To make things easier for myself, I decided to take a ferry that would take us to Ireland in 1 trip. And Port de Cherbourg was the shortest point for me to do this crossing at one time.
Otherwise, it would be from northern France to Great Britain and I would have to drive another few hundred kilometers in Great Britain to take a 2nd ferry to Ireland. All too much hassle and so much more that can then go wrong.
I do like peaceful places and always try to find places that are less known. Which does make it more difficult in and around the Normandy area.
However, I found a campground literally 100 meters from the sea, which is quietly hidden: ‘*Camping du Fort Samson’. From there you can easily drive to the harbor of Grandcamp-Maisy.
Although this village has less than 1700 inhabitants, it is the 2nd largest fishing port in Calvados.
It feels very nostalgic and you feel a bit like being transported back to just before the 2nd World War (old architectural heritage of farms and churches to discover, the castle ruins, etc….) a super varied landscape that turns a beautiful golden yellow in late April when the rapeseed flowers lushly brighten the area.
Not to mention the cute pier in wood or the one partly in concrete … both just invite you to create the perfect vacation picture.
Since the temperature at night was still flirting with temperatures just below freezing. I was pleased with the choice of campsite. This allowed us to keep the temperature in the rooftop tent around 15°C at night with an electric fire and also kept the moisture out.
The only drawback was that the shower building had no heating and was an open building … but you can’t have everything… fair is fair we are not here for the luxury, are we?
The day after the arrival I also had all the time to check my vehicle once more before boarding …. And away we went towards ‘Port de Cherbourg
*Camping du Fort Samson: 25 Rue du Fort Samson, 14450 Grandcamp-Maisy, Frankrijk (update camping is closed there are roumers that it is been sold to CAP FUN)