Pont-d’Ouilly is small town in the “Norman Alps” of France. The town is situated upstream along the Orne river as it enters the Calvados region. Pont-d’Ouilly is perhaps the freshest, most evergreen of small towns. The river produces a waterfall at Pont-d’Ouilly before tumbling along its course. Downstream, the Saint-Rémy reflects an autumnal forest, colors caused in part by the iron mine there. The Cretes, Pain de Sucre, and the Croix de Faverie string along the chain of hills and wild surroundings, providing scenic points offering panoramic views.[1] But Pont-d’Ouilly is perhaps most famous for being the home of Haras d’Ouilly, a thoroughbred horse racing and breeding business owned by the Aga Khan IV.[2]
Many tourists also come to Pont-d’Ouilly to enjoy the “Norman Alps”. In the Armorican Uplands, known as the “mountain in reverse”, the Orne River and its tributary, the Rouvrou, have carved out a deep bed for themselves, helping Pont-d’Ouilly earn the nickname “the Norman Alps”. This range spraddles both the Orne river region and the Calvados region, attracting climbers to its Clécy cliffs, canoeists to its river, and hikers to its forests and footpaths.[3]
References:
Gaudez, René, Hervé Champollion, and Angela Moyon. Tour of Normandy. Rennes: Éditions Ouest-France, 1996. ISBN: 2737317185.
“Pont-d’Ouilly.” < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pont-d%27Ouilly>
[1] Gaudez, 54
[2] Pont-d’Ouilly
[3] Gaudez, 54
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