From Le Havre to La Basse Cour
This is written mainly for those crossing with LD Lines to Le Havre, but if you're coming from further north, just pick the route up at the Pont de Normandie. From Le Havre it's 83 miles.
Once you've crossed the Pont de Normandie, turn off at the first junction. It takes you to a roundabout, where you want to take the first exit.
Go straight over the next roundabout (unless you want petrol, in which case turn right and there's a supermarket on your left.
You don't go into Honfleur, but at the next roundabout (by the McDonald's) turn left and head up the hill on the D144.
A few miles later look out for the right hand turn, which you want to take - onto the D288.
Carry on along the D288, crossing the D677 (it's a left, then right) on onto the D27.
This takes you to the D513, where you turn left.
Follow this until you're almost in Caen, where you turn off onto the D224 towards Ranville.
This road will take you over Pegasus Bridge. Well, although it's still called Pegasus Bridge, the WWII bridge no longer spans the river. It was removed a few years ago and placed outside the museum which is just before the canal and river on your right. There's a museum too, if enough people want to stop. An alternative is to visit the museum on the way home on Sunday, as it's not too far off our route.
After you've crossed the river, turn right onto the D35 and head towards Colleville-Montgomery.
(If we have time, a short detour south from Colleville-Montgomery on the "rue de Régiment Suffolk" takes you to Fort Hillman, a heavily-fortified German control centre that played a key rôle in halting the advance on 6th June. Otherwise Caen may have been taken on 7th June, as was Bayeux. Instead, the battle for Caen raged for many weeks and the town was eventually almost completely destroyed. By contrast, Bayeux was almost unmarked.)
From Colleville-Montgomery, stay on the D35 through Cresserons and Douvres-la-Déliverande.
Stay on the D35, which becomes the D176 and, after Villiers-le-Sec becomes the D12.
Eventually you reach the Bayeux ring road at a set of traffic lights. You turn left and follow the ring road, going straight over the roundabout with Eisenhower on it and the next roundabout with the half-timbered house right beside the roundabout.
Turn left at the next roundabout which will take you on the D572 towards St Lô.
Follow the D572 through Noron-la-Poterie and into the adjacent village which is La Tuilerie.
Keep your eyes open in La Tuilerie, because you need to take the turning left onto the D73. It's not very well signposted and is on a stretch of wide open, dead straight road - it's very easy to miss. (See below if you do miss it!)
Follow the D73 into Balleroy. At the bottom of the hill by the château the road bends to the right, but you turn left onto the D28.
A couple of miles further on, take the right hand turn by a crucifix onto the D116. It's signposted to Cormolain.
Follow this road through Planquery and for another couple of miles, until you come into Cormolain.
After you pass the Cormolain sign, take the first right turn (there's a kind of blue pyramid on your left) then take the first left and La Basse Cour is the first track on your left. If you come to a crossroads, you've gone 50 yards too far!
(If you do miss the turn in La Tuilerie, it's not a disaster, just follow the road until you come to a large roundabout. Take the last (fourth) exit, signposted Balleroy, then go straight ahead when the road sweeps round to the left, in front of the château.)
Here's a TomTom route. (right-click, then click on "save as" and save it to your TomTom.)
And for those who use Mapsource.
