Normandy Satnav tour

Milsey

Hi guys, I'm considering a trip to Normandy for a few days driving around seeing the sights. I'm just wondering has anyone seen any downloads to use with a satnav to guide you around Normany. I've a tomtom and thought a guided tour on this would be graet. If not someone should come up with one. Also i'm going from rosslare to Cherbourge and thinking of staying in Bayeux. Will go for 3 or 4 days. Has anyone any tips or advice from experience. Thanks for all responces in advance.

Morlar

I have done normandy with a satnav but no pre-installed guided tour.

Also just back on sunday from some atlantic wall places too.

There are so many WW2 related places to go in France it's ridiculous. Normandy in particular. You will literally trip up over places to go & probably run out of time, it's well signposted too, the roadsigns have WW2 related areas of interest highlighted for tourists quite well.

If you are interested in the history of it just get a big paper map and work out the route manually, you will see the names of towns jumping out at you from major battles and so on as you look at it - far easier to work out a route that way then plug them into the GPS. The most difficult one to find was the St James Brittany American Cemetery - even with satnav that one was a bastard to get to. Here are a few pics from normandy in case you are interested :

http://www.militaria-archive.com/normandy/index.html

The landing beaches at Normandy & on down to Caen and the Airborne museum at St Mere Eglise would definitely be on the list of must see places imo.

You will find little hints of ww2 everywhere for example the pic of Bradley dining at the restaurant at le Mon st michel, plus there are WW1 & WW2 memorials everywhere.

I have more photos from the Nantes region not online yet including the blockhauses, down to st Nazaire brittany etc

Milsey

I have to say Morlar your photos are top class. Especialy some of the museum pieces. I've gotten a guide book with a map and am going to do my trip of that I think. Looking at your photos makes me all the more eager. How lucky are we that we are so clothes and it's so easy to go. Just a matter of getting a bit of time off, thats all.

dfbemt

Just bumping this thread again as I have just gotten the ok from the wife to tour the region with my father this September. Lots of questions

- how long is needed. Is 5 days enough or too little? Would I be better with 7 ?
- any preferred routes and sights ?
- and recommended campsites ?
- how many places are free admission ?
- how far away are the WW1 sights ?

Lots of questions I know. Off to Google now but maybe somebody on Boards has most of the answers already.

Thanks

Morlar

dfbemt wrote: »

Just bumping this thread again as I have just gotten the ok from the wife to tour the region with my father this September. Lots of questions

- how long is needed. Is 5 days enough or too little? Would I be better with 7 ?
- any preferred routes and sights ?
- and recommended campsites ?
- how many places are free admission ?
- how far away are the WW1 sights ?

Lots of questions I know. Off to Google now but maybe somebody on Boards has most of the answers already.

Thanks

I am not an expert, I think Ollaetta probably knows more about this than anyone else on here but I think you will get quite a bit done in 5 days - it's all down to the route. Obviously 7 is more room to play with, I'd probably aim for 7 if possible.

The way I look at it you could do a mad dash and try to cram in all the big ones, or, take your time and hit the big and small along your route at your own pace. My next trip will include Samur tank museum for sure.

The sights are free, buildings, museums are not that expensive. The cost of some of the souvenir books and dvds will add up. Some of the local produced guide books are crammed with information and worth it. A lot of them have versions in english too.

No idea of campsites - sure someone else will though.

Region wise - the bulk of the WW1 sites are to the East :
This site has animations of WWI 'By Year'

http://www.richthofen.com/ww1sum/

as are 'Fall of France 1940'.

The post D-day ones of note are more around Normandy - Caen, with the atlantic wall ones obviously around Rochelle, St Nazaire etc. It might be worth it to google 'WW2 tours france' and check out their itineraries for more specific ideas.

ollaetta

If I may, I'll stick in my tuppence worth as an annual visitor to Normandy for the D-Day anniversary.

I think it's very hard to estimate how many days one would need as it all depends on your level of interest. The landing beaches area is relatively small and, for example, you could just about manage a basic tour from Arromanches to Pointe du Hoc in an afternoon taking in the Mulberry Harbour, the Longues Battery, the American Cemetery, Omaha Beach and the Pointe.

However, there are so many museums and points of interest that you could also spend a week doing the same trip. Personally, I could spend an afternoon rooting around an old bunker complex so I've often spent two weeks in the area (a very understanding spouse helps, by the way!)

Also, if you want to branch out further, down to Falaise for example you need to factor in extra time. When I first went over I found Major and Mrs. Holt's Battlefield Guide to Normandy Landing Beaches very good for itineraries and lists of things to see along the way. It's still in print as far as I know and I'd recommend it.

For me, the unmissable sights in no particular order are:
Pointe du Hoc, American Cemetery, German Cemetery at La Cambe, Longues sur Mer battery, Crisbeq and Azeville batteries, Pegasus Bridge, Ste. Mere Eglise, Grand Bunker in Ouistreham, Omaha Beach.

Omaha and Utah beaches are the most impressive as they are still basically as they were in 44. Gold, Juno and Sword have been heavily developed with holiday homes so you need a good imagination.

There are loads of museums but they all charge. You can get a Normandy Pass which entitles you to a reduction. What is amazing in recent years is how many new museums are cropping up, interest is definitely growing rather than fading.

Sorry for being so lengthy but I hope some of the above is of use.

matchu

Hi all, not sure if this will work, but I've picked out some places of interest on Google Earth and attached them in a .kmz file. If you have Google Earth installed, I'd say save just use that to open it. Hopefully, it should show 6 or 7 locations.
As regards campsites, there are lots, many of them on or very close to the landing beaches. In the past, I've used the municipal campsite in Bayeux. Easy to find, easy access, and a well placed base to visit not only the beaches, but other places inland.

Morlar

I think it's a great itinerary. I'd try and add in Avranches if possible :



and St Mere Eglise :



particularly the US Airborne museum there :



Caen would be good to get to also if there was an extra day (there is a substantial museum there too).

matchu

Another suggestion, and a fascinating place to visit: The German Battery at Maisy.
From their website: Maisy Battery was one of the largest and best preserved German defensive positions in the invasion area. Situated in the Omaha Sector it has today more than 2 miles of original German trenches that you can walk through. It has building after building which you can enter and as the site is still being uncovered it is continually developing... more and more trenches and bunkers are uncovered each year - it is the largest site of its type you can visit in Normandy and yet the most secretive... Go and look through your books and see which ones you have that mention Maisy.... there are not many because for the Germans it was Top Secret, and for the allies its history was lost because of the 60 year secrecy law. As the site was buried after the battle it became lost to historians and forgotten for 63 years.

Jim S

Utah Beach Museum, taken this year the B-26 hanger.













The USN memorial Utah





The Musem of Wrecks Port en Bessin





Another view of the Airborne Museum St. Mer Eglise.



La cambe.









Two Knight's Cross holder Prinz and Beck, both well known both quite anonymous amongst 20,000 war dead, a total contrast to Wittmann.