Normandy beaches etc
Discussion
NormalWisdom said:
I have to agree - Honfleur is an overrated pile of tourist bait. Go once, enjoy the picturesque harbour and little alleys with funky shops. All are very expensive as are the restaurants around the harbour with quality rarely matching the cost (restaurants away from the harbour are better but just not the same ambience especially if outside in the Summer). Don't get me wrong, it is a lovely place to go but for the D-Day experiences you're better-off West of Caen
Thanks.We stayed here the last time we visited, Nice pool, sauna etc and good restaurant
http://www.chateau-de-sully.com/en/
Port en Bessin is a really nice little local port.
The museum on the front at Arromanches is well worth a visit for the model of the building of the port. Really wet told story
http://www.chateau-de-sully.com/en/
Port en Bessin is a really nice little local port.
The museum on the front at Arromanches is well worth a visit for the model of the building of the port. Really wet told story
What a great thread , far more informative than any travel guide , written by people who have actually been there , we are taking our teenage (13) grandson to France this year .The main part of the trip will be the Dordogne , but we will be spending 2 or 3 days visiting Normandy
He has a genuine interest and in depth knowledge of WW2 , and would like to visit the area of the Normandy beaches .
This thread contains just the sort of information we need to get the most out of the visit .
Bookmarked
He has a genuine interest and in depth knowledge of WW2 , and would like to visit the area of the Normandy beaches .
This thread contains just the sort of information we need to get the most out of the visit .
Bookmarked
I did a few days in Normandy last year. All the places I visited were mentioned previously.
But if you want a place to stay try Angoville 44. Colonel Sink stayed here after the drops and they have an amazing breakfast.
Visit the church a few 100m away. It was used as a field hospital.
But if you want a place to stay try Angoville 44. Colonel Sink stayed here after the drops and they have an amazing breakfast.
Visit the church a few 100m away. It was used as a field hospital.
I know this Chateau well as it's owned by a friend:
https://www.chateaudecanisy.com
About 45 mins from the beaches. PM me if you want any details.
https://www.chateaudecanisy.com
About 45 mins from the beaches. PM me if you want any details.
Another interesting place to visit (not D-Day related) is the Chateau Balleroy. It was bought in 1970 by Malcolm Forbes (of Forbes magazine). Mrs Wisdom's grandfather was a master craftsman and responsible for much of the woodwork restoration. As a young girl, Mrs Wisdom would accompany her Grandfather to work where she met Malcolm Forbes who took great pleasure in showing her his collection of Faberge eggs (he once owned more than the Kremlin!). Mrs Wisdom takes great pleasure in recounting tales of her visits and how she was allowed to handle the eggs!!!!
Feel free to add "Oooeerrr Missus" as appropriate ;-)
Feel free to add "Oooeerrr Missus" as appropriate ;-)
MXRod said:
we will only be able to spend 2 full days in the area , so a lot to cram in.....
Suggestions of the important places to visit in that time to make the best of the visit to the area would be welcome
Pegasus Bridge, Arromanche, US Cemetery at Omaha and St Mere Eglise are the key bits to start with.Suggestions of the important places to visit in that time to make the best of the visit to the area would be welcome
schmalex said:
St Mere Eglise is a bit of a disappointment, really. It’s become heavily commercialised and misses the importance of the event
American innit?I’ll grant you the square and the shops/cafes around it have become very Disney. I’d avoid the C47 Cafe at all costs.
The museum there is very good though.
Voldemort said:
Get a copy of Major & Mrs Holt's Battlefield Guide to D-Day and the Normandy Landing Beaches. It is the *bible* level guidebook.
I have a copy of their map (available from Amazon) which seems to be more comprehensive (yet clear) than anything else I've seen in guide books and online.Just need to get my act in gear and book a week off work to get across.
On a related note on this side of the channel, I recently visited the new-ish D-Day museum on Portland, it is pretty small (it's a dockside warehouse room) but plenty of things in there, is focussed on the local departures and you get to see some Mulberry Harbour blocks out of the window, so well worth popping in if you are in South Dorset (perhaps visiting the Tank Museum).
MXRod said:
What a great thread , far more informative than any travel guide , written by people who have actually been there , we are taking our teenage (13) grandson to France this year .The main part of the trip will be the Dordogne , but we will be spending 2 or 3 days visiting Normandy
He has a genuine interest and in depth knowledge of WW2 , and would like to visit the area of the Normandy beaches .
This thread contains just the sort of information we need to get the most out of the visit .
Bookmarked
Worth checking which particular bits he's read about a knows the most about. For me visiting Pegasus Bridge having read Stephen Aubrey's book added a lot to the experience, especially seeing the markers showing where the gliders landed in rlation to everything else.He has a genuine interest and in depth knowledge of WW2 , and would like to visit the area of the Normandy beaches .
This thread contains just the sort of information we need to get the most out of the visit .
Bookmarked
Similarly with the beaches, visiting a beach to see the actual geography where he knows a bit about the battle would be far more interesting than a beach he doesn't know about, and giving the number of books and films about that might mean an American beach not British.
pitboard said:
The Caen Memorial Museum is well worth a visit
https://normandy.memorial-caen.com/museum
I was surprised it took so long for someone to suggest this. A fantastic museum. Very moving, yet appropriate for families. https://normandy.memorial-caen.com/museum
Abbott said:
I have been to Pegasus bridge many times and it never fails to be a deeply Moving experience
Agreed. My lad, who at 16 barely registers things with more than a grunt, was truly blown away and inspired by Pegasus bridge and how they managed to drop the gliders so close and accurately. You can also get awesome Moules Frites in Ouistreham!!!
schmalex said:
St Mere Eglise is a bit of a disappointment, really. It’s become heavily commercialised and misses the importance of the event.
Arromanches is excellent and the Arromanches 360 is definitely worth visiting (buy tickets online to jump the queues)
I agree - I would substitute Ste M-E with the German cemetery or the battery at Longues Sur-Mer or Pointe du Hoc.Arromanches is excellent and the Arromanches 360 is definitely worth visiting (buy tickets online to jump the queues)
I still maintain that the Maisy Battery is one of the best places to visit for an experience of the conditions, it is largely intact (albeit re-exposed to the elements) and gives visitors a much better impression of what it was "really" like.
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