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The towns of Bridport and St Vaast La Hougue are twinned by official charter, ratified in 1979. The aims of the Twinning Association are to forge “closer relationships in social, cultural, sporting and business activities leading to mutual understanding and the exchange of ideas”.

Bridport Twinning Association holds a variety of social events including some with the neighbouring twinning associations of Beaminster and Charmouth. The Association raises funds to send young people to our twin town to further their understanding of the French language and French culture. Members of both communities visit each other’s town for a weekend visit in alternate years.

In 2005 a plaque was placed on part of the new coastal defence development at West Bay, dedicating it as Place St Vaast La Hougue.

New members are always welcome. Please contact the Chairman at 197 St Andrews Road, Bridport; 01308 425300.

St Vaast La Hougue is a small coastal town just 30 minutes by car from Cherbourg. It has a thriving fishing fleet of 60 vessels and a marina with a capacity for 650 boats including 200 visiting craft. When the marina was built some twenty years ago, the Promenade de Bridport was dedicated in recognition of the friendship between the two towns.

St Vaast is renowned throughout France for the quality of its shellfish, notably mussels and oysters. The shellfish industry provides good employment for people in and around the town and at low tide the extent of the industry can be seen when the many shellfish beds are revealed.

The fortifications, after Vauban, are dramatic. The tower on the mainland giving the town its name, has a sister tower on the small off island of Tatihou where fortifications, including L’islet, encircle it. Tatihou is home to a maritime museum, botanical garden, bird reserve and hotel conference centre. It is possible to walk to the island from the mainland at low tide. The annual international August music festival on the island is built around such a crossing.

St Vaast has a bustling Saturday Street market where a range of local produce is sold. The area has very fertile soil and the quality of vegetables and salad is excellent.

St Vaast was the first French harbour liberated in the Second World War. The Normandy D-Day beaches and the poignant War cemeteries are a short drive away. Bayeux with its famous tapestry, Caen and the many historic chateaux in the area are also places of particular interest.

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