D-Day by bike
This is just a very rough suggestion of an itinerary. If anyone has any other suggestions, or places they'd like to visit, please let me know.
Those who have crossed overnight from Portsmouth on LD Lines will probably have met up on the ferry. If not, we'll wait after passport control and before the first roundabout. There's usually plenty of people parked to meet up with friends, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find one another.
We'll leave Le Havre and head east, crossing the Seine by the Pont de Normandie (pictured left). It's a toll bridge, but free to bikes. Just make sure you head for one of the manned booths (just like at the Dartford crossing). Unless anyone is really keen to stick to the autoroutes, we'll turn off and take a scenic route to La Basse-Cour.
We should arrive in Cormolain by mid-morning. Depending on the state of the grass, those who are camping can pitch their tents, or we may need to mow it first. I suggest a quick trip to the supermarket to stock up on food and booze (I keep a van in France, so we can use that).
The camping area.
A few people will be arriving from the overnight ferry to Le Havre, so we'll wait for them to arrive before heading out for the day.
Normandy is much more than D-Day of course, so I suggest we head to Swiss Normandy for a day in the hills. The hills aren't high, but they are steep. There's are opportunities for a little offroading if anyone wants to have a go. There's an abandoned German bunker on Mont Pinçon we can have a look at, as well as a memorial or two. For those who'd like to visit a museum there's one in Falaise in one of William the Conqueror's castles and there's a WW2 museum too.
I've drawn up a rough plan, but am happy to change it if anyone's got any other ideas of places to visit.
The coast has lots of parades to visit and the whole area is crowded. With bikes, we should be able to find places to park.
Among the things to see are Port-en-Bessin (where PLUTO came ashore), Arromanches (where the remains of the Mulberry harbour are), and the beaches of Gold, Juno and Sword. For those who want to see the American angle, there's Omaha Beach and Ste Mere-Eglise (look out for the parachutist hanging from the church steeple) to the north.
Again, I've had a go at a route that will take in pretty much everything, time allowing.
Nothing planned for this day, so feel free to explore wherever you wish. Perhaps a day for Mont-St-Michel? It's less than a couple of hours away and can be combined with a trip to Dol-de-Bretagne (route here). Or perhaps a cruise up the Contentin peninsula towards Cherbourg? There's a maritime museum in Cherbourg that's worth visiting, and the coastline is lovely (here's a scenic route).
It's also market day in St Lô. As it's a départment capital, the market is pretty big and well worth a visit, even if only to marvel at the huge variety of, say, garlic on sale. There is also fresh fruit and vegetables, hardware, clothes and live animals.
Or, if you fancy touring more of the the D-Day sites, there are a couple of other Mapsource routes available - one for the American sector and another for the Allied one.
There are quite a few of us booked on the evening ferry from Le Havre, so for those who fancy a scenic ride, we'll pack up and leave after a late breakfast and take the coastal route via the millionaires' playgrounds of Deuville and Trouville, arriving at Le Havre by 4pm for our ferry home.
