The White Marshes

In Winter, the marshlands situated to the West of Bessin offer incredible landscapes, where water and sky seem to merge. It is the "white" season. The abundant winter rain causes rivers to overflow, and the wetland turns into a great lake mirroring the light.

The marshes passing seasons
The marshes, a landscape criss-crossed by canals and ditches, is a fragile natural environment, where nature rules all year round. In the Winter, water and sky merge on the horizon. In the Spring, rivers return to their beds, leaving rich pastures for cattle and horses to graze upon. In the Summer, the marshland can be discovered by following numerous hiking trails, or by canoeing along the reed beds. In the Autumn, migratory birds appear once again, bringing flashes of colours in the morning sky.

The white marshes in Winter
The immensity and the changing light of the marshlands in Winter is an unforgettable experience for outdoor lovers. Dawn lends its pink hues to the waters, whilst frost adorns reeds and rushes with twinkling pearls. On the horizon, colours intertwine, and magic begins. The Winter season is particularly favourable for watching birds, migrating from Northern Europe. The birds stop in the marshlands to feed, before resuming their great voyage to Africa. The ornithological spectacle changes every day. Observation hides, built in some of the natural reserves, offer the opportunity to get acquainted with species typically found in wetland, such as storks, harriers, teals and other wild ducks.

Protection and conservation of the marshland
Situated on the boundary between Manche and Calvados, the marchland spreads across about 30 000 hectares, between coast, countryside and heathland. This fragile ecosystem holds a formidable biodiversity. The association "Parc Naturel Régional des Marais du Cotentin et du Bessin" is responsible for the protection and the conservation of the marshland as well as the development of its natural wealth and cultural patrimony.

With its strategic location on the edge of the Isigny Bay marshes, the castle of Colombieres, built in 14th Century, was called the "Watchtower of the Marshes".

In the past, the rising tide washed up onto the lands surrounding the fortress, thus enabling repeated invasions of the hinterland from the sea. The Watchtower was a powerful and formidable bastion which controlled and blocked enemy access to the Bessin area. Today, its outstanding location in the midst of the Regional Natural Park of the Cotentin and Bessin marshlands gives the Colombières estate a bewitching and captivating charm.

Tourist Offices in the Bessin marshlands
www.oti-omaha.fr
www.cc-isigny-grandcamp-intercom.fr

Parc Naturel Régional des Marais du Cotentin et du Bessin
www.parc-cotentin-bessin.fr