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Normandy

Normandy is situated on the North West coast of France at The English Channel. Erratic cliffs are interchanged by wide sandy beaches; the hinterland is scoured with tough, stringy bushes of briar, winding alleys and picturesque villages. Normandy is roughly split up into two parts:
- Departement Haute Normandie which is divided into Eure and Seine Maritime.
- Departement Basse Normandie which is divided into Orne, Calvados and Manche.

In this write up I will take you along to the part of Normandy between Caen and Cherbourg; in short, the part situated in the West at the sea side of the E46. If you want to join me, take the local Michelin map with you. (Michelin Map nr. 303, yellow).

From the Chunnel, Normandy is easily within reach. You drive through Calais, the E44 to Le Havre, Pont de Normandie, then the E46 to Caen, Bayeux, you will see the morning sun shining over the sea in Normandy. By the time the local baker shop is positioning its freshly baked baguettes and croissants on the shelves you can breathe the fresh air on the wide beaches of Courseulles sur Mer, Arromanches les Bains or Colleville sur Mer. Maybe you prefer the even more relaxed approach and you choose the beautiful harbor village of Honfleur which awaits you right after the impressive Pont de Normandie, which is followed by the classical seaside resorts Deauville, Houlgate and Cabourg. Honfleur is one of the most photographed places in the area and even today many artists settle in this picturesque village and perpetuate the impressions of this little port in the footsteps of Monet and Manet.

After having crossed the Pont de Normandie we also leave the turnpike roads behind us. The advantage of the chosen road is, that it is a quiet route with a new and perfect tarmac from Calais to Le Havre. Please do note that you take the circular road around Caen; exit 8 direction Bayeux is the correct way. Whether you drive around Caen in clockwise or anti-clockwise direction is your own decision. French roads: always surprisingly interesting!

Normandy is the alcoholic Calvados, the cheese Camembert, the apple cider and briar!

How do you want to reside in Normandy? Hotel, bed and breakfast, caravan, camper or tent? We, the STIWOT team, usually rent a little summer house. For more information about all these stay-over possibilities I will provide you with some internet connections which are worth your while:

General Info:
Welcome to Normandy

Campings:
Campings in France
Annuaire Français du Tourisme

Hotels:
France Hotel Guide

The weather forecast:
Météo France Prévisions France

Of course there is a lot more to be seen than the worth visiting tips I provide you herewith. The starting point of the three described trips is that you take three days to visit the three different areas.

Utah Beach

Ste. Mère Eglise (village and museum at the Church square, the church tower still shows a parachute with a man-size doll on it) and the museum at Utah Beach (La Madeleine). There you also find a nice little restaurant (Le Roosevelt) and in the direction of Dune de Varreville some monuments, vehicles and German pillboxes and block houses. Further historical locations in the same area: the bridge at La Fiere across the River Merderet (statue Iron Mike), Ste Marie Du Mont, Vierville and Carentan. You ought not to be surprised if you encounter historical vehicles and uniformed “actors” from WW2 in this region!
- Ste. Mère Eglise is prominently displayed in the movie picture “The longest day” and has a choice of shops selling military souvenirs and also has the Airborne Museum. Please also note the stained glass windows of the church. The general Don Pratt monument is close by.
- Food: In Ste Mère Eglise you will find plenty of snack bars and restaurants, in summertime there are tents on the church square that sell hamburgers and other BBQ meals.

Omaha Beach

The American cemetery near Colleville sur Mer, free entry and very impressive! Almost 10.000 graves… From this graveyard you look at the vista of Omaha Beach. In the dunes there are still a lot of block houses and pill boxes. De war cemetery figures in the movie: “Saving Private Ryan.” Near St. Laurent sur Mer you will find a museum next to the large monument. In front of that museum there are a Sherman tank and a ‘Long Tom’, it is a nice little museum. Pointe du Hoc is a little further on. That’s where the Rangers climbed the cliffs with ropes and rope ladders to destroy the German artillery guns. The block houses are still there and it is American property and a monument. The grass strewn bomb craters are very impressive! Also you will find there the German war cemetery (La Cambe) with more than 20.000 graves. (It is near the road Bayeux - Cherbourg.)
- Food: At St Laurent sur Mer there is the D-Day house (with a view towards the large monument; cheap and they serve everything snacks, French fries, pancakes etc etc.).

One day for the British sectors

Arromanches (where the artificial harbor was constructed of which the remains are still visible) has a museum and a large monument on the hillside over Gold Beach. Near Longues Sur Mer, due North of Bayeux, there are still four large German block houses as coastal defense including the guns(Le Chaos, Batterie). 100 yards in front of this battery there is a pillbox used for observation post and fire-control, which figures in the movie “The Longest Day” used by ‘Pluskat’. Bayeux has a large museum with a lot of vehicles, uniformed mannequins and documents. Ranville/Benouville has the Pegasus Bridge Museum, a whole story in itself.
- Food: At the Pegasus Bridge there are two restaurants opposite each other.

Text: Don van den Bogert

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