Round trip from Honfleur visiting WW2 D DAY SITES
This route was brought to you by:
RouteXpert Nick Carthew - (MRA Master)
Last edit: 21-12-2022
Route Summary
Some of the D-Day sites all very thought provoking and worth a visit.The tour starts and finishes on the South bank of the River Seine, in Honfleur, perhaps the prettiest harbours in all of France.
I have awarded 4**** stars for this route because it's all about the attractions.
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Verdict
Duration
9h 58m
Mode of travel
Car or motorcycle
Distance
201.21 km
Countries
Merville Battery
RouteXpert Review
WW2 D Day sites of Normandy.This route is all about the sites to visit rather than the ride itself, although there are still plenty of things to feed your eyes in between the stops. Normandy is a great area to visit and is full of interesting things to see and do. This is a circle route starting from the stunningly beautiful harbour town of Honfleur. The architecture of half timbered houses, the magnificent views of the Pont de Normandie, the seafood restaurants, bars and shops make Honfleur a good base for exploring the area. In September 2016, five of us plus four motorcycles stayed for 7 nights in an Airbnb cottage in Honfleur, much cheaper and more convenient than a hotel.
This route, like most of my routes, starts with fuel close to the start. The route is 125 miles and will take a little over 4hrs of actual riding time but with all of the stops and things to see, we took 11 hrs, so an early start is advised.
When we visited the Batteries du Mont Canisy, it was looking a little overgrown but it is still interesting and it is free. Situated on the highest ground in Normandy overlooking the mouth of the River Seine and the harbour of Le Harve. The battery has been an important defensive site since the middle ages and following the fall of France the position was occupied by the Germans and upgraded to eventually form part of the Atlantic Wall Defences. The Germans placed four 155mm guns on the site, initially in open emplacements with a 306 degree traverse. These were later updated to be housed in concrete casemates pointed towards the coast to protect the guns from air attack.
Today the site allows you to see the casemates, gun emplacements and fortified constructions linked by a 250 meter subterranean gallery. The surface is now a nature reserve which is open to the public all year but the subterranean features and free guided tours are only run on selected dates. I believe they have guided tours on Mondays.
We now go along the coast past the Greenwich Meridian Line marker to the Batterie de Merville, this is a must see site and is very well kept, hence there is a small fee 6.50 € and free parking. A Dakota C-47 SNAFU special parked outside dominates your arrival. There is a sound and light show in one of the bunkers which gives you a fully immersive feel. A total refurbishment of pillbox 1, which had been restored to its original state as at dawn on 6 June, and in which, thanks to odour spreaders, light effects and a highly sophisticated audio system providing spatial sound effects, you can relive the minutes that preceded the neutralisation of the battery.
Next we visit the most iconic of of the D-Day sites - the Pegasus Memorial Museum and Pegasus Bridge. I don't think I need to write much about these, once again they are a must see on your list. It costs 8 € to enter, money well spent in my opinion. The museum is full of personal effects of the brave men that fought, seeing these made it feel real. There is a full size replica Horsa Glider in the grounds as well as several sections from original Horsa Gliders. The original bridge is in the grounds too after it was replaced with a wider a stronger one in 1994. The Café Gondrée stands on the northern bank of the canal, near Pegasus Bridge. It was the first house to be freed on D-Day and was listed Historical Monument in 1987.
It's a short ride to the next site. The Hillman fort was a German bunker complex and command post. It is hardly visible from the road as most of it is underground. It is free to see and worth a visit.
We had a late lunch at Courseulles sur Mer at a very nice hotel/bistro called Au P'tit Mousse where we dined on Moules frites for 12 € yum yum.
The British Normandy Memorial is just a short ride after lunch.
The memorial records the names of the 22,442 servicemen and women under British command who fell on D-Day and during the Battle of Normandy in the summer of 1944. This includes people from more than 30 different countries. Inscribed in stone, their names have never, until now, been brought together. The site also includes a French Memorial, dedicated to the memory of French civilians who died during this time.
Along the coast now and past Gold Beach, and onto the 360° cinema at Arromanches and the Mulberry Harbour (Port Winston). The cinema show lasts for about 15 mins and costs 6 €. You are surrounded by 9 giant screens all playing simultaneously with a thundering soundtrack. We all felt a little tearful as we left.
There are great views of the Mulberry Harbour from here too.
Just down the hill at Arromanches Beach, there are plenty of places to eat or have a coffee, we found it to be quite arty too.
The Longues sur Mer gun battery is impressive and free to see. The Atlantic Wall fortifications had a key position in Longues-sur-Mer with a gun battery consisting of a large command bunker and four gun positions with concrete casemates. There were also smaller machine gun emplacements and shelters for personnel, but the star attractions were definitely the 152mm navy guns with their steel enclosures. Disabling this gun battery that was overlooking the landing beaches Omaha and Gold was a major task of the D-Day operation.
Into the city of Bayeux next for the Bayeux War Cemetery and Bayeux Museum. To be honest, we didn't have enough time to visit the museum. The cemetery contains 4,648 burials, mostly of the invasion of Normandy. Opposite this cemetery stands the Bayeux Memorial which commemorates more than 1,800 casualties of the Commonwealth forces who died in Normandy and have no known grave.
From here, the route travels through the city of Caen past the Carpique Airfield. On June 6, 1944, the Allies commenced a second front in Normandy, and both Caen and Carpiquet Airport became objectives for the British and Canadian units landing on Sword and Juno Beaches. The complexity and magnitude of the Carpiquet defenses by early July are worth noting. In a one-square-mile area around the village and the wheat fields that spread around the airport, the Germans had an estimated six 75mm cannons in turrets of concrete and steel as well as twelve anti-aircraft guns, some of which were the formidable 88mm.
From here we go onto the lovely medieval village of Beaumont en Auge, this is a great place to stop for a coffee and admire the old architecture. Back to our rented cottage now for a slap up feast and BBQ.
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Horsa Glider
Mulberry Harbour.
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Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
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