Bonjour Furiends! Adventures in Normandy 🐾
Dreamt of cheese, wine and croissants in France but can’t bear to be apart from your furry ones? Stop right there and read on – because the dream is very much a reality.
Bonjour furiends! It’s me, Dylan, reporting live from Normandy with a nose full of the most extraordinary smells. We’re talking doggos, cheese, fresh fish straight off the boats, warm pastries, river water, woodland… honestly my nose didn’t know where to begin.
Think taking your four-legged furiend abroad is too much hassle? It really isn’t. And trust me, your best furiend will love you fur-ever for it.
Getting There – Le Shuttle
Le Shuttle is honestly a dream for dogs. After a smooth check-in at the pet reception – a quick, easy process – and a scoot through customs, we were loaded onto the train and that was that. The whole crossing takes around 35 minutes, and between the gentle motion of the train and the warm breeze through the window, me and my little bro Dexter (who is often the anxious one in new situations, but don’t tell him I told you) were out like lights before we’d even reached the tunnel.
Both hoomans and dogs stay in the car the whole time – far less stressful than flying or the ferry, making trips abroad genuinely accessible for you and your four-legged furiends. No crates, no cargo holds, no separation from your hoomans. Just a little nap and suddenly – bonjour France!
One important thing before you even think about booking though – your pets must be vaccinated against rabies, and you’ll need to wait at least 21 full days after the first vaccination before you can travel. Plan ahead furiends, this one catches people out! Good news is that UK rabies vaccinations are typically valid for three years, but always check with your vet as guidance can change. There are also country-specific health certificates required – but more on all of that in a dedicated post coming soon.
Base Camp – La Rivière Apaisante 🏡
Now let me tell you about our base camp – and furiends, it did not disappoint.
The hoomans have impeccable taste (they do keep me around, after all). Our base for the week was La Rivière Apaisante, which translates as ‘The Soothing River’ and honestly, it lived up to its name and was worth every wag. A gorgeous traditional Norman half-timbered house, just outside Honfleur, sitting in nearly a hectare of private grounds. Picturesque, charming and utterly relaxing – terraces, hammocks under the apple trees, a fireplace for the evenings. The hoomans were very much in their element.
We had a garden so big even I couldn’t sniff every corner in one go (I tried, obvs). And when the Normandy sun got a little too much, out the back there’s a canopy walk through the woods – cooler, shadier, and absolutely heaving with the most extraordinary smells. Leaves, earth, mysterious creatures I shall not name. Just heaven for a discerning nose like mine.
But the pièce de résistance (we’re in France, we say things like that now) – the river. The hoomans called it ‘the gîte’s water feature’. I called it my personal swimming pool and I will not be corrected.
The cool tiled floors were also, and I cannot stress this enough, magnifique for an afternoon sprawl. While the hoomans had an afternoon nap, read and drank a little vino (after all, we are in France and it would be rude not to), Dexter and I had the run of the place.
Oh, and did I mention the neighbour? A tiny French sausage dog across the track. Very chic. Very French. We exchanged barks. It was diplomatic. Mostly.
For those thinking of booking (and you really should), it sleeps six, it’s pet-friendly (naturellement), and the hosts, Justine & Antoine, are wonderful. Five stars across the board and every single one deserved. Between you and me furiends, the pawrents have sworn me to secrecy. They’re already planning how to move in permanently and don’t want the competition. But a secret this good? I simply cannot keep it.
Exploring Honfleur
Honfleur furiends. Where do I even begin.
The smells hit me before we’d even parked – fish, salt air, pastry, more fish – my nose was working overtime and we hadn’t even left the car. Top tip – free parking at Naturospace, walkable distance from the centre and perfect for a little piddle on route.
The Vieux Bassin (port of Honfleur) is an absolute must for a morning wander. We strolled past the fish market (Thursday to Sunday furiends, mark your calendars – the fishermen bring in the catch fresh and the smells are, quite frankly, overwhelming in the best possible way). The hoomans were admiring the pretty painted harbour houses. I was conducting a very serious sniff investigation of the cobblestones.
And the café culture! Oh la la. Honfleur takes dog-friendly seriously – plenty of welcoming spots for four-legged visitors. We started with a magnifique breakfast at Pollen – très chic, very Honfleur, and absolutely worth a visit. Eggs that were licking-lips good. And the pain au chocolat sitting on the table… so close… so flaky… so absolutely not for me apparently. The injustice.
But the real highlight? Everypawdy wanted a piece of Dylan. Café staff, people passing by – the French are wonderfully free with their affection and I received every single pat with the grace and dignity it deserved.
The Betrayal
Now. I need to take a moment. Honfleur? Ten out of ten, furiendly to the core. My pawrents? We need to talk.
The pawrents – MY pawrents – had the absolute audacity to visit La Maison Du Tripot for tea, WITHOUT ME. Without. Me. I know because I smelt it on them when they got back. And if that wasn’t enough, I also detected the distinct scent of another dog. They made a furiend. Without me. I have questions.
And THEN – as if the day couldn’t get any worse – they left us behind for dinner at Huître Brûlée, a gorgeous little bistro doing seasonal local produce and a menu that changes every three weeks. Trout was a feature this week apparently. A dish they couldn’t stop raving about. At a restaurant that – and this is the really painful part – they welcomes dogs. DOGS. Us. The very species they left at home.
What a betrayal.
The Verdict 🐾
Normandy, furiends. Do it. Pack your bags, sort your rabies jab (more on that soon!), book Le Shuttle, find yourself a beautiful gîte with a river – and go. France is waiting, and it smells absolutely magnifique.
And as for Trouville-sur-Mer, Deauville, Beuzeville and Pont-l’Évêque… well, that’s a whole other tail. Stay tuned.
Woof for now, Dylan 🐾
🐶 Thinking of taking your furry one abroad? There’s a little prep involved – health certificates, rabies vaccinations, and a French vet visit for tapeworm treatment on the way home – but it’s easier than you think. Drop a comment below if you have any questions or you’d like a dedicated hints & tips guide and I’ll get it written!
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