> Tourlaville

The Chateau de Tourlaville was built in 1562 in the Trottebecq valley.

The Church of Notre-Dame in Tourlaville-Place was built in the 16^th century.

A tiny, picturesque harbour with old fishermen's houses, some of which date from the 15^th century.

This harbour was built in 1783 to carry stones from Le Becquet's quarries to ballast Alexandre de Cessart's cones.

This village with its pink granite houses is the home of the poetess Marie Ravenel.

A viaduct crosses the Vallée des Moulins. In the past, a small train, the "Tue Vaques" (the cow-killer) used it to carry milk, butter and vegetables from the Val de Saire on a daily run to Cherbourg for Paris.

The main port in the Cotentin area in the Middle Ages, frequented by the Dukes and Kings of England, Barfleur is a well-preserved village today. Its old granite houses with their slate roofs, its squat church of Saint Nicolas and its narrow streets are calm and peaceful places that contrast with the atmosphere of the harbour where French and British sailors rub shoulders with the fishermen.

In 1066, a sailor from Barfleur, on board the Mora, led William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, to the British coast where he went on to win the throne of England at the Battle of Hastings.

The old part of the church dates from the 18^th century. The vault is decorated with nineteen paintings by Guillaume Fouace (1837-1895), a painter born in Réville.

This Val de Saire lookout post culminates at 126 metres and provides a unique view over the Cotentin countryside, the Calvados and the D-Day beaches.

From this hill, James II of England and the Maréchal de Bellefonds observed the Battle of La Hougue on May 29, 1692.

This fishing harbour is a renowned oyster production centre. Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue is also a popular seaside resort.

Since 1982, the town has had a marina with 660 moorings.

Opposite the town, one kilometre off shore, the island of Tatihou shelters the Fort de la Hougue, designed by Benjamin de Combes, a royal engineer and colleague of Vauban in the 17^th century.

This fort protected the northern narrows of the Saint-Vaast roads. In the yard of the lazaret, currently being restored, an Iron Age archaeological site has been discovered.

A maritime museum recounts the Battle of La Hougue that took place in 1692, as well as the history of the island.

The coastal conservation department works to keep this island a paradise for nature lovers and, in particular, birdwatchers. An ornithological observatory has been set up on the island that can be reached either by amphibious boat or on foot at low tide.