A quarter of an hour from the château, a five-hectare cornfield turns into a giant maze every summer — and it makes one of the best children’s days out in the Cotentin. “La Clé des Champs” has been cutting its three kilometres of green corridors at Yvetot-Bocage, on the edge of Valognes, since 1996: you go in confident and come out delighted and pleasantly worn out, which is precisely the point.
The route is more than a puzzle. Fifteen panels along the paths carry you from one country to another — India, Senegal, Benin, Colombia, depending on the year — because the maze changes theme each season and gives part of its takings to a charity. Between dead ends the children find traditional Norman games, a big swing, farm animals and tunnels hidden in the corn.
It is an unpretentious, fresh-air outing: bring good shoes, water and a picnic (tables are provided). The season is short — July to early September — and hours vary, so check the opening dates on the maze’s official website before setting off. One afternoon here, and the whole family sleeps well that night.