June 11 St Lo to Villedieu-les-Poeles 43 kms
Since leaving Bayeux we are heading south to south-west towards Mont St Michel. Today was more south, the first 20 km being along an undulating busy road. We stopped at the small village of Villebaudon for a coffee in a little bar. The owner told us that the town had been almost completely destroyed during the war. The town is built on the top of a hill and commands quite a view over the surrounding countryside. The church tower was used by the British as a look-out.
From here we took to the back roads. Hillier, but easier to take with the small amount of motor traffic. We tootled along, walking up the steeper hills, enjoying the countryside and the beautiful stone farm buildings, the tidy towns and houses with their colourful flower boxes.
Arrived in the pretty town of Villedieu. Finding a hotel, having a bath and a look around the town, we decided to stay for two days to have a look at the copper utensil factory and the bell foundry.

Weather has been great, with only a few days when the sun was very hot and we applied the sunscreen. We have also been fascinated by the number of hedges, both in the towns and around the farm paddocks. A lot of time and effort is required to maintain these hedges.
We are now moving into 'horse country'. Have seen one Breton horse stud with their stocky local horses. Moving into more thoroughbred country and have seen from the outside some large 'national' stables. Churches and church bells are also a feature of all towns, with bells ringing out the quarter hour.