Bretteville: Holiday apartments and holiday homes

Bretteville has an approximately 2.5 km-long coastline to the north. When planning a personal stay, you may wish to rent a holiday apartment in Bretteville.

The municipal campsite Camping du Fort has 91 pitches. Bretteville’s municipal library offers free registration to everyone – both residents and visitors. Through a partnership with the Manche departmental library, it provides more than 2,000 documents, some of which are renewed twice a year.

Nature

Two other very short coastal streams cross the area of Bretteville; one of them runs through the Vallée des Chênes. From Pointe du Heu, the view extends across the bay of northern Cotentin – from Pointe de la Hague and the roadstead of Cherbourg to the Semaphore de Fermanville.

The Grand Val stream rises in the hamlet of Les Fontaines, flows down to the hamlet of Besnard, joins the Petit Val stream and reaches the sea at La Vallée. The Pas Vastel coastal stream forms Bretteville’s western boundary and runs through the Grand Val.

Culture and history

The Church of Saint-Germain in Bretteville dates from the 15th century. Above the portal is a statue probably dating from the 16th century, depicting either Saint Michael or Saint Hubert; the church also has a 16th-century stone Madonna and Child. Both have been listed as protected historic objects since 1974.

The rectangular slate bell tower dates from the 17th century and has a four-sided roof; this form is described as unique in the region. The Church of Saint-Germain incorporates coats of arms bearing six green oak leaves on keystones, several pillars and other parts of the building.

A prehistoric Stone Age station or workshop was discovered at Pointe du Heu in 1879, where numerous flakes and worked flint tools were found. The prehistoric burial monument in the hamlet of La Forge, accessible from the side and also known as an allée couverte, is considered one of the few surviving monuments of its kind in Normandy.

The allée couverte of Bretteville is 17 m long, 1.10 m wide inside and oriented from north to south. It retains almost all of its supporting stones and still has remnants of a peristalith, a ring of small blocks that delimited and stabilised the former tumulus. Bretteville has 12 washhouses, including the washhouse at Les Fontaines.

The Espace Culturel et de Loisirs in Bretteville offers photography-related activities, including introductions, photo editing and group outings.

Walking routes

Entre vaux et hameaux is a moderately difficult 6.9 km hike with a stated duration of approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. The route starts at the stadium car park in the hills above Bretteville and follows the footpath towards the hamlet of Les Cordeliers, continuing along the Chemin de la Cavée. It is marked in green and is considered a walk through the countryside with natural and cultural heritage attractions.

The starting point of the Entre vaux et hameaux route can be reached by Cap Cotentin network bus route C via the Bretteville-en-Saire La plage stop. Stops along the Entre vaux et hameaux route include the La lande de Brettefey heath.

The GR® 223 long-distance footpath, also known as the Customs Officers’ Path, runs along the Normandy coast and passes through Bretteville-en-Saire. At La Chesnée, two-hour sessions for beginners are scheduled on Tuesdays, covering routes of 6 to 8 km, and two-hour sessions on Thursdays, covering routes of 8 to 10 km.

Other destinations: Saint-Vaast-La-Hougue, Saint-Quentin-Sur-Le-Homme, Brainville, Le Mesnil-Ozenne, Gréville-Hague, Saint-Denis-Le-Gast, Graignes-Mesnil-Angot, Ravenoville-Plage.

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