Attractions …

ZOO DE CHAMPREPUS – on our doorstep, a short walk away and well worth a visit.

GRANVILLE – Large town on the coast, most facilities. Carnival before Lent when all the fishing boats would depart for the Grand Banks in search of Cod. Many event throughout the summer – my favourite being ‘La Nuit des Soudeurs’ when welders construct sculptures out of scrap metal in the street without too much regard for Health & Safety. The event goes on all weekend with lots of side-shows and prizes awarded for the best efforts

D-DAY MUSEUMS
The invasion beaches are about an hour’s drive away. For newcomers I do a tour starting at …

Pegasus Bridge – site of the amazingly successful glider attack during the early hours of D-Day. Continue to Ouistreham and follow the coast to …

Hermanville – a personal thing for me. I helped deliver the memorial to all allied naval personnel killed during the assault, funded by a group of old comrades and erected by the local community. As you approach the town from the east, turn right at the tank and take the first on the right (Place Félix Faure) down to the beach. Quite a long journey then through several small coastal resorts to …

Arromanches – in my view the best of the museums, with the remains of the old ‘Mulberry Harbour’ and an excellent explanation of what took place there. There is also a short slide presentation which I still find emotionally disturbing despite having watched it many times. Again, continuing west for quite a while to …

St Laurent-sur-Mer (American Cemetery) – Enormous and a mighty tribute to the human sacrifice … but I always find it a bit too glorious, somehow. There is also the opportunity to marvel at the feat of the American Rangers who stormed the cliff using ladders from the supplier to the London Fire Brigade. Head back toewards the N13 and follow it to …

La Cambe – a smaller but much more sombre affair, for German soldiers but well maintained with a more ‘European’ feel by the French – no bad thing in my view – the whole thing was a disaster for everybody, after all.

Bayeux – is worth a visit by itself. Apart from the Battle of Normandy museum and the British War Cemetery there is of course the Memorial to that other invasion – in 1066.

Sainte Mère Eglise – Quite a bit further north, but worth a visit if you’re travelling via Cherbourg, for example is the American Airborne Museum. There is still a parachutist hanging in his straps from the Church tower although I do believe it is just a dummy now …

LE MONT ST. MICHEL – The iconic island abbey which still makes me catch my breath when I see the unmistakable shape, often from the cliffs at Champeaux but also unexpectedly from time to time.