Beuvron-en-Auge
40 km / 2 miles from Honfleur (40 minutes drive)
26 km / 16 miles from Deauville (30 minutes drive)
59 km / 36.5 miles from Bayeux (45 minutes drive)
GENERAL PRESENTATION : car park, history and old photos
Beuvron-en-Auge one of the « Most Beautiful Villages in France ». It is crossed by the river «Doigt» also called Douet and is a perfect-picture postcard with its restored covered market, wash houses, 15th century manor house and 17th and 18th century wood-framed houses. And also with its artists’ galleries and pretty antique shops !
Nevertheless, Beuvron is crowded during the high season (summer) which spoils the visit a bit… So I advise you to get there early enough in the morning before all the tourists arrive…. And it will also be easier to park if you arrive early !
Where to park ?
Free parking in the town center / close to the Office of Tourism* :
Parking VL ( for cars / minivans) : 4 avenue de la gare, 14430 Beuvron en Auge.
* Office of Tourism : 2 esplanade Woolsery, 14430 Beuvron-en-Auge (good to stop by there to get a map of the area).
A bit of history… to read because it's interesting !
« Beuvron » comes from the Latin word « biber » meaning beaver. It is said that the banks of the Douet were inhabited by these rodents…
- The origins of Beuvron go back to the 9th century, the period of Viking invasion. Then the town develops around its feudal castle of which there is nothing left today.
- In the 14th century the castle and the village passed into the hands of the powerful Harcourt family who owned many lands in the area which contributed greatly to the development of the village which reached its peak in the 17th and 18th centuries.
- At the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century, tanning and weaving ensured the prosperity of the village.
- In the 19th century, it was an important center for the cattle trade and the railway arrived in 1879. Many traders and craftsmen settled in the square around the wooden covered market built in 1850 (destroyed in 1958).
- But, as a consequence of modern times, in the early 1970s, the population had halved in 50 years, merchants and craftsmen closed shops and workshops. Beuvron was then on the point of becoming a deserted village.
- The construction of the A13 highway just 6 km north of the town, worried elected officials who feared that the town would lose its identity with the influx of tourists. But the mayor Michel Vermughen and the municipality decided to preserve this small village with its remarkable architectural heritage respecting the traditions of the Pays d’Auge. The town was listed among the sites in August 1972 and the municipality, helped by the Department and the State, started a program of restoration and development.
- In 1975, a new covered market was built in the center of the square with recycled materials from buildings demolished along the highway. The old houses were restored with the greatest care. Shortly after, Beuvron acquired the label of France’s Most Beautiful Villages.
Beuvron-en-Auge was saved : the small and almost deserted town of the 1970s attracts many tourists today !
What to see in Beuvron ?
1- In the village
Square (of the village) Michel Vermughen
This square is surrounded by old houses and is the historic center of the village. It’s closed at the end by a manor house that was built at the end of the 15th century.
In the centre of the square, the covered market was restored in 1975 in full respect of the building techniques of the past (with materials used in the old farms).
This covered market had been destroyed several times before its reconstruction in 1975 and even became a parking lot in 1958 !
Nowadays, it houses a great restaurant (Le Pavé d’Auge, 1 Michelin star) and some antique shops.
Saint-Martin Church
The Church of Saint-Martin a bit isolated in the village was built in 1640 by the Harcourt family and was restored by an association. It houses an altar dating from the 18th century, as well as a polyphonic organ signed Louis Debierre. You can also discover the presbytery and the cemetery with hundred-year-old yews.
The Manor (at the corner of avenue de la gare and departmental road 49) is one of the oldest buildings of the village. Built at the end of the 15th century, it was renovated and transformed. Notice the sculptures of naive figures on the facade.
The facade and the eastern roof have been listed as historical monuments since 1989.
The former Auberge de la Boule d’Or (in street d’Ornano), dating from the 18th century.
The Craft area (site of the former school of the village)
The school, still frequented until the 80s, has been recently restored and now houses the centre of crafts’ art as well as various temporary or permanent exhibitions that you can visit.
The way to the old castle
There is an access road to the old « feudal motte » of Beuvron-en-Auge (close to the VL parking, follow the Doigt river) : a path will allow you to walk in the countryside away from the crowd for a while.…
Some streets with weird names…
– La rue de l’Enfer (the street of hell) : certainely because there was here a concentation of labor classes such as blacksmiths, tanners and weavers.
– La rue de la « catouillette » : the tickle street !
L’Epicerie de Beuvon en Auge (the grocery store, gift & specialty shop)
Next to the street of hell (= rue de l’enfer)
A very nice vintage grocery store in the old style, full of charm, with a 50’s atmosphere and where you will find everything: local products of course, decoration, postcards (I love the old postcards of Beuvron : it’s a nice souvenir !): it’s worth a visit even if you don’t buy anything.
2- Outside the village
At the exit of the village : Manoir & Haras de Sens
Route des Forges de Clermont, 14430 Beuvron en Auge
A beautiful red stone manor house today transformed into a guesthouse.
Website HERE.
There are two other manor houses (a few minutes drive from Beuvron town center but belonging to the village) listed as historical monuments and both dating from the 17th century:
– The Manor of La Hogue, located 165 Route de Gerrots 14430 Beuvron-en-Auge.
– The Manor of Lieu Hocquart, 335 La Cour Bazin 14430 Beuvron-en-Auge.
These manor houses are privately owned.
The Chapel of Clermont : a must-see !!!
Discover at the end of a footpath surrounded by multi-centenary beeches the lovely chapel of Clermont whose construction began in the 12th century. The small church offers a gorgeous panorama opening on the valley of the Dives to the hills of Mont Pinçon.
You can go there with your vehicle (there is a small car park at the beginning of the path) or on foot from the city center of Beuvron as described below :
A nice easy hike to visit the chapel of Clermont
My recommendation to get away from the crowd a bit (as most people stay in the center of the village.. or take their car to go everywhere…) :
Here is a beautiful hike to do in 1hr45 ( 7,5 km/ 4,66 miles) to discover the countryside around Beuvron and the pretty Chapel of Clermont (wear hiking shoes).
You will discover along this walk orchards with apple trees in bloom in spring, the training track of a stud farm and the beautiful little chapel of Clermont.
Starting point of the hike : Office of Tourism in Beuvron-en-Auge.
1- Walk up the Harcourt Avenue up to the stop sign.
2- Turn left (D49 road) towards Putot en Auge for 200 m then turn right and take the path to Mont Goubert for about 2km.
3- At the asphalt road leading to the chapel, turn first right; walk about 500m and turn right again at the junction. You will reach below the small Chapel of Clermont
4-When leaving, take the path that descends next to the gate.
5- At the end of the path, you arrive on the D146 road: turn right and continue up to the entrance of the village. At the crossroads, turn left : you reach the town center.
Where to eat in Beuvron ?
Click HERE to see my recommendations.
Where to stay in Beuvron ?
Click HERE to see my recommendations.
