing this we are the owners of a full electric car which did not leave our mind as we witnessed the battery level whittle down..yikes!
Whilst we took the Eurotunnel from Folkestone, there are many ways to get over which are still detailed the home page of the website, just scroll down and you'll find them detailed there for you. As always, if your struggling as to what's best, get in touch and we can help.
...9 hours later, refreshed and with a full car battery (...Phew!), we made the short journey to the Chateau de Courtomer. Nestled in the Orne, Lower Normandy, the Chateau is set within beautiful countryside. We could not believe what we were seeing..having poured over photos, videos of the chateau for so long, seeing it in person was truly amazing. Our host Heather made us feel so welcome, made us lunch..a Tartifillete for the foodies out there..mind blown! And post lunch we got the chance to explore.
In 5 hours we did not see it all, it is a truly awe inspiring place, but we gathered plenty of videos, photos and materials which will help shape our weekend in June.
The remaining days in France were focused on meeting our suppliers, exploring the local area and sampling the food and drink the region has to offer.
...One last thing and we will let you go, if you are unsure about anything at all on the lead up to the wedding weekend do let us know. If you haven't booked your travel arrangements yet, we would highly recommended that you do so sooner rather than later, if you need some assistance with booking it, get in touch!..Speech over...And aaaway!
For the very latest advice on entering France, we recommend checking diplomatie.gouv.fr, interieur.gouv.fr and uk.ambafrance.org before travel.
For the very latest advice for returning to the UK , we recommend checking gov.uk before travel.
What can you all expect from the nearest village of Courtomer. As is often typical in France, the village is full of all the essentials. Here you'll find a non exhaustive list of what you can expect;
- Pharmacist
- Tabac (Super popular with the locals for lunch)
- Small Shop - In the village you'll find a Carrefour express, a small but well stocked shop full of everything you may might need.
- Town Hall - Whilst you may not make a b-line for the town hall, it sure is beautiful and has electric charging points for your car in the car park!
- Charcuterie - a very bijou one at that, only open certain days of the week but worth a visit if you are in the village.
Tolls, they are something that you will need to go through. Nothing to fear though, they're very straightforward. We used a tag called enovis however you can use cash or card..not AMEX though!
- Sées - Beautiful city with a grand cathedral with great boulangerie and restaurants.
- Mortagne au Perche - A great town, home to a beautiful hotel with restaurant. Food here is great, well worth a visit. On a Saturday, the town hosts a market which is well stocked, along with some great little boutiques to take a look at.