The garden of Le Bois des Moutiers in Varengeville-sur-mer, Normandy is one of the most beautiful private gardens open to the public in France.
Located on the coast of Normandy just to the west of Dieppe the Guillaume Mallet family have opened up their manor house, formal gardens and woodland park to visitors.
The formal gardens by the house are sumptuous and from the moment you enter the fragrances are delightful. Segmented into themed areas either by hedges or brick walls you can sit and enjoy each one in turn. We visited in July and there were still plenty of blooms to savour.
Beyond the formal garden area at the front of the house there is a vast lawned area which slopes down towards the woods. There is a lovely pathway which takes you first around the main rhododendron area after which you have an option to turn back.
Or you can carry on down towards the sea, for a circular walk which takes around half an hour allowing you to meander through the woods which contain a wide variety of trees including majestic redwoods as well as wetland areas with gigantic plants.
At the end of the visit there is an opportunity to enjoy a drink in the tearoom.
For more information see the Bois des moutiers website or call + 33 (0) 2 35 85 10 02. You can visit the house as well if you wish and just five minutes along the coast is a pretty chapel overlooking the sea with an important war memorial.
France has many beautiful gardens which offer a lovely day out for the family, the Bois des Moutiers ranks amongst the best we have seen. For holiday rental and travel information on Normandy along with our selection of self catering holiday properties in Normandy see the Normandy section of our website. We also have an outstanding choice of holiday properties in Brittany where there are also some beautiful gardens to visit. You could combine a stay in both regions. Call or email our holiday advisors and let them help you work out travel arrangements and find the best place to stay.