Trip to the Normandy beaches.

Hi,

I've been wanting to make the trip over to Normandy for some time, I would like to visit the beaches where the D-Day landings took place.

My initial thoughts are to get the ferry to Caen and travel west to Pointe-Du-hoc and then Sainte-Mere-Eglise, visiting the beaches and memorial sites along the way.

Can only get a few days off work, so was looking at a long weekend (Fri-Mon) sometime around the middle of May 2011.

Has anyone on here done this sort of trip before, got any good info regarding ferry's, hotels, places to visit etc ????

Any advice would be really helpful.

Thanks in advance.

PS: I can't remember if I posted this before, sorry.

To be honest, you'd find plenty enough of interest with what you've said, provide you have a good potter about and so on, to fill a long weekend. Pointe du hoc within itself is pretty stunning, and if you take the time to walk along a couple of the landing beaches (partic Omaha) there's loads to see.

You might also visit Arromanches and Pegasus Bridge. And whilst you're in Normandy, a look at the Bayeaux Tapestry wouldn't be a waste of time.

Went there for a school trip about 5 years ago. It is an excellent and harrowing experience seeing all of the graves. I would agree with the post above that the Bayeaux Tapestry is worth a look.

Went there about ten years ago - we took the high-speed ferry from P*mpey to Cherbourg (don't know if that still runs?) but Brittany Ferries to Caen would be fine - I would take the Thursday overnight boat and get into Caen about 6am Friday if you really want to maximise your stay. Echo the other posts that the Bayeux Tapestry is worth a visit. It's a nice part of the world and the locals are friendly if you at least make an attempt to parlez a bit of Franglais with them.

Best bet is to take the overnight Poole to Cherbourg ferry and drive straight to Sancte Marie Ecclesi which was pretty much the Northen flank and the landing zone for the US Airborne....You can get there before daybreak and experience dawn in the square in front of St Marys church, famous for the parachutist caught up in the spire...Quite an experience...Then give your self two days to make your way down the 40 odd miles of beaches/landing zones to the Pegasus Bridge, which was pretty much the Southern Flank and the target for the British Airborne forces.

You'll definitely need two days to take everything in....even then you won't get to see everything, the whole area is pretty much a 40 mile long museum

and as others have said, definitely visit Pointe-Du-hoc and the British and American cemeteries and the remains of the Mulberry Harbou in Arromanches. There or Bayeux would be a good place to stop over for the night

Did this a few years ago for a long weekend.

My suggestion is use the ferry from Pompey to Cherbourg and return via Le Harvre. This makes sense if you prefer not to double back on your trip.

Head for Sainte-Mere-Eglise, Pointe Du Hoc and then Arromanches via the various beaches, etc. The film presentation in the museum at Arromanches is particularly moving. Visit the cemeteries including the German one. Pegusus bridge, etc, is all close by.

We stayed in Arromanche and Honfleur.

Agree with previous posters on what to see - it's all good and easy to find.

Colville Sur Mer where the big American cemetery is worth visiting along with the British cemetery in Bayeux just to see th edifferences between the two, good museums in both places and you'll also be on Omaha beach in Colville sur mer. Also near Pegasus bridge is a small cemetery with some graves of the special forces which are still tended by the locals in thanks and the church hasn't been repaired.

Stayed at he Lion D'or in Bayeux, lovely hotel and a good base.

Be prepared to feel incredibly humble and shed a few tears!!

Cheers for the info so far, very helpful.

A couple of questions...

- Have any of you ever camped, if so, got any suggestions for decent sites.

- Can you "wild camp"

- How busy are the cemetaries, museums. I know it depends on when you go and weather etc, but are they rammed with people, or do you have the time / space to take it all in on your own.

Cheers

Cheers for the info so far, very helpful.

 

A couple of questions...

 

- Have any of you ever camped, if so, got any suggestions for decent sites.

- Can you "wild camp"

- How busy are the cemetaries, museums. I know it depends on when you go and weather etc, but are they rammed with people, or do you have the time / space to take it all in on your own.

 

Cheers

I once went to Coleville on a Sunday. It was full of french families walking around in quiet contemplation. Very humbling. I would advise you to read as much as possible about the history of the landings and breakout before going. They showed 'The Longest Day' again last night which I never get tired of seeing.

I once went to Coleville on a Sunday. It was full of french families walking around in quiet contemplation. Very humbling. I would advise you to read as much as possible about the history of the landings and breakout before going. They showed 'The Longest Day' again last night which I never get tired of seeing.

This is a trip that I have been wanting to do for a long long time, mainly because of my fascination of anything to do with WW2. Since the age of about 15 / 16, I’ve been reading and learning about (what I consider to be) the single most important "event" in human civilisation. This trip really serves as a chance to see, with my own eyes, all the things I’ve been reading about all these years.

I have no personal attachment to the Normandy beaches (neither grand parent fought in the war as one was a fire man and the other worked in oil and were both considered to be needed on the home front) but I have this compelling urge to visit these places.

I know it was a long time ago, etc etc. but I still feel the need to go and pay my respects.

