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Sat Sep 3rd 2022

Battlefield Tour - France, Day 1	3*

Leader: Richard Pethybridge	Start Time: 6:30 am	Start Location: Caen ferry port
Description: Day 1 of the Normandy trip. We will head west along the coast, visiting various key points along the way. Lunch will be in the vicinity of Omaha Beach, before we begin the sweep south and then east to end up in Bayeux for the overnight stop. Please note, the ride will start before sunrise so you will need lights.
Riders: David Bridge David Jackson Eddie Little Guy Pethybridge Jo Little John Davies 2 John Tranter Jon Townsin Karen Townsin Neil Hunt Nicole Pethybridge Richard Pethybridge Stephanie Haddrell Riders = 13 Weather: Report: Well, what a day this turned out to be! We found out the evening before that the planned Portsmouth to Ouistreham (Caen) sailing had been changed to Cherbourg as the destination, a small matter of 100 miles different. After some on-the-hoof planning, a discussion, and the provision of a coach and bike trailer by Brittany Ferries we were able to change our intentions and ride a shorter version of the original route. We were quite a bit delayed, not least by the 2-hour coach journey down the Cotentin Peninsular, which meant we didn't start riding until after lunch. Serendipitously we were able to meet up with Karen and Jon Townsin who were holidaying in the region already, and they sorted us with a table in a restaurant at the eastern end of Sword Beach. Our timing for leaving lunch was poor, and we ended up sheltering under an awning opposite what had been a very comfortable restaurant as the heavens opened and this unfamiliar stuff called rain started to fall heavily. Thankfully it was a shower, and we were on our way by 1345. We were a big group now, numbers swelled to 18 by the addition of 4 riders from CUK Abingdon along with Karen and Jon. A long and slightly unwieldy, but very well behaved, snake of riders followed the paths and roads westwards along the D-Day beaches to the first stop at the new British Normandy Memorial at Vers-sur-Mer. This is a hugely impressive monument overlooking the sea close to the junction between Juno and Sword beaches. It proved an ideal location to introduce the riders to the wider history of the Normandy campaign up to the final breakout in September 1944. The route continued westwards, via the site of the Mulberry Harbour at Arromanches and the German battery at Longues. We then ducked in land a little to follow the route along which 47 Commando RM had fought on their way to capture Port-en-Bessin. Time precluded a visit to the port on this occasion, but the full story of this incredible military feat was told near the site of the marines' overnight bivouac near Escures. We then turned back inland, along a lovely river valley, to head to Bayeux and a well deserved shower. The group went for dinner in a fantastic restaurant called La Normande in the centre of town, and enjoyed an excellent meal amongst great company. Tired but happy it was but a short trudge back to a welcoming bed.
Distance: 57.00 km (35.42 mi)	Ride Details: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/101964548
Bike trailer from Cherbourg to Ouistreham Waiting for the bus to Ouistreham Sheltering from the rain immediately after lunch! Wet paths along Sword Beach Tanking it along Sword Beach The British Normandy Memorial at Vers-sur-Mer Climbing a Norman hill Above Arromanches By the bunker at Longues, made famous in "The Longest Day" Enjoying the quiet Normandy roads. The reward of dinner! The reward of dinner!
Proposed Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/40544978"
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Start Locations: WMP
Wantage Market Place; OMH
Old Mill Hall, Grove

Categories: 1* - Suitable for irregular, social, beginner or family riders, pace will match the slower riders. Not hilly or long. Expect rides up to 3 hours. Gentle exercise.; 2* - Suitable for regular riders who prefer to cover some distance but at a more relaxed pace. Likely to be half-day rides. Solid exercise.; 3* - Suitable for experienced riders, may be hilly, long, quick, or any combination! Likely to be half or full-day rides. Challenging exercise.; 4* - Suitable for athletic riders who can ride safely above the 3* standard. Quick rides for the fit.; More Information