September 1, 2018 to October 5, 2018
Coastal Normandy
We enjoyed our drive from Arras through eastern Normandy and reached the coast near Dieppe.
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Our naive expectation that we'd have a seafood lunch and stroll in charming towns was thwarted by the crowds of people who head for the coast on the last - and sunny - weekend of August. We finally found a parking space in a fourth little town near Saint Valery en Caux where we ate sandwiches from a deli - but the small beach tucked between limestone cliffs was beautiful.
We spent the night in historic Honfleur and enjoyed exploring the town the harbour and the headland. Loved the mix of commercial boats and yachts.
The next day we continued west along the Normandy coast to Ver-sur-Mer, near Caen and close to Juno Beach. The coast is dotted with beautiful beaches, resorts, chateaux, dense forests and farmers' fields. But this lovely coastline contains many powerful reminders of the German occupation and the grievous battles of WWII.
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We had a fun ride along both sanddunes and the velo route from Ver-sur-Mer to the the Juno Beach Interpretation Centre. This Canadian-funded site is well worth a visit and tells the dramatic story of the Canadian landfall.
On our second day in Ver-sur-Mer we rode our bikes west to Arromanche along Gold Beach, where the British landed as part of Operation Overlord - another lovely coastal ride with strong reminders of the devastating war along this coast. We didn't continue on to Omaha Beach as rain was threatening.
The following morning, we headed inland. En route to Mont St. Michel we stopped in Bayeux to see the remarkable Bayeux Tapestry - well worth a visit to both the tapestry and the medieval town.
We reached Mont St. Michel late in the afternoon and rode across the causeway to the foot of this amazing monastery. The seascape, tidal range, beautiful countryside, and remarkable story that stretches back 1000 years make this a memorable site to visit.
We enjoyed a much more thorough visit to the Abbey the following morning, though we had to leave our bikes at the head of the causeway and join hoards of visitors on the steep stairs through the village and up, up into the Abbey. A three-hour visit wasn't long enough to appreciate this final stop on our tour of coastal Normandy.
Today's ride: 95 km (59 miles)
Total: 140 km (87 miles)
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