EDIT: I’m reading this book at the moment http://www.amazon.co.uk/Struggle-Europe-Wordsworth-Military-Library/dp/1853266779

Very well written, would strongly recommend

I was in a bar in Paris for the 50th anniversary of the landings. I met an american chap there called William J. Perret (I think). He was an 18 year old coxswain on a landing craft on Omaha (I think). He said he had been at Slapton Sands, D-Day, Guadacanal (or was it Iwo Jima?) He sent me a package with some facsimiles from the day. If I can find them I'll let you have copies.

I think it's a busy area most of the year but more so in the summer, especially August.

September or May would be good in my opinion.

A few years ago we went over on a Sunday from Portsmouth for a daytrip, fast cat both ways with P&O but Brittany Ferries run Portsmouth-Caen, Portsmouth - Cherbourg and Poole-Cherbourg until the end of October. We went up to Arromanches for lunch, Coleville cemetery and Bayeux for the tapestry. A great day out. On the same crossing a couple of weeks before, I was going down to the car when another passenger looked out of the window and said 'Hm, looks a bit different from the last time I was here'. He didn't look older than 50 but he had been on an LST that had got stuck all day on the beach between tides. He said that they found out that if they stopped shooting at the Germans then they would stop shooting back so there was nothing they could do except wait.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Forgotten-Voices-D-Day-Powerful-Normandy/dp/0091930111

Very good book to read, all frirst person perspective

Cheers for the info so far, very helpful.

 

A couple of questions...

 

- Have any of you ever camped, if so, got any suggestions for decent sites.

- Can you "wild camp"

- How busy are the cemetaries, museums. I know it depends on when you go and weather etc, but are they rammed with people, or do you have the time / space to take it all in on your own.

 

Cheers

I camped five or six years ago on a site overlooking Omaha Beach, in Vierville-Sur-Mer - looks from a quick google like it's called Camping Omaha Beach. Basic but a decent location. Turned up in the middle of August and pitched without a booking. There are plenty of campsites in the area so you ahouldn't have too much trouble finding one.

Can't comment on wild camping - might be worth trying the good people over on ukcampsite.co.uk

You should have all the time and space you want at any of the cemetries, there's always people there but it's all pretty sombre and you'll have as much or as little time as you want.

Would re-iterate that you should do US cemetary at Colville, Arromanche - include the 360 degree cinema up on the hill, UK cemetary at Bayeux - include the town and tapesrty while you are there too. Plus any number of the smaller buerial sites too.

Most moving part was swimming with my boys off Omaha Beach thinking what it must have been like for the lads in 1944 in full kit walking ashore. Makes you feel very VERY humble.

If you get the time,try to visit the town of Sainte-Mere-Eglise on the road to Cherbourg.Its well worth a visit.

They have a dummy of an American paratrooper hanging from the church to signify the sacrifice made by the 82nd and 101st airborne troops who were dropped on top of the village, while the Germans shot at them.

There is a great museum in the town which also has original gliders,uniforms, tanks etc.

The people there are welcoming as well.

I've been over many many times as my in laws have a house at Port en Bessin which is pretty much slap bang in the middle of the landing beaches.

I would say my "must see's" would be.......

The Airbourne Museum at St Mere Eglise

http://www.musee-airborne.com/eng/page.php?page=airborne_museum

The Grandcamp Maisy Battery (Newly discovered about 5 years ago and totally unearthed)

http://www.maisybattery.com/

Pont du Hoc

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointe_du_Hoc

A walk along Omaha beach

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omaha_Beach

American Cemetary at colleville sur mere.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_American_Cemetery_and_Memorial

The British cemetary in Bayaux with the Battle of Normandy museum opposite

http://battlefieldsww2.50megs.com/bayeux_war_cemetery.htm

http://battlefieldsww2.50megs.com/museum_of_the_battle_of_normandy.htm

The Bayaux Tapestry (Amazing. Really worth a trip)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayeux_tapestry

Arromanches museum and mulberry harbour

http://www.arromanches-museum.com/accueil/index.php?lang=uk

360 degree cinema at Arromanches (Excellent)

http://www.arromanches360.com/en/

Longues sur mere gun battery.

http://web.ukonline.co.uk/gaz/longues.html

Pegasus Bridge (Site of a newish museum thats been built since i was last there)

http://www.memorial-pegasus.org/mmp/musee_debarquement/index.php?lang=uk

There are also many many other museums along the coast route as you drive along. Some worth stopping at, some not. But there are all rather inexpensive and when you go to the first one you'll generally get a pamphlete that will give you a reduction in the rest as you go along.

Any specific questions drop me an email mutley74@hotmail.co.uk

In 'The Longest Day' Port en Bessin was used as the setting for Lieutenant Kieffer's attack on Ouistreham.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_Kieffer

Very good Museum all about it at Southsea too, pop in before / after getting ferry?

Always remember a school trip to the landing beaches and cemeteries in Year 9 or 10. We were all on the coaches laughing and joking but once we arrived everyone, even those who I would have thought would have no time for it, just stopped talking and realised the emotion of the place, and the sacrifices made. Everyone just walked around in silent contemplation, taking in the enormity of how many died so we could have the freedoms we take for granted today.