Carteret is such a pretty little village, with first class shops, restaurants and cafes and 2km away is another lovely little village called Barneville within easy cycling distance. The marina facilities are also excellent which was quite a surprise, as we didn’t know quite what to expect in our first French port of call.
Mornings were spent cycling to the Boulangerie for ‘du pain’ and whatever else took our fancy in the deli next door. Wine is 2.90 Euros a bottle here with a discount for buying a box of 6! We (well me really!) could have spent hours there every day as they had so many different delicacies to choose from. Their Anchois marines a l’Ail et au Persil (Anchovies in Vinegar & Parsley) were outstanding and this with a very smelly local Camembert was a nice change for lunch with ‘du pain’ and Piemontaise Jambon Superieur (potato salad with ham and tomatoes). This washed down with some Fizzy Eau made us both feel as though we belonged here in France already!
We met a lovely couple on our first day called Nick and Lynne who have a 70’ Trader Motor Cruiser called Ultima with a Honda Goldwing motorbike stored on the roof which they crane down in each port to save them hiring a car! The boat also has stabilisers for rough seas fitted and is beautifully kitted out with every little detail covered. It is absolutely stunning. We had a nice dinner out with them at Hotel Des Ormes, just a couple of minutes walk from the marina on Friday evening. We all plumped for the 3 course menu at 35 Euros per head plus wines, and the food was really excellent, beautifully presented in a lovely setting - what a find for our first meal out here in France.
On Saturday, there was a local market in the adjacent village, Barneville, and we cycled there to check it out. There was everything from fresh lobsters at 24 Euros per kg to Spit Roasted Chickens to shoes! We bought a huge portion of home made paella with chicken, mussels, prawns and squid, for our dinner which was only 6 Euros and enough for both of us (it was selling like hotcakes as the huge paella pot that had obviously been full at the start of the day was almost empty), we got some locally grown, delicious strawberries and a couple of smelly cheeses which we couldn’t resist. We also split a Crepe with Nutella (tres bien!). In the early evening, we had Nick and Lynne round for drinks and nibbles on GG which was lovely and relaxing.
Sunday was a day for a bit of cycling to Barneville to the beach, the sun was very warm with a nice breeze to cool things down a bit, and we soaked up the weather and the views before returning to Carteret and relaxing with newspapers. Jim had a dozen oysters which Nick and Lynn had brought last night and said they were delicious. Not for me!
We have seriously enjoyed our time here in this little gem of a place Carteret. Both villages (adjacent Barneville) are spotlessly clean and the houses so pretty, so much so that we checked out the local estate agents to see what the market prices were like, and they are definitely affordable. Perhaps a place to consider retiring to in the future, you never know.
We left reluctantly on Monday afternoon at 1.15pm to get the tides right going around Cap de La Hague, heading North towards Cherbourg, another step closer to Honfleur and the Canals.
The sea state was slight to moderate with the wind from NE, force 3 / 4, and we travelled comfortably at 15 to 18 knots, around the Cap De La Hague, thankfully getting the tides right, although there were eddies and whirlpools here to contend with, to Cherbourg, arriving at 4pm. Visibility close to Cherbourg dropped to about half a mile and the radar helped immensely our approach into the Marina. The Marina Visitors area was quite empty so we had no trouble getting a good finger pontoon.
Cherbourg is 49’38’.70N 001’37.24W.
We will relax here for a few days, departing Wednesday, weather permitting. The marina staff seem very friendly and helpful and there is a ten pin bowling alley on site, as well as plenty restaurants and bars.
Mornings were spent cycling to the Boulangerie for ‘du pain’ and whatever else took our fancy in the deli next door. Wine is 2.90 Euros a bottle here with a discount for buying a box of 6! We (well me really!) could have spent hours there every day as they had so many different delicacies to choose from. Their Anchois marines a l’Ail et au Persil (Anchovies in Vinegar & Parsley) were outstanding and this with a very smelly local Camembert was a nice change for lunch with ‘du pain’ and Piemontaise Jambon Superieur (potato salad with ham and tomatoes). This washed down with some Fizzy Eau made us both feel as though we belonged here in France already!
We met a lovely couple on our first day called Nick and Lynne who have a 70’ Trader Motor Cruiser called Ultima with a Honda Goldwing motorbike stored on the roof which they crane down in each port to save them hiring a car! The boat also has stabilisers for rough seas fitted and is beautifully kitted out with every little detail covered. It is absolutely stunning. We had a nice dinner out with them at Hotel Des Ormes, just a couple of minutes walk from the marina on Friday evening. We all plumped for the 3 course menu at 35 Euros per head plus wines, and the food was really excellent, beautifully presented in a lovely setting - what a find for our first meal out here in France.
On Saturday, there was a local market in the adjacent village, Barneville, and we cycled there to check it out. There was everything from fresh lobsters at 24 Euros per kg to Spit Roasted Chickens to shoes! We bought a huge portion of home made paella with chicken, mussels, prawns and squid, for our dinner which was only 6 Euros and enough for both of us (it was selling like hotcakes as the huge paella pot that had obviously been full at the start of the day was almost empty), we got some locally grown, delicious strawberries and a couple of smelly cheeses which we couldn’t resist. We also split a Crepe with Nutella (tres bien!). In the early evening, we had Nick and Lynne round for drinks and nibbles on GG which was lovely and relaxing.
Sunday was a day for a bit of cycling to Barneville to the beach, the sun was very warm with a nice breeze to cool things down a bit, and we soaked up the weather and the views before returning to Carteret and relaxing with newspapers. Jim had a dozen oysters which Nick and Lynn had brought last night and said they were delicious. Not for me!
We have seriously enjoyed our time here in this little gem of a place Carteret. Both villages (adjacent Barneville) are spotlessly clean and the houses so pretty, so much so that we checked out the local estate agents to see what the market prices were like, and they are definitely affordable. Perhaps a place to consider retiring to in the future, you never know.
We left reluctantly on Monday afternoon at 1.15pm to get the tides right going around Cap de La Hague, heading North towards Cherbourg, another step closer to Honfleur and the Canals.
The sea state was slight to moderate with the wind from NE, force 3 / 4, and we travelled comfortably at 15 to 18 knots, around the Cap De La Hague, thankfully getting the tides right, although there were eddies and whirlpools here to contend with, to Cherbourg, arriving at 4pm. Visibility close to Cherbourg dropped to about half a mile and the radar helped immensely our approach into the Marina. The Marina Visitors area was quite empty so we had no trouble getting a good finger pontoon.
Cherbourg is 49’38’.70N 001’37.24W.
We will relax here for a few days, departing Wednesday, weather permitting. The marina staff seem very friendly and helpful and there is a ten pin bowling alley on site, as well as plenty restaurants and bars.
1 comment:
Hi sounds as if you are having a great time!! I'm very jealous and might have to stop looking at your blog!! Can you get me 12 bottles of the cheap booze just enough to 'tide me over' for a couple of days. No pun intended!!
Best wishes
Fiona and Alan x
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