The Pays d’Auge is a plateau made of chalk spots covered by flinty clay and some silt.
It is composed of several valleys, dug by the hundreds of tributaries of the Risle, Dives and Touques rivers. Slopes, that frame the humid and flat bottoms, are therefore an essential part of the topography.
This plateau is now a wooden and grass countryside that hosts the production of milk, cream, butter, cheese, but also cider and Calvados. Parcels are of medium or large size, often planted with apple trees. There are no embankments, but thick and high hedges that border sunken paths deep in the vegetation.
Dispersed houses and loose tiny villages feature half-timbered or brick and stone manors, surrounded by water bodies, traditional farms with half-timbered façades, thatch or slate roofs, terracotta soils and many farm buildings with a tree courtyard.
Villers-sur-Mer has 700 hectares of countryside. Wonderful sunken paths will lead you to discover this preserved area. During your hikes around Villers-sur-Mer, take a short break to discover the treasures in our surrounding villages.
AUBERVILLE at 2.5 km
Its nice church, partially dating to the 12th century and dedicated to Saint Barbara, has a small bell tower with two visible bells. Several hiking paths lead to Villers-sur-Mer.
GONNEVILLE-SUR-MER at 7 km
A village surrounded by small hills, valleys, streams (the Douets) and springs. In front of the church, there’s the Saint Honorina fountain. The church dates to the 12th and 13th century and has pieces of furniture classified as “Monument historique”.
The municipality is quite vast; half-timbered houses, some of them nicely sculpted, can be found in the village. From the esplanade de la Mairie, there is an extraordinary view of the typical Pays d’Auge landscape.
SAINT PIERRE AZIF at 6.5 km
Do not miss the church with a nice set of paintings of the Flemish school and a beautiful view on the countryside. There is also a pretty lavoir nearby.
SAINT VAAST EN AUGE at 5.5 km
Hidden at the heart of a valley, typical of the Pays d’Auge, the church dating to the 11th and 13th century is dedicated to Saint Ortaire. Nice lavoir on the other side of the road.
VAUVILLE at 6.5 km
Beautiful village with typical houses and several private stud farms. The church, dating to the 12th century, faces a magnificent Pays d’Auge manor. It is characterized by the simplicity and originality of a rectangular bell tower made of slate. Nice lavoir on the way out of the village. Other wonderful villages hide in the countryside. Normandy is beautiful as a postcard, with an exclusive heritage and a generous and varied land with cows, apple trees, manors, cottages, horses and much more.
Come and discover these nice landscapes with green hills, tiny hamlets and farms dispersed in nature.
