I have never felt inclined to take a holiday in a mobile home before, yet as I flicked through the Vacansolei brochure with my wife she assured me that holidaying in a mobile home was OK, so with that matter resolved we headed to Portsmouth for the ferry.

Now this was another matter that concerned me. Anyone who knows me knows I have a deep fear of ships and the sea, however I had made this trip before, albeit an overnight job, and that was on my own and not with a three-year-old in tow.

Anyone with a three-year-old will know that a one-hour journey in any mode of transport can be a challenge in keeping a small person happy let alone six hours on a ferry. Rest assured time flew by on the ship courtesy of a well organised schedule of children's activities which left me and the wife singing the praises of ferries.

We departed the ferry for a short 15-minute drive to our site in the small seaside town of St Aubin Sur Mer. Upon arrival we check in with the Vacansolei rep and pay the 150 euros deposit that is required. It is worth noting that the brochure states that you can pay by credit card but we are informed that you can only pay by cash so you could find yourselves eating into a large chunk of your spending money before your holiday has started.

With the formalities sorted we head to the mobile home which is situated on the far side of the camp site in a nice quiet dead end with a large grass area in front of the mobile home, ideal for Libby to play on. The mobile home itself is of a reasonable size with three bedrooms and a kitchen/lounge, separate toilet and shower. Those of you who are used to creature comforts will notice the absence of a TV and will have to get used to the good old form of conversation to pass the night away ... or a pack of cards as me and the wife found out!

We awake after a good night's sleep to find the weather slightly cloudy. Not looking like a beach day we head to Bayeux and its tapestry. The 70m tapestry tells the story of the Norman conquest of England and is well worth the seven euros 80 entry fee. Even Libby found parts of it interesting, the bits with dead soldiers with their heads cut off!

A quick walk across the road, we take in the impressive Bayeux Cathedral, the original, built in 1077, was the original home to the tapestry and it was here that William forced Harold to take the oath, the breaking of which led to the Norman conquest of England.

After this we head up to Omaha Beach and the American cemetery. Now I have been to the cemetery on a number of occasions and it still brings a lump to my throat every time I get that first glimpse of the 9,000 pristine white graves. As we leave Omaha Libby seems to have a new fascination for dead soldiers as me and my wife try to explain the history of the Second World War in three-year-old speak.

We head back to the camp site via a trip to the local hypermarket which is a convenient five-minute drive from the site. A trip to a hypermarket is always a highlight for me as you tend to get so much more fresh produce than in our supermarkets, plus it is always nice to come away with something different to try. On this occasion we find a nice blue cheese which we paid a number of visits to the market to stock up on.

The following morning we head to Jurques zoo, which is to the south west of Caen on the A84. The zoo itself is of a reasonable size and has a good selection of animals, including an impressive collection of lions. To take in all of the zoo takes no longer than a couple of hours.

So with the zoo out of the way we head back to the camp site and make use of the facilities which include a swimming pool and a good size children's playground with a selection of bouncy castles which sees me wishing I was three years old again and wanting to bounce the afternoon away.

Evening draws in and a drive in to Caen to find a place to eat along the marina. Caen has many restaurants to choose from, ranging in price and taste. We find ourselves a nice quite family restaurant and dine the night away.

We hadn't planned a visit to Rouen but I am glad that we did as it has some impressive sights to take in. Rouen is the historic capital city of Normandy set on the River Seine with the sky line dominated by the Notre-Dame Cathedral dating from the 12th century. Tucked around the corner is the Gros Horloge, an astronomical clock dating back to the 16th century. Another site to take in is the Palais de Justice, which was once the seat of the Parliament of Normandy.

Mont Saint Michel is a must for anyone with an interest in impressive buildings or quirky places; you can see why this place is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Set on a rocky tidal island with a narrow and steep "high" street leading up to the entrance to the abbey. Beware, this street can get very busy and is not the best place to drag a buggy or wheelchair up. Well, you can try but you're going to need to stop every couple of minutes to grab a breath of air or to stop and look in one of the many shops along the way.

We finish our week in Normandy with a trip to Honfleur, a place favoured by the Impressionist artist Claude Monet with its old, beautiful picturesque port, characterised by its houses with slate-covered frontages. The port is surrounded by a number of cafes and restaurants; we stop in one to have a quick café au lait. Now I have to say this was probably one of the most expensive coffees I have ever bought coming in at a hefty 16 euros for two small lukewarm cups!

With this in mind I need a lie down; we find a nice beach at Deauville to spend the afternoon on and I work out when I can next squeeze in a week's holiday in Normandy. I also wonder if Libby will ever stop talking about soldiers and Jesus as she has fitted in more war memorials and cathedrals than any other three-year-old I know.