‘This region is special, but even many French people don’t realise it exists’

Suisse Normande is a region of deep forests and river-carved gorges

What was that? Ears tuned to the hedgerow, I strained to listen through my helmet. Cuck-oo. Yes! The sound of spring. The sound of Switzerland. Well, sort of. The cuckoo clock was actually invented in Germany. But given I wasn’t actually in Switzerland, it seemed appropriate none the less.

Split between the départements of Calvados and Orne, Suisse Normande – Swiss Normandy – is a region of deep forests and river-carved gorges on the ancient Armorican Massif. Around 500 million years ago, this range featured mountains of almost 5,000m. Today its peaks are much diminished – the tallest, Mont Pinçon, measures just 362m. But from the 19th century the feel of the place began to draw Swiss comparisons. Or maybe it was simply the fact it makes really good cheese?

From the 19th century the feel of the region began to draw Swiss comparisons - Sarah Baxter

I’d come to find out. And to see if Suisse Normande was good value, too. “Dupe destinations” – cheaper, less-crowded alternatives to similar-ish places – are allegedly a big trend for 2024, and according to Expatistan.com, the cost of living in France is 40 per cent lower than in Switzerland.

My husband and I sailed overnight from Portsmouth to begin in Ouistreham. We hired e-bikes, to better manage the “Swiss” hills, and planned to follow the Vélo Francette, a cycleway that runs from the English Channel port into the heart of Suisse Normande on traffic-free paths and quiet back roads. After following the Caen Canal, and passing through the city itself, the Francette becomes an avenue of green, using the trackbed of the abandoned Caen-Flers railway, alongside the River Orne. Here, we breezed through tunnels and past redundant stations, the valley increasing in drama as we progressed.

Sarah cycled along the Vélo Francette, a cycleway that runs along the trackbed of the abandoned Caen-Flers railway

Some 40 miles south of Caen, cupped by a river meander and a rocky scarp, Clécy is considered the capital of Suisse Normande. Like the Swiss Alps, the village became popular in the middle of the 19th century, when tourists and artists were brought by the new railway and impressed by the scenery. But Clécy is also an adventure hub. Hiking, biking, climbing, canoeing, paragliding – all are doable here.

When we veered off the cycleway to visit, we decided, in the spirit of semi-Alpinism, to try Clécy’s via ferrata. A 820ft-long course of metal rungs and bridges runs across the Rochers de la Cambronnerie’s rugged sandstone. It was graded “easy”, and children were being harnessed up as we handed over our €16.50 (£14), so there was no chance of backing out with ego intact. After a quick briefing, we were off.

It was both terrifying and exhilarating (mostly terrifying), clambering up the cliffs sans guide, clipping on and off the wires, 230ft above ground. At one point I inched across a crevice on a tightrope, gripping a wire above. As I looked out onto the view – the twisting Orne, the lush hills – both cables trembled. I couldn’t tell if that was due to physics or my fear. But I felt pretty triumphal once I’d made it to the top, like conquering my own mini Matterhorn. The zip-wire descent, beside the striking 1860s viaduct, was a comparative breeze.

Sarah Baxter on Clécy's via ferrata, a course of metal rungs and bridges perched 230ft above ground

To cycle on from Clécy, we rode over that viaduct. There was a man preparing to abseil off it. Good luck to him. Pedalling was far more relaxing. We were soon on country lanes, passing signs for cidreries and crêperies. In the village of Pont-d’Ouilly, we made a beeline for L’Épicerie du Coing, where a smorgasbord of local produce was on sale, from organic veg and cheese to jars of interesting French things; nerves still jangling from the via ferrata, we stocked up on hoppy blonde Suisse Normande beers from local microbrewery La Lie.

It wasn’t much further to Camping de la Rouvre, our low-cost home for the night. Born in Caen, Céline Lelièvre has been running this calming, leafy site beside the Rouvre River since 2017 – before that she didn’t know this area existed. “When I was a child we’d go hiking in the Alps, never here,” she told me. “A lot of people, even in Caen, don’t know this part. But when they arrive, they say, there is something special here.”

