The Maple Leaf Route

Following the Canadian army from Juno Beach to Dieppe & beyond.

The Normandy beaches are famous as the landing sites for the D Day invasion. Last year, with a little extra time available in Grampies Go On Their Knees, we shot up to the Normandy coast on the "Velo Francette" from Angers on the Loire. We found the history of D Day very much still alive at the beaches, and very poignant. Also the towns, once the site of horrors, were beautiful and quiet, not much affected by beach tourism - maybe because of their unfortunate past.

We learned what we could about what had happened in 1944, and there certainly was a lot of information - with museums and signage and books. One thing we came to know was that the Canadians, who had landed near Courseulles had moved inland and participated in tough battles behind the beaches, such as at Caen, and the famous Falaise pocket. But at some point they had been directed north east toward Belgium and Netherlands, while other forces had proceeded toward Paris.

After Falaise, the Canadians' job was to first reach the Seine and then to secure the channel ports, presumably LeHavre and especially Dieppe. After Dieppe they would arrive at Abbeville. Abbeville is significant because in 1940 the German Panzer Group charged across France and upon reaching Abbeville had isolated British, Belgians and some French in northern France. That precipitated the dramatic evacuation 150 km north, at Dunkirk. Abbeville unfortunately was reduced to rubble by the Germans, so only a modern city is to be found there now.

While we were at the Beaches last year we found a guide book for a cycle tour to follow the Canadian route to the northeast. The author called it the Maple Leaf Route:

Here you can see the towns and the direction involved:

This is the year that this route exactly fits where we need to go, so we are happy to have the book and to be able to follow along with the significant history behind it.

After Abbeville, the Canadians did continue into Belgium and Netherlands. The British had captured Antwerp, but the Scheldt river that joins it to the sea was the scene of a major Canadian campaign. We will be cycling directly through that area as well.

The central focus of World War I was in northern France and Belgium. In recognition of this, the Maple Leaf route stops in at Vimy, which has the major Canadian WWI memorial. We will follow along with that, and stop at Vimy as well.

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