54 Year 8s and eight staff gathered excitedly early on Sunday morning as we looked forward to our much anticipated six day residential trip to Normandy. We had a smooth coach journey from Norwich to Portsmouth, and then settled into our modern and comfortable ‘base’ room on the Brittany Ferries boat. During the six hour crossing everyone was able to rest, or walk around and use the onboard facilities, or engage in organised games and activities. Most also braved the very windy deck with staff!

A 90 minute coach journey in France brought us safely to our accommodation centre, La Grand’Ferme in Le Fougeray near Bacilly, just before midnight. We were met by our cheerful animatrice, Caroline, who showed us the emergency meeting point and then took everyone to their dorms, all named after different animals from ‘les renards’ to ‘les cochons d’Inde’! We were glad to drop into our comfortable beds!

We all started the day a little tired, but excited! After a lovely breakfast of fresh bread, croissants, butter, jam, cereal, fruit, yogurt, orange juice and hot chocolate, everyone enjoyed a site tour and a morning of onsite activities including bread making, archery, aeroball, French language and French games.

Lunch was potato salad as a starter, turkey and cheese kievs, sweet potato and salad for main course, and fruit and cheese for dessert. Everyone then enjoyed some free time before continuing with onsite activities in the afternoon.

After a hot afternoon of activities, the students had 90 minutes of free time to rest in their rooms or spend time outside in the beautiful grounds.

The evening meal was melon for the entrée, followed by shepherd’s pie and salad and fruit salad for dessert.

After supper the majority of students had great fun in the refreshing pool and taking part in a scavenger hunt led by our animateurs, before an earlier night.

Day 3 was a beautiful sunny day! After our usual delicious breakfast which included pains au chocolat, students were given some money in groups to buy fillings for their baguettes as well as any sides or desserts of their choice at le marché à Villedieu-les-Poêles. Purchases ranged from fromage to saucisses to tomates to fraises! Personal purchases included a range of bracelets, necklaces, keyrings, bags, etc. Everyone tucked into their lunches at a picnic spot near the Couesnon river with a view of Mont St Michel’s pré-salé sheep on the opposite bank, who spend their days grazing on the coastal salt marshes. A 30 minute stop at Carrefour hypermarché on the way back enabled everyone to stock up on snacks and local specialities too.

Another fun afternoon of activities in the sunshine was followed by free time to get ready for the soirée francaise. We were treated to an amazing spectacle of students dressed up in French-themed costumes, including stripes, Tricolore colours, 4 characters from the film Ratatouille, La Joconde (the Mona Lisa), 2 baguettes and a French chef de cuisine and 5 inflatable frogs! Everyone entered into the spirit of fun, and lots of (optional) snails in garlic butter were consumed! The main course was roast gammon with cider sauce (cider being a Normandy speciality), pasta and green beans. The dessert was a delicious tarte aux pommes.

After supper students had fun participating in a quiz in the evening sunshine led by our animateurs.

Day 3 was cooler and cloudy, perhaps somewhat fitting for our ‘history day’. After a two hour coach journey, we arrived at Arromanches 360 cinema to watch some moving film footage of D-Day, and bought mementos in the shop afterwards. Out on the grass overlooking ‘Gold’ beach, we had a picnic – ham/chicken/cheese baguettes, crisps, biscuits and a choice of fruit. Ariane, Amy, Debbie and Bella G. read reflective poems that they had written in our ‘Beyond’ Normandy preparation session before May half-term. A 20 minute drive took us to the British cemetery in Bayeux, bathed in hot sunshine. We gathered in the shade of some large trees and listened to Saundarya, Ellie H., Violet, Verity and Bethany’s poems in the cooling breeze. Several students and staff looked in the book recording the names on all the graves and tried to find the gravestones of family members, whilst all took time to wander and reflect on the sacrifice of these and other servicemen and women killed in combat.

Afterwards, the majority of the group enjoyed ‘deux boules de glace’ in the sunshine in Bayeux to cool down! Next, we all enjoyed seeing the Bayeux tapestry; listening to the commentary and marvelling at the embroidery which depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England in 1066, and the battle itself. Finally, we made a brief visit to the souvenir shop.

As we returned to base a little later, our evening meal was a cold buffet, including hard boiled eggs, cold beef, tuna mayo, cucumber and other salads, bread, crisps and fruit. 

A powerful thunderstorm scuppered plans for an outside games evening, but everyone was happy to have some free time in their rooms and an earlier night.

Day 5 started cooler and cloudier. We enjoyed reading directions in French to do a town trail around the pretty town of Avranches, followed by a picnic lunch. The group then took the shuttle bus to Mont St Michel where students enjoyed a little free time for shopping.

Equipped with water, hats, sun cream and a can-do Norwich High approach, the majority of the group walked 2.5km in 2.5 hours in light drizzle across la Baie du Mont St Michel, guided by our expert, Nico, through mud, quicksand and the sea.

Afterwards we returned to La Grand’Ferme to tidy dorms and pack. We enjoyed our final evening meal – a BBQ – a taboulé (couscous) salad starter, two types of sausage, roast potatoes and bread, with an iced lolly for dessert. We all sang ‘Happy Birthday’ for Ingrid’s 13th birthday, and she and her friends enjoyed the birthday cake made by the catering team.

After supper, all large bags and suitcases were loaded onto the coach in anticipation of a super early start for our return journey on Friday. Some students chose to make the most of the opportunity to swim in the pool again (in the rain!), whilst others opted to relax and chat for our last evening.

A 5am departure from the lovely Grand’ Ferme took us to Caen-Ouistreham for the 8.30am ferry back to Portsmouth. After battling heavy traffic on the M25, we finally arrived back safely in Norwich at 8pm. A very long day, but lots of stories to tell and happy memories made. 

Bravo pour tous vos efforts et votre enthousiasme en Normandie, les filles!