Our version of a Swiss chalet was Céline’s Chalet Campagne, a quirky, cosy wood-and-canvas cabin, with a large deck on which to drink our beers. We could have cooked in the tiny kitchen but instead headed up to Café de Caillou, a cool little bistro poised on the 118m crag of Roche d’Oëtre. My filet de boeuf, sourced from cows grazing within 1,000ft, was succulent and delicious. But it was mainly about the view, considered the classic panorama of Suisse Normande: a glowing green sweep of gorges that looked less Swiss, more big bowl of broccoli.

Sarah's chalet at Camping de la Rouvre

The next morning was glorious, low mist burning off into sunny blue as we ate our pastries – fuel for the undulations ahead, along quiet lanes lined with wildflowers and trees, to La Carneille. There was a castle here, until the English sacked it in 1353, during the Hundred Years’ War. We parked up by the old butter market that’s now the centre of the village and popped to the shop for some saucisson. With bread already in our panniers, we needed just one more thing.

There was more idyllic greenway ahead as we rudely bypassed historic Flers – we were on a different mission. Though now technically just outside Norman Switzerland, we wanted cheese. A brief, bucolic detour off the Francette into bocage (hedgerow) country took us to Champ Secret, France’s only creamery producing organic, farmhouse, AOP-quality grass-fed camembert. There was no one around, but the shop was open. We peeped through the glass into the dairy, ogling the stacked mellow-yellow wheels, took a camembert from the honesty fridge and popped €5 into the piggy-bank.

Champ Secret is France's only creamery producing organic, farmhouse, AOP-quality grass-fed camembert

To eat this fine pique-nique, we wanted a fine location, so we continued along the cycleway to Domfront. This huddle of medieval streets is built atop a hunk of Armorican sandstone, in the shadow of a ruined 11th-century castle once belonging to Henry Beauclerc, later England’s Henry I. We found a bench inside the ramparts and looked out: the far-reaching view was fit for royalty, as was the incredible cheese. Though, this not being Switzerland, it hadn’t cost a king’s ransom.

How to do it

Brittany Ferries (0330 159 7000) offers Portsmouth-Caen/Ouistreham returns from £98 for foot passengers/cyclists. Camping de la Rouvre has pitches from €11 (£9), a tiny house from €80pn (£68). Roulez JEUnesse offers bike/e-bike hire from €20/€34 (£17/£29) per day, with lower rates for longer rentals. Clécy via ferrata from €16.50pp (£14), zip-line €25pp (£21). See orne-normandy-travel.co.uk, calvados-tourisme.co.uk, en.normandie-tourisme.fr and cycling.lavelofrancette.com.

Five more ‘dupe destinations’

1. Shropshire, England – for Switzerland

There are multiple places dubbed “Little Switzerland”. Church Stretton is perhaps one of the most tenuous, but the surrounding Shropshire Hills are still a great place to walk, and a pint in the Kings Arms (kingsarmschurchstretton.co.uk) won’t quite cost Swiss prices.

2. Navarra, Spain – for Arizona, USA

The semi-desert of Bardenas Reales looks more Wild West than northern Spain. This Natural Park, Unesco Biosphere Reserve and Game of Thrones filming location has red-rock mesas, steep, deep valleys and a network of hiking and biking trails.

3. Manchester, England – for New York, USA

Manchester – especially the pre-war Northern Quarter – has doubled for the Big Apple on screen. It’s also got a similarly buzzing food scene, while luxe Hotel Gotham (hotelgotham.co.uk) offers a moody NYC vibe.

4. Valencia, Spain – for Barcelona, Spain

Spain’s third city has the soft-sand beaches, vibrant culture and quality food you’ll find in the Catalan capital but without the overcrowding. Living costs are around 25 per cent lower in Valencia, too.

5. Palermo, Italy – for Lisbon, Portugal

According to Expedia’s list of great dupes for 2024, Europe has a new “it” city. After a decade of popularity, Lisbon has become increasingly busy and dear; Palermo offers Moorish castles, harbour views and old-town grittiness, but hasn’t been “discovered” yet.

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