If you're planning on walking, or cycling, a good central spot in which to base yourself is PONT D'OUILLY, at the point where the main road from Vire to Falaise crosses the river. It's a small town, with a few basic shops, an old covered market hall and a promenade (with bar) slightly upstream alongside the weir. Continuing upstream a pleasant walk leads for 3.5km alongside the river to the pretty little village of Le Mesnil Villement.As well as a campsite overlooking the river (tel 02.31.69.46.12; closed Oct–Easter), Pont d'Ouilly offers an attractive hotel, the Du Commerce (tel 02.31.69.80.16; €30–40; closed Sun eve & Mon Oct–May), the quintessential French village hotel, with a friendly welcome and attentive service. Its restaurant is very popular with local families, serving superb, definitive Norman cooking, with plenty of creamy Pays d'Auge sauces, on menus that start at €11. About a kilometre north, the more upmarket Auberge St-Christophe (tel 02.31.69.81.23; €40–55; closed Sun evening, Mon & mid-Feb to mid-March) stands, covered with ivy and geraniums, in a beautiful setting on the right bank of the Orne. A short distance south of Pont-d'Ouilly is the Roche d'Oëtre, a high rock with a tremendous view into the deep and totally wooded gorge of the Rouvre, a tributary of the Orne.The river widens soon afterwards into the Lac du Rabodanges, formed by the many-arched Rabodanges Dam. Alternate spellings:: France, Pont d'Ouilly, Pont d'Ouilly, Pont d'Ouilly
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