FrenchDuck UK - France maps

Calvados is a département of Normandie centred on the city of Caen. About 10 miles north is the ferry port of Caen-Ouistreham at the mouth of the Orne river with regular crossings to Portsmouth with Brittany Ferries.
Normandy is famed for its milk and dairy produce - cream, butter and cheeses - and for its apple-based cider and Calvados apple brandy.
The sandy coast line is also the site of the Normandy Landings in 1944 and there are numerous museums, war cemeteries and other visitor attractions in the area.
Other significant towns include Bayeux and Lisieux.

Calvados Tourist office site.

Caen Tourist Office - Caen prides itself as the City of William the Counqueror!

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In the northern Loire, bordering on Normandy, the Sarthe département is named after the river Sarthe - capital town being Le Mans, worth visiting for more than just its famous 24-hour motor race every June.

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Sarthe Official Tourist Office

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A region of Eastern France comprising the départements of Jura, Doubs, Haut-Saone and the Territoire de Belfort.

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Official Tourist Web site for the Franche Comté region

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The Herault departement is at the heart of the Languedoc stretching from north of Montpellier down to beyond Beziers and inland - it includes wine regions such as Coteaux du Languedoc, Pic St Loup, Picpoul de Pinet, St Chinian and Faugeres.

Whilst the coastal strip is flat and sandy with numerous large lakes, inland the landscape is rugged and dramatic as it extends into the Pace Regional du Haut Languedoc.

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Herault Official Tourism site

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Vienne is a département in the Poitou-Charentes region with its capital at Poitiers. Other main towns include Châtellerault and Montmorillon. Lying south of the Loire Valley wine regions include the outlying parts of Saumur and the vineyards of the Vins du Haut Poitou.

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Vienne Official Tourist Office website

Maine-et-Loire is a département in the Loire Valley with its capital at Angers and includes some of the major Loire Valley vineyards such as Anjou, Anjou-Villages, Coteaux du Layon and Saumur.

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Official Anjou Tourisme Web site

Orne is a departement in Normandie, with its main towns being Alencon, Argenton and Mortagne-surPerche. Home to Camembert and its famous cheese.

See the Orne Official Tourisme site.

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The Aveyron département in the Upper Lot Valley is in the north of the Midi-Pyrenees region of France, its main towns being Rodez, Millau and Villefranche-de-Rouergue.

With budget airlines now flying into Rodez, and the newly completed A75 autoroute connecting north and central France with Pezenas and Beziers on the Mediterranean coast (via the wonderful Millau viaduct), the area is likely to see more visitors in coming years, attracted by a hitherto unknown part of France.
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….a breathtaking area of extraordinary landscapes: of hills, valleys, and spectacular gorges.

Thanks to the spectacular Millau Viaduct designed by British architect Norman Foster this hidden corner of south west France, is now only two hours away from the Mediterranean. Aveyron offers all the pleasures of the region: traditional welcome, beautiful scenery, dramatic landscapes and picturesque villages.

Aveyron is the home of the famous Causses, the limestone plateaux around the town of Millau, which is equally famous for its luxury-glove-making. The majestic Gorges du Tarn, the Lot and the Aveyron Valleys, the charming classified villages of Najac and Conques (an important stopping place on the Way of St James de Compostela), and the Bastide towns, are all to be found here. And there’s more, there are unique Templar villages and the beautiful Lévezou lakes thrown in for good measure.

Aveyron is also renowned for its excellent cuisine: every auberge has rural delicacies, delicious cheeses (including the unique Roquefort cheese) and local wines for you to try. Other famous product of this area include the splendid Laguiole cutlery and pocket knives.

From the heights of the Aubrac mountains to the depths of the Tarn gorges, everything is to be found here, whether you are searching for a chance to unwind or a physical challenge, taking care of body and soul or just chill. With every step there’s a new discovery !

See the Aveyron Official Tourist Office site

In the east of France and to the east of Burgundy adjacent to Switzerland, the Ain is probably a little overlooked by most visitors.

With Bourg-en-Bresse as its principal town it is a region of gentle hills and river valleys - which is one of the hidden parts of France.

The departement includes Bugey and the wines of Bugey. These are VDQS wines (Vins Délimité de Qualité Superieure) - a classification between full Appellation Controllee and Vins de Pays. As such there are restrictions on grape varieties used and planting and harvesting techniques - and the grapes must be grown in the designated region. White wines from Chardonnay, Roussette; Rosé wines from Gamay and Poulsard; Reds from Gamay, Pinot and Mondeuse; and sparkling wines from Chardonnay. Seldom seen in the UK.
For an opportunity to taste some of these wines there is an open tasting in Lyon from 25-26 January 2008 - click here for more details
For more on the wines of Bugey see www.vinsdubugey.net
One of the highlights of the year is the celebration of the famous yellow corn-fed chickens from Bourg-en-Bresse - the Glorieuses de Bresse held every December shortly before Christmas (for 2008 it runs from 16-21 December 2008 - in the form of a market and other festivities held in Bourg-en-Bresse, Louhans, Pont de Vaux and Montrevel-en-Bresse - see www.glorieusesdebresse.com

More info - see the Ain Tourism Office

For an English run B&B in the region with a knowledgeable host and guide see B&B Burgundy

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