Another chapter in my recent re-acquaintance with France is coming to an end with my final night away on this trip back in Ouistreham for tomorrows ferry to Portsmouth. Today was a gentle drive, with incredible car efficiency, from near Versailles first to Honfleur and then along the coat via Deauville and Houlgate to Caen to charge the car for the trip home and to pick up some local cider to remind me of Normandy when I am home. It was the hottest day of this trip topping out at 25ºC around Deauville, giving the car’s airconditioning a good test after little use over winter. Honfleur is a pretty little town across the estuary from Le Havre and I have visited before. It was recommended to me by a sadly long past work colleague who made annual trips to central France to stock up with wine from his favourite domains and he would always spend a couple of nights in Honfleur on the way home. It was full of brits! A fleet of coaches was evident, parked near the inner harbour and most seemed to be delivering British tourists filing the in doors of the harbour front restaurants which were doing a roaring trade. I dropped down on to a more or less empty beach at Deauville sweeping down past the famous racecourse and then found the same empty beach at Houlgate. I’ll start with a few pictures from Honfleur including the headline shot. At Deauville I was greeted by an enormous head next to the beachfront. Something you don’t see every day. Looking over to Le Havre there were a few people on the beach. At Houlgate there are some nice traditional houses along the front and looking west you see the next town of Cabourg. There was one hardy windsurfer out and in the distance is not my ferry as is is arriving in Ouistreham for the overnight crossing. I leave in the morning at 08:30 local time, so an early breakfast required.