This is a 6 day trip with travel and accomodation to Normandy. 

Tour Itinerary:

Day 1 

Meet at port, group introductions and ferry boarding at 09:30 hours

Take ferry service from Newhaven to Dieppe

The group will ride to the accommodation and get settled in.  This journey is 52 miles and will take approximately 1 hour.

You will spend the rest of the day settling in at the accommodation, exploring St Mere Eglise and learning of its liberation. If you wish there is the option to eat together at a local restaurant in the evening. 

Day 2

Guided visits to:

Meuville Battery – this is not just a museum but an immersion in the reality of history.  Entry currently costs 8 euros and it takes about an hour to go around the museum.  We will also have time for refreshments should you wish.

Pegasus Bridge and the Pegasus Museum - The Pegasus Memorial Museum, located between Caen and the sea, tells the story of when the very first liberators of the Ox and Bucks regiment led by Major John Howard on 6th of June 1944.

Entry currently costs 9 euros and it takes about 90 minutes to go around the museum.  We will also have time for refreshments should you wish.

You will then have time in the afternoon to spend as you wish or talk to your guide about other routes to ride in the region.

Day 3

Guided visits to:

Normandy Beaches – the D Day beaches extend for over 70 km from Sainte Marie du Mont to Ouistreham via Colleville sur Mer and Arromanches les Bains.

D Day Museum 

Marie Du Mont. A very small village with a plethera of history and some great souvenir shops.

Follow the coastal road to base.

You will then have the afternoon to spend as you wish or talk to your guide about other routes to ride in the region.

Day 4 

Guided visits to:

Pont Du Hoc - Located between Omaha Beach and Utah Beach, Pointe du Hoc is one of the key heritage sites along the D-Day Landing beaches in Normandy.  The World War II Pointe du Hoc Ranger Monument is located on a cliff eight miles west of Normandy American Cemetery, which overlooks Omaha Beach, France. Regale in the heroics  of how the Rangers conquered this formidable piece of land.

Mulberry Harbours – The ‘Mulberry Harbours’ were a WWII civil engineering project of immense size and complexity.  You will see the remainders of the floating harbours that provided port facilities during the invasion of Normandy and the influx of thousands of tonnes of equipment and vehicles.

Longues Sur Mer - The German artillery battery at Longues-sur-Mer may not have been the most powerful in Normandy, but it was one of the best located to oppose the landings of 6 June 1944. Installed slightly back from the edge of a sixty-meter-high cliff, it was positioned directly opposite the Allied fleet and right between Omaha and Gold landing beaches. It is a gun battery fully in tactwith a great story behind its destruction.

You will then have the afternoon to spend as you wish or talk to your guide about other routes to ride in the region.

Day 5 

Guided visits to:

Dead Man’s Corner and D Day Experience Museum – this is a fantastic two-in-one museum experience.  Alongside the historic ‘Dead Man’s Corner’ museum is a new state of the art exhibiton complete with flight simulator experience which really is not to be missed.  Entrance costs from 10 euros but if you want the full experience of both museums with flight simulator it will cost 19.90 euros

Carentan – Carentan is a quaint town surrounded by vast wetlands and marshes teeming with wildlife - but it is most famous as the site of the fierce Battle of Carentan during the Battle of Normandy in WW2.  Here you will have chance to explore the town on foot, do a little shopping or sit in a café and sample local delights and watch the world go by. 

Angouville - Hidden down ancient lanes long sunk into the Normandy countryside, Angoville is reached by a single track road.  This is a hamlet, not even a village; with a few tidy houses leading up to a well proportioned stone church, set within tended grounds.  A peaceful scene that hides shocking scars still visible from 1944.

Time allowing:

Mont St Michel  - A magical island topped by a gravity defying abbey this really is an iconic place to visit in Normandy.  The visitor car parks have been moved further inland to preserve the Mont-Saint-Michel’s exceptional landscape. The car parks are around 1.5 miles from the mount, and you can either walk or take advantage of the regular shuttle busses to get to the mount.  Once inside you can browse the shops, enjoy one of the many bars or cafes or walk up and climb the stairs to the top and take advantage of the great views.

You will then have the evening to spend as you wish or join the group for a meal in the local town.

Day 6 

Return to the UK

Leaving the accomodation the group will return to the port to catch the ferry. From there you will be able to make your own way back home.

Highlights

1. Caen bunker- German fire direction post from Rommelsatlantic wall, the capture of which is a fascinating story involving a crane, two soldiers and a lot of wine. 

2. Pegasus bridge and museum, John Howards coup de main, visit the landing zones and the café with a visit to the museum.

3. Merville battery- Otwells coup de main were mostly redundant of a fighting force, he went ahead with a daring commando raid and secured a comprehensive German bunker. It is to this day very much complete and intact. 

4. Pont du hoc- Rudders finest hour an assault on a cliff face battery, mounted by the US rangers, supported by the royal marines. One of the most ordacious missions of the d-day landings.

5. Caranten one of the major towns during the allied invasion. Liberated by 101st major Winters easy company made famous by band of brothers. Great for shopping.

6. Church at Angoville- forward medical centre set up by the US and treated both US and German soldiers, a huge bloody battlefield that still today displays the scars of a bloody, violent battle.

7. Longues sur mer- part of the Atlantic wall, four, still intact gun emplacements, one of which obtained a direct hit for a little-known reason. Also, mulberry harbours.

8.  War graves

9. Dead man’s corner museum- best museum in Normandy

10. Beaches- Omaha, Utah and the bremont manor

11. Chef du pont- iron Mike, medal of honour.

12. Saint mere eglise- John steel on the tower and one of the first liberated towns, fierce fighting took place here in d-day. Evidence of this is still clearly visible.  A visit to the US airborne museum.

13. Bayeaux- Famous for the tapestry, but magnificent for restaurants and shopping. It overflows with history

14. Saint malo- Ancient walled city cut off from the tide. A beautiful town to explore with an abundance of bars, restaurants and shops on an island cut of from the mainland with tidal waters

The trip is suitable for newly qualified riders who have never ventured abroad and the experienced rider with an interest in this period of history. Daily distances will be manageable. Less than 100 miles per day and will strongly depend on the group. 

Accommodation will be an AirB&B with significant history in or very close to Saint Mere Eglise 

£899 per bike and rider

The cost of the trip includes travel, bed and breakfast.

It includes an experienced guide with extensive knowledge of the area and its history.

It does not include lunch, dinner and refreshments, petrol, insurance or breakdown cover. You will also need to pay for entry to museums and attractions as charged by the venues and any other sundries.

Bike & Rider on a shared room basis:

If you are ready to book your place you can pay your deposit here.