Eighteen cars assembled on the dockside in Portsmouth to catch the afternoon crossing on the new Brittany Ferries ship, Guillame de Normandie, to Ouistreham in France. The ship is one of a new fleet of economical hybrid ships and a smooth crossing was enjoyed and a tasty meal was taken before unloading just as the sun set.

With limited lighting on our cars, an overnight stop had been arranged in the port and so, with the sun shining we set off the next morning to our hotel in St Gatien de Bois near to Pont l’Eveque. We stayed here for four nights with organised trips each day and group visits including a visit to a cheese manufacturer in Livarot and a Calvados distillery in Cambremer.

The organisers had planned pretty routes through the Normandy countryside each day and on the last day we headed back to Ouistreham for dinner near the ferry port and an overnight sailing back to Portsmouth. Even a torrential downpour while we were waiting for the ferry failed to stop our enjoyment of our annual trip to France!

Our next event will be a picnic in West Sussex in August.

Photos from this event are available in the gallery: Pont-l’Eveque 2025.