By JACKIE BROWN PA Features

"REPEAT after me," came the voice from behind. Fight, fight that cellulite."

If I had been under any illusions as to why my boyfriend had bought me a bike for my 35th birthday, then it was certainly crystal clear now.

But looking at the quiet country road stretching out ahead, I was just glad that he hadn't simply saddled me with a gym membership. Clocking up miles around Normandy is a lot more fun than spending ages puffing away on the treadmill or step machine.

We had chosen Normandy for my first cycling holiday because it was easy and affordable. It was only when we arrived that I appreciated the other obvious advantage that the area has -- it is pretty flat.

It is popular with cyclists, with many people choosing to spend several days making their way along the coastline between Cherbourg and Caen, a distance of about 130 miles. Because of shortage of time and my lack of expertise, we decided to keep it simple and travel between Caen and Port en Bessin.

It may have seemed wimpish but it was a relief that it was going to be physically easier and there would be more time to look around the area.

There is plenty to see from the string of beaches which were the scene of the 1944 landings by Allied troops and the many museums and monuments to the thousands who died, to the historic city of Bayeux with its world famous tapestry. My enthusiasm for the trip took a definite dip on the first morning, however, when we looked out of our hotel to see grey skies and wet pavements. Somehow rain hadn't figured in my idea of a cycling holiday.

Rather reluctantly we packed up and left the town in the direction of Port en Bessin about 30 miles away where we would be spending the next two nights.

Within a couple of hours it had brightened up considerably and we were making our way along country roads with flat fields stretching away on either side. The tiny towns we passed through were remarkably quiet with no shops and the only signs of life were in the small, dark bars. It didn't take us long to discover Normandy's famous cider, which tasted a lot nicer than the stuff I used to knock back at teenage parties.

We had a cycling map bought in a newsagent which showed various routes but we chose to meander around the countryside, taking pot luck to see what we found. Finally -- after 45 miles on my bike's computer -- we approached our destination in late afternoon.

The final hurdle of the day was what turned out to be the steepest hill of the trip which we had to get up to reach our hotel, a striking-looking converted old chalet.

With a bit of determination I made it, but the effort put paid to any ideas of going out for the night. Instead, we dined on the chalet's excellent three-course menu, which cost the equivalent of about £10, before staggering to bed.

The next day was spent exploring the area -- on our bikes, of course.

An essential stop was the American cemetery at St-Laurent-sur-mer which is above Omaha beach where thousands of US soldiers died.

At one end of the cemetery a huge muscular statue dominates an array of battlefield plans and diagrams. But what leaves a lasting impression is the endless rows of white crosses stretching into the distance, which mark the individual graves. Further east along the coast at Arromanches it is possible to see the remains of an artificia Mulberry harbour, Port Winston, which protected the landings of 2,500,000 men and 500,000 vehicles during the invasion over 50 years ago.

The seafront Musee du Debarquement in the main square recounts the whole story of what was a striking engineering feat by means of models, machinery and films.

By contrast to monuments of the Second World War, is the medieval city of Bayeux which we spent the last morning of our trip exploring. With its magnificent cathedral and tapestry, it is one of the high points of this part of Normandy.

We made the return journey to Caen taking the coast road which for some reason had been marked on the map as being difficult.

It didn't appear to be any worse than what we had done already.

Back in Caen we toasted the end of our round trip with -- of course -- cider. With all our comings and goings we had cycled about 120 miles which was a good deal more than we expected.

I had been exhausted at the end of each day but I had come through it unscathed with no aches or pains. I certainly felt fitter than at the beginning of the trip - although I couldn't go as far as claiming that it solved that cellulite problem.

TRAVELFACTS:

JACKIE Brown travelled with Brittany Ferries. A three-night break costs from £97 per person. This includes ferry crossings from Portsmouth-Caen or Poole-Cherbourg and three nights hotel accommodation based on two people sharing and including breakfast. Call Brittany Ferries on 0870 5 360 360 or visit www.brittanyferries.com.

One thing to bear in mind on a cycling holiday is that bikes are easy prey for thieves. Make sure you leave them locked up in a safe place and also check that you have adequate insurance - it is worth bearing in mind that many travel insurance deals do not cover bikes although your home policy might