Geography
Eure is a department in Normandy, named after the river Eure. It’s surrounded by the departments of Val-d’Oise, Seine-Maritime, Yvelines, Eure-et-Loir, Orne, and Calvados.
The department is a largely wooded plateau cut by the valleys of the Seine River and its tributaries.
The altitude varies from sea level to 248 meters in the south.
The principal town are: Evreux, Giverny, Les Andelys, Verneuil sur Avre and Nonancourt.
Climate
The climate is primary oceanic with mild winters not often reaching below zero and in the summer the temperature is about 25°C. Precipitation is significant varying from 700mm on the coast to 1300mm on the open field in the south.
On the west coast can be felt the Gulf Stream. There is sea breeze on the coast that along with the tides contributes to temperature changes during a single day.
Towns
Giverny,where lived Claude Monet , has attracted many artists and the new Museum of American Art with its conference centre, films, concerts, art classes and exhibitions of impressionist art affirms Giverny’s place in the world of art and tourism. The Musee Claude Monet was his home and studio. However, it’s the gardens that are a truly magnificent, taking on a different look with the changing of the seasons. Jardin d’Eau with a game of lights created by Monet to achieve an unique ambiance.
Evreux is a pleasant cathedral town on the Iton river, ideal stopover for all Eure historical attractions. At the centre of the town lies the Cathedrale Notre-Dame with some delightful 14th-15th century stained-glass. In fact, there are many religious buildings of note in and around Evreux such as the St Taurin church.
Les Andelys is set magnificently deep in the Seine valley. It is a home to Château Gaillard- an impressive stronghold in the XII th Century. It hosts many cultural and sportive events. This is also a good place to arrange Riverboat trips along the Seine.
Activities
The “musts” of every visit is:
Le Chateau d’Harcourt which is home to one of France’s finest arboretums with over 400 species of trees from every continent.
Religious Heritage at The Abbaye de Bec-Hellouin – a place of tranquillity and prayer, favoured as a retreat by the late Archbishop of Canterbury.
And last but not least, Chateau-Gaillard- the medieval castle listed as a historic monument of the French Culture.
The possible sport activities in the area are: hunting, cycling, mountain biking, hiking, fishing, horse riding, waterskiing, canoeing, kayaking and enjoying one of 6 golf courses in the area.
Gastronomy
Normandy’s cuisine relies on two primary sources: fresh sea food and countryside products like rich creams and cheeses.
The most popular cheeses are Camembert, Neufchatel, Pont l’elevage and Liverot. Nor forgetting Petit-Suisse- fresh cheese eaten as a dessert.
There is also a large variety of apples which are the main ingredient for local cider, produce in this area since the early Middle ages and pears which serve to make “poire”.
Chicken in a cream sauce (poulet Vallée d’Auge) can be found almost everywhere. Cream naturally plays an important part in many sauces whether with veal or steak.
Useful information
Normandy Regional Tourism Board:
www.normandy-tourism.org
Maps of Normandy:
www.ign.fr
www.maps.google.fr
Travel from the UK
By ferry: Ferries go to Cherbourg from Portsmouth or Poole, to Caen from Portsmouth and to Dieppe from Newhaven.
By air: Easyjet flies from Belfast, Liverpool Newcastle and London Luton to Paris. Ryanair flies from Shannon, Dublin and Glasgow to Paris.
Our team of sale advisers at Sextant Properties will be happy to help you to find a property in Eure. We have a large network of estate agents in the Eure. All of them are registered French estate agents and speak both French and English. Whatever kind of property you are looking for: farmhouse, longere, barn, gite, B&B, country house, mill, castle or chateau, we will do our best to find a property in Eure matching your requirements. To find out more about our properties for sale in Eure do not hesitate to contact us.