France – Argentan
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Argentan is a historic town on the Orne River in Normandy. Founded as a frontier settlement during the Viking Age and later rebuilt by Henry I of England, it suffered severe damage in August 1944, during the Second World War. For us, the most impressive features are its 14th-century castle—which overlooks the river and now houses the local courts—and the Gothic church of Saint-Germain. Also noteworthy is the riverside park, which is lovely and which we thoroughly enjoyed.
Where to stay
We wanted to stay at the La Noe campsite, but it was full when we arrived. We were told that just outside the campsite there was a free area for motorhomes (coordinates: 48.740299, -0.01697 lat, long) with facilities for filling and emptying water, as well as trash bins, so we stayed there. At the campsite, we could use their showers for 3 euros, and we did. The location is excellent—right next to the park and a 5-minute walk from the town centre. We ended up staying for 2 days for a total cost of just 3 euros!
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What to see
We walked to the city centre and arrived at the Château des Ducs in 5 minutes. This 14th-century castle was reduced to ashes during the Hundred Years' War and subsequently rebuilt in the 14th century. Today, it houses the local courts. Attached to the castle is the Chapel of Saint Nicholas, which serves as the tourist office.
In front of the castle is a square where a street market was set up, and we spent some time strolling through it.
As you can see, the impressive Church of Saint-Germain is in the square, and we were fortunate enough to see its interior. It is a parish church in a Gothic-classical style, built between the 15th and 17th centuries.
From there, we went to see the Marguerite Tower, a medieval defensive tower dating back to the 12th century. We were fortunate that it was open when we arrived, as a school group was visiting. We waited for the children to leave and climbed to the top of the tower, from where the views of the city are stunning.
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The next day we went to see the park, and we loved it. It has a kiosk where you can get food and drinks for good value, as well as an area for playing pétanque—which we did. The park surrounds the river, with places to sit and beautiful weeping willow trees.
We decided to head to Amboise, an impressive town with a royal castle, views of the Loire, and picturesque narrow streets—all of which you can see in the next blog post.
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