48 hours in Cotentin

Normandy/2022

It's an island. Well, almost. An arm of land surrounded by water that you don't cross at random on a trip, but only reach after having made the right decision. The Cotentin is a secret shared by insiders, off the beaten track. And if the region still suffers from a bad reputation - that of ever-open umbrellas - so much the better, it's a delight for those seeking a little retreat from the world.

Two coasts, two faces. To the west, a wild coastline of cliffs, dunes and coves, framed in the distance by the ghostly silhouettes of the Channel Islands. To the east, a more domesticated landscape, with fishing villages, oyster farms... In between, a rich and diversified agricultural land, even if dairy production dominates. And, of course, at the northernmost tip of the peninsula, the city of Cherbourg, crossroads of all worlds and starting point of the adventure. There's space here, a "pioneer spirit of the West" that attracts curious and committed explorers. Brewers of a new kind, like Les Travailleurs de l'Amer, a small business taken over by a former Parisian journalist who fell in love with the region and made it his trademark. On each of his beer bottle labels, a portrait of a fisherman, oceanographer or surfer pays tribute to the open sea. A place that attracts nature-loving enthusiasts like pastry chef Jean-François Foucher, who left his Parisian palace to open his own business in Cherbourg. He swears by local dairy products and seasonal fruit - from his own orchard, if possible - and will happily turn away anyone who asks for a strawberry tart in December. Or hard-nosed farmers, like this cider producer who has chosen to work the old-fashioned way, without any additives, at the risk of popping the cork a little too hard, and who has made his small business, La Ferme du Vastel, the basis of an unencumbered life. There are many artisans, fishermen, chefs and processors in the region whose only ambition is to delight their fellow human beings by drawing on the riches of this maritime land. Salmon, farmed on the open sea in Cherbourg roadstead, crab, lobster and spider crab - trap collecting is as much a professional activity here as a hobby for enthusiasts - oysters from Saint-Vaast, organic vegetables grown in the Val de Saire... Between land and sea, the Cotentin region offers soothing nourishment for body and soul.

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