Cormolain
Before the First World War Cormolain was a major stopping-off point between St Lô and Caen, about a day's walk from each. It had a population of over 1,000, with hôtels, restaurants and even a railway station.
However, after the war, the new main road took a detour via Bayeux and Cormolain was effectively bypassed and gradually left to decline. The population shrank to a little over 300, although it is gradually increasing again and now stands at just over 400 people.
One of the advantages of Cormolain being bypassed was that it didn't suffer from the ugly 1960s urban sprawl that spoilt other, more prosperous, small towns.
Cormolain is also lucky that it has managed to keep its boulangerie, a very good butcher's, as well as a small general store and a bar (although it's closed at the moment while it seeks a new owner). Vitally, it also has a small school. The post office recently closed, was relocated to the bar, in typical French pragmatic fashion, but has found a new home in a smaller, re-opened post office. For a time, you could buy stamps and a bière and shotgun shells at over the same counter!
La Basse-Cour is just a couple of hundred yards from the boulangerie but is also the first - or last - building you come to in the village, so it has views over open countryside. The farm sits beside one of the minor roads out of the village, so there is little traffic.
