I'm heading to Normandy in August with the family I've been to France many times, but first time driving and using the Eurotunnel, first time in Normandy and first time with a mix of teenagers and a baby.
Any tips and suggestions welcome. I like booze, food and history, my wife likes scenery and wildlife, my children like meeting other children and general shenanigans.
There are many great WWII museums if you are into that.
The 360 cinematic experience at Arromanches is excellent. As is the museum there.
A visit to the American Cemetery is also very moving.
Not sure how those suggestions will fit with a baby and teenagers mind.
As mentioned. D Day museums are a must. Especially Saint come du Monte (Dead Mans Corner) . Also recommend a trip Pointe du Hoc
Also spend some time looking around Honfleur. Lovely town.
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Been to Normandy a couple of times. Just got back this week actually. Bayeux Tapestry. All the D Day landing history is well worth fitting in as mentioned. The airborne landing sites are worth doing. If you watched Band of Brothers then St Mere Eglise and St Marie Du Mont are worth the trip. If I remember correctly there is a good museum at Utah Beach as well. Over the other side is Pegasus Bridge and the British and Canadian sites. Good museum at Omaha Beach as well.
Maisy Battery and the Mulberry at Arromanches for more WW2 history.
I’m fond of Le Havre: Museum of Modern Art (for Dufy), the cathedral, Appartement Témoin Perret.
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Your route into Normandy will take you close to the sites of the battles of Agincourt and Crécy. Not sure there's a lot to see but could be somewhere to take a break. Depending upon where you are staying there are a plethora of sites with WWII or other historic interest. Then there are tourist attractions, eg Mont Saint-Michel and La Cité de la Mer (in Cherbourg).
I've promised myself a visit to the Maisy Battery (www.maisybattery.com) when next I get over there and, perhaps, the American and German War Graves (https://www.abmc.gov/ and https://kriegsgraeberstaetten.volksb...edhof/la-cambe) simply to balance out my tendency to identify significant Commonwealth War Graves sites.
Since I visit mainly by boat, I can recommend Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue as a quiet, picturesque town and the site of Edward III's landing (nothing much to see), similarly Barfleur...but you'll find plenty of others.
Last edited by PickleB; 1st May 2023 at 04:14. Reason: spelling
Thanks all, some great suggestions. And I must make up for my great neglect, I've never watched Band of Brothers.
Not sure how much teenagers and a wife and baby will enjoy WW2 museums, but they are excellent (there are even odd tanks scattered around the countryside still!)
Another vote for Honfleur, but Trouville/Deauville is nice too, with a lovely sand beach.
There used to be an old ocean liner near the Tancarville bridge, but I can't see any sign of it on Google maps, so it's probably no longer there and I don't know if it was a museum or anything or just waiting to be scrapped.
Bayeux is worth a visit for the tapestry and the historic old town, too.
M
Last edited by snowman; 1st May 2023 at 10:25.
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
I personally found Normandy a little dull. As mentioned Honfleur is nice and Rouen was worth a visit.
Normandy countryside and general views reminded me of a more sparsely populated version Hampshire, with Frenchness. All very nice, but not that inspiring and not somewhere I personally want to spend my vacation time again. Weather is similar to the south coast of England.
As others have indicated, Normandy is understandably dominated by the events of ww2. Having spent a lot of time there we also quite enjoyed:
Fosse Arthour located on the other side of Domfront near St Georges de Rouelley
Saint-Ceneri-Le-Geri Orne. small quaint artists village (with a garden). Views down over the village from the church. Located near Pre-ea-Pail between Couptain and Alencon
Bagnoles-de-l'orne nice Spa town with lots going on check there events calendar.
Agincourt isn't that close...about 90 minutes due south of Calais, i suspect trickier for a Mornady-bound trip. Not sure . Crecy is easier heading off the Normandy road. But...lol...not a chance Crecy happened at the quite laughable site they have built a wooden tower to mark as the battlefield. There is some amazing academic research that places it just outside Domvast, a few miles south of Crecy. I went there last year to compare both sites and the huge wooded ditch in a farmed field just north of Domvast is definitely a man-made defensive feature. Made by Edward III's army, most likely. Gobsmacking history.Originally Posted by PickleB
Agincourt battlefield also has some question marks as to precise location but all are within the space on view. They have recovered nothing from the alleged site, so doubt remains. I've been 5 or 6 times in recent years, I love it. Love it. The Agincourt museum has one period boot spur and no other artefacts. Nuts but easily explainable. We go to The Somme most years and it is a slight detour.
France is epic.
Have very fond memories of the Suisse Normand, especially the food, iirc the guide book referred to it 'the gut busting richness of the food in the Suisse Normand', they weren;t wrong.
Having looked again I see what you mean about the diversion necessary to take in the Agincourt site.
As for Crécy I've taken the site (coord 50.20851 1.90975) from this link. How does that match up with your on the ground observations, please?
Last edited by PickleB; 3rd May 2023 at 10:37. Reason: added Google Maps link to coord
Parents have a place there so have been a few times. When the kids were younger Cerza Zoo was a must. Bayeux and the D Day beaches and museums are the obvious attractions but don’t be afraid to stop off if something catches your eye at the roadside. The cheese factory in Livarot, for example, is excellent. Also keep an eye out for signs for Calvados for sale, often from the farmers homes and generally excellent. Also strangely good is the automaton museum in Falaise, which also has a castle on the site of a previous castle which was the birthplace of William the Conqueror.
Chateau de Vendeuvre is great for a walk around, especially the gardens for a few surprises. Visiting some of the local markets is a must. Trouville has a good one on Wednesdays and Sundays which can be combined with a trip to the sandy beach, but the best we’ve found is Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives which is, I think, on a Monday. Get parked early as they get very busy. Might be a bit of a drive depending on where you’re staying but Mont Saint-Michel is well worth a visit, but maybe not with a baby.
Last edited by Danstone; 2nd May 2023 at 21:33.
That's the place. I did a pile of research before going and rejected the official site based on the work of some American experts. The official site is actually a little bit ridiculous and is not really supported by any of the historical record. It is a tourist feature, no doubt.
The Domvast site is utterly compelling. The ditch is bizarre and does not belong there, hence it is obviously man-made. Toponyms are also interesting in that the one area named the Garden of the Genoese...I mean, why? Because that was where they were massacred. There is also space for two large armies.
Agincourt is a fascination for me and I struggle to see the battle where they say it happened. The same Amercian historian has identified a place a few hundred yards away and it does have an appeal. Brilliant intrigue, to be fair.
https://earth.google.com/web/@50.206...27524615t,360r
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