Following the success of our short trips to the D-Day Landing Beaches and numerous requests we are now offering this extended tour which gives you the opportunity to learn more about WW2 history.

This will be a fully escorted bike trip from the moment you arrive at the port of Le Havre (or agreed meeting point). It will be run at a moderate pace and with a maximum of fourteen bikes. The routes have been extensively researched and as we use a tried & tested “drop-off” marker system with a tail-end rider there is no need for you to refer to road books or maps.

On our first day we start with a visit to Pegasus Bridge, at Benouville, arriving at the first house to be liberated during the last hour of 5th June 1944, now the Café Gondrée. Entry to the Pegasus Memorial museum is included where you can see the original Pegasus Bridge (it was replaced by the current bridge in 1994), a replica Horsa Glider as flown by Major Howard and other military equipment.

We then continue on to Gold Beach at Arromanches, where impressive remains of the Mulberry B floating harbour can be seen. There is an informative museum in the town centre and also a 360o surround sound cinema on the outskirts of the town.

A short ride brings us to the German gun battery at Longues sur Mer, the only artillery battery to have Listed Building status. We move on to the American Cemetery at Colleville sur Mer, which stands overlooking Omaha Beach. This immaculate site contains the graves of 9387 soldiers with a further 1557 names listed on the Walls of the Missing.

The next stop is a visit to the German Cemetery at La Cambe, where 21,222 soldiers are commemorated.

Our hotel tonight is at Bayeux where you can visit the British cemetery and, time permitting, the Bayeux Tapestry. Dinner this evening is included.

On day two we travel to St Nazaire, the base for the German “U-Boats” during the war. Our hotel is ideally situated to visit the original “sous-marin” pens and entry is included to board the floating French attack submarine – L’Espadon – the only submarine open to the public in France. The evening here is spent at your leisure.

The next day we ride on to our hotel at La Rochelle, where the evening is again spent at your leisure. This popular French resort has a maze of cobbled back streets to explore and numerous restaurants to choose from.

On day four we move on to Oradour sur-Glane, the “martyr village”, whose 642 inhabitants were massacred on 10 June 1944. The men-folk were rounded up and shot, the women and children herded into the church and burned alive. The village has been left untouched, providing a poignant reminder of the atrocities of the war. Entry to the Memorial Centre is included. Tonight is spent at a hotel in the new village, which has been built alongside the remains, and dinner is included.

Day five we ride to Le Mans, where, time permitting, you may have the opportunity to visit the Bugatti museum at the race circuit. Dinner is included this evening.

The final day we head back to Le Havre, stopping off at the museum at Montormel in the “Chambois - Falaise Poche”. The museum outlines the final battles of Normandy, which took place on the doorstep of Bike Normandy! Our home overlooks the Falaise Gap, which saw 100,000 Germans encircled in August 1944.

During this tour we will stay mainly in small, independent hotels and your luggage will be transported in our back-up van for your comfort. The van will follow the route of the tour and will be available to deposit helmets, jackets etc during the stops.

Please contact us for more details – remember there are limited places on this motorbike holiday and with it being run at a moderate pace it will suit couples and riders with pillions.

Price £595 per person – this includes:-

• Experienced British guides throughout the trip – who speak French !
• Hotel accommodation with breakfasts for 5 nights in a shared room with en-suite facilities *
• Evening meals with wine on 3 nights
• Entry to Pegasus Bridge Museum, “Espadon” submarine, Oradour sur-Glane Memorial Centre, Museum at Montormel
• Transportation of luggage whilst in France
• Tour Information Pack (to include itinerary, hotels, explanation of marker system, contact details etc.)

* Single room supplement £175

Your ferry crossing and meals / drinks other than as stated above are not included.

A deposit of £95 per person is payable upon booking with the balance payable 8 weeks before departure.

All Terms & Conditions relating to Bike Normandy Tours apply to all bookings.
 
A minimum of 12 participants is required to run this tour.