Normandy Motorcycle Tour (D-Day Landings Tour)

Normandy Motorcycle Tour (D-Day Landings Tour)

Our Normandy D-Day Landings motorcycle tour is a superb combination of visiting the historical D-day landing exhibits and riding the great country roads of northern Normandy.  

If you are new to motorcycling and are keen to develop your motorcycling skills on the fantastic French roads then this could be the ideal tour.  Similarly, if you have been riding bikes for a number of years but have never ventured abroad then this is the ideal introduction to riding a motorcycle in Europe.  It is also the ideal tour for riders with pillions.

In the evening, you will get the chance to sample the local cuisine beers/ciders/wines and chill out in this beautiful region of France.

Tour Dates	Spaces Available
Thursday 25 April - Monday 29 April 2024
Thursday 23 May - Monday 27 May 2024	ONLY 1 SHARED ROOM SPACE LEFT
Thursday 12 September - Monday 16 September 2024

What You Get and Costs.

The basic cost of the tour in 2024 is £525 for a single rider in a shared room; £725 for a single rider in a single room and £925 for a rider and pillion.  

A £120 deposit secures a place on the tour and the remaining balance payment is due 12 weeks before departure.

The following is included:-

• Return euro-tunnel crossing (Folkestone - Calais). 
• Service throughout the trip of tour guide
• Four nights accommodation in good quality hotels
• Breakfast each morning.
• Satnav maps (Garmin and Tom Tom format)

The following is not included:

• Petrol
• Parking and Motorway tolls
• Entrance fees for attractions
• Repatriation back to the UK
• Travel Insurance
• Breakdown Cover Insurance
• Evening Meals

The basic itinerary is as follows :-

Day 1: Calais to Honfleur (Approx 170 miles)

Arrival day in France.  Our usual crossing (included in tour cost) is the Euro-tunnel crossing from Folkestone to Calais.  

After a short spell on the motorway to get us out of Northern France, we head towards the coastal road.

On our way to Normandy we will stop at the seaside town of Dieppe, where we will look at the failed beach landing of 19^th August 1942. During the course of 6 hours, the Canadians and British suffered over 3,500 casualties, killed wounded or missing.

We will conclude the day with a visit to the Canadian CWGC Cemetery.

Our first overnight stop will be the lovely coastal town of Honfleur.  This beautiful town is a superb place to stay.  A really picturesque harbour and a favourite haunt of the artist, Monet.

Day 2: Honfleur to Caen  (Approx 85 miles)

After a traditional French breakfast and short safety briefing we will begin our journey along the beautiful Normandy coast. 

The first days ride will take us at a gentle pace along twisty rural roads  through delightful villages and beautiful scenery.  There will be plenty of opportunities for photos, coffee and snacks.

The route to our hotel will take us past our first D-Day sites, including the famous Melville Battery overlooking Sword Beach.  It was essential that the guns of the battery were neutralized prior to the landings. This action was carried out by men of the 9^th Parachute Brigade led by Lieutenant-Colonel Terence Otway.

Pegasus Bridge is next, it was here that the 3 Horsa gliders of the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry under the command of Major John Howard landed. They were to capture and hold the bridge, thereby preventing German counter attacks until additional British forces could arrive to support them from Sword Beach.

Both of these sites have excellent museums which we shall visit.

Next stop, Sword Beach where men of the British 3^rd Division landed at 0725 hours on the 6^th June 1944. We visit the ‘Hillman’ German strong point which was the HQ of the German 736^th Regiment. This strong point covered Sword Beach, therefore had to be taken as soon as possible to prevent further casualties. The 1st Battalion of the Suffolk Regiment captured Hillman in 6 hours with the loss of 20 lives.

Next on the schedule is Juno Beach where the Canadian 3^rd Division landed at 0735 hours.

Back on to the coast road as we ride to Gold beach, the second of the British beaches.  It was here at 0725 hours that men of the 50^th Northumbrian Division landed. Off the coast of Arromanches  you can still see the remains of the ‘Mulberry' harbour that was towed from Britain and assembled to provide a temporary harbour to land supplies.  Here we will stop for a short while for a snack, coffee and to visit the 360 degree cinema.  The latter is highly recommended.

 Day 3: Caen to Fougeres  (Approx 140 miles)

In the morning we will ride a short distance to visit the Bayeux CWGC Cemetery and Memorial and then onto the American cemetery at Omaha Beach This is where the US army suffered the highest number of casualties of that day. Men of the 116^th & 16^th Infantry Regiments landed at 0630 hours and were met with devastating fire from the many enemy gun replacements situated in the area. We visit some of these bunkers before going into the US Cemetery which was constructed on land overlooking the beach where many of those, buried in the cemetery, died. The cemetery contains the graves of over 9,000 US combatants who died in the Normandy area. Those of you who have seen the film ‘Saving Private Ryan’ will already be familiar with the cemetery and what it would have been like to land here.

From Omaha we travel to Pointe du Hoc where 2 Ranger Battalions of the US 116^th Infantry Regiment scaled the cliffs to destroy the guns which could fire on both Utah & Omaha beaches. Lt. Col. James Earl Rudder’s was ordered to take his Second Ranger Battalion of roughly 200 men and land on a shingled shelf, scale the imposing 100-foot-high cliff while under hostile fire, and then destroy the six enemy guns.  Pointe Du Hoc is now a memorial to these men and has remained untouched since D-Day.

We will spend the afternoon in St Mere Eglise and visit the excellent US Airborne Museum in Ste Mere Eglise. The US 82^nd and 101^st PIR dropped at 0130 hours to secure the exits from Utah beach. The land around Utah had been flooded leaving only 4 routes by which to head inland. In the tv series ‘Band of Brothers’, real events from these airborne landings can be seen.

We then have an excellent ride along the twisty and scenic D999 to our overnight hotel in Fougeres. 

Day 4: Fougeres to Bagnoles  (Approx 125 miles)

From Fougeres we will head inland, enjoying the beautiful scenery of Normandy, stopping for lunch as we head towards the area where the Battle of Normandy essentially ended.  The Battle of the Falaise Pocket between the 12^th and 21^st of August was the final action which saw the Germans retreat from Normandy. The allies had squeezed the enemy into an ever decreasing area, where they were under constant attack. With thousands of Germans attempting to cross 3 small bridges/ford in the village of St Lambert sur Dives, this village was a focus for allied attack.

From the Falaise Pocket it is only a short 40 mile ride on quiet rural roads to our hotel in the lovely spa town of Bagnoles de L'Ornes. This beautiful small town has a very alpine feel to it with lots of individually designed buildings, hotels and restaurants located around a lake.

Day 5: Bagnoles de L'Orne to UK (Approx 250 miles)

Departure day, back to Calais and our afternoon Euro-tunnel crossing.