Discover Foucarville

Foucarville offers several different points of interest to consider when planning your trip: architectural history at Manoir de la Ferrière and Église Saint-Lô, a memorial site at the former prisoner-of-war camp, and a hiking route between the coast and the hinterland. You can therefore treat cultural interests and a longer tour through different landscapes as separate priorities.

Architectural history at the manor and Église Saint-Lô

Manoir de la Ferrière is a 16th-century manor house in Foucarville and is privately owned. Its architectural features include a polygonal external stair tower, loopholes, and a dovecote. “Polygonal” describes the tower’s many-sided shape; “external” indicates its position on the outside of the building. Together, these details give a concrete picture of the architecture beyond simply dating the manor house to the 16th century.

Église Saint-Lô has Romanesque origins dating to the 12th century. Inside is a three-metre-high Eucharistic tower made of oak, dating to the 16th century, with polychrome decoration and gilding. The building and its furnishings thus belong to different historical periods: the Romanesque origins point to the 12th century, while the Eucharistic tower was made four centuries later. This makes it easy to distinguish the dates of the church and its furnishing.

The cemetery at Église Saint-Lô offers a different perspective: from there, you can enjoy panoramic views of the sea and the Îles Saint-Marcouf. While the Eucharistic tower connects the church with its sacred furnishings, the view links its setting with the coastal landscape. The architecture and panorama are two distinct aspects of this place.

Hiking between the coast and the hinterland

The “Utah Beach, entre mer et marais” hiking route starts at Utah Beach, with views of the Îles Saint-Marcouf. It follows the coastal footpath, trails through the marshland, and sunken lanes in the bocage countryside to villages in the hinterland. Foucarville and several of its hamlets are among the route’s stages. The Îles Saint-Marcouf are therefore a shared landscape feature: they are visible in the panorama from the cemetery at Église Saint-Lô and can also be seen from the hike’s starting point at Utah Beach.

The hike is rated easy, is 18 kilometres long, and takes about 4 hours 30 minutes. The route description was updated on 23 December 2024. The easy rating, distance, and approximate duration answer different planning questions: they describe the route’s difficulty, length, and time frame.

Memorial at the former camp

The Monument Camp de prisonniers allemands stands at the site of Foucarville’s former prisoner-of-war camp. The former camp was located near Utah Beach. Utah Beach therefore features in two different contexts: as the starting point of the hiking route and as a geographical reference for the location of the former camp. The monument commemorates the camp’s history at its former site.

Discover more destinations: Sotteville, Saint-Malo-De-La-Lande, Flottemanville, Sainte-Cécile, Anneville-Sur-Mer, Le Vrétot, Montbray, Bellefontaine.

Return to the main travel overview: Manche.