A winter walk discovering the Manche coastline at Portbail and Anneville - Normandy France

A winter walk discovering the Manche coastline at Portbail and Anneville

Whilst thousands chose to go and enjoy the famous Carnaval at Granville this weekend, which is now classed as a "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO and is in its 143rd year, I decided to do something a little different. We've lived in the southern half of the Manche department since 2004 and I'm always looking for an excuse to venture north. This Saturday my husband was going to collect our 17 year old son after an evening party not far from Barneville-Carteret so on a whim, I offered to collect him and instead created a little outing for our daughter and me to discover the dunes at Anneville and then on to Portbail, where we'd never been before.

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And what a wonderful surprise we had at Portbail to find the old 'shipwreck' on the beach. What a feast for the eyes to discover the colours and textures of this old boat that apparently was built in 1953. There was a faded sign showing the history of the boat. Much like my husband who is an antiques restorer I love wood, in all its states, particularly like this all weathered and aged.

Maybe it seems better to go for walks and discover the dunes and ports of Manche and Normandy in the summer but each time I venture out in the winter I'm thrilled by how wonderful it is and to discover that despite living in Manche, Normandy since 2004 I still have so much to discover.