After arrival in Bayeux the rest of the day is yours to explore this delightful little place. Of course the Bayeux Tapestry is without doubt the biggest crowd puller in town and the museum does an excellent job of explaining the 68m embroidered account of the last successful invasion of England. Afterwards, take a wander through the narrow streets. admiring the tall stately townhouses and the imposing cathedral. You’ll also find a good choice of restaurants and bars in this pleasant little town.

Today’s ride leads you out towards the coast along a scenic country lane. At Longues-sur-Mer you can see the impressive defensive battery which was part of Hitler’s Atlantic Wall defenses. In 1944 these four, 152mm guns housed in thick concrete casements were a huge threat to the allied troop ships heading for the coast and despite heavy bombardment from air and sea they proved very difficult to subdue. Thankfully, the communications lines to the battery were severed which reduced the battery’s effectiveness considerably.

From here the route leads you eastwards along a pleasant winding lane, through some small Norman hamlets to the coastal town of Arromanches on Gold Beach. This is where the British forces landed on D-Day and just off shore and on the lovely sandy beach you can see the remains of the ingenious Mulberry Harbours. These hollow concrete breakwaters were towed across the channel and sunk in the shallows to create a makeshift harbour during the invasion. Arromanches is a pretty little town and well worth a stroll around, of particular note is the excellent D-Day Museum and the Arromanches 360 both of which do a great job of describing how D-Day unfolded. The route then leads you on a very pleasant ride through the pretty Normandy countryside back to Bayeux.

Today’s route leads you back out to the coast again but this time you will head west rather than east. After pedalling through the verdant rolling Norman countryside you arrive at Colleville-sur-Mer and Omaha Beach. This 5 mile, heavily defended stretch of beach was where 2000 American soldiers lost their lives coming ashore and securing a beachhead in June of 1944. The sea of white headstones stretching across the immaculate lawns of the American Cemetery, just above the beach is a sobering and thought provoking sight. If you have time, we also recommend sitting down in the adjacent museum and watching the documentary film that includes actual footage taken during D-Day and the subsequent battle for Normandy.

You then have a choice of either returning to Bayeux via a network of pleasant winding country lanes (making your total ride about 31 miles) or you can bolt on an additional 9 miles and continue along the coast. If you choose the latter, your route will lead you to La Pointe du Hoc, a bluff of land protruding out into the Channel. This high point, with clear views along the coast in both directions, was highly prized by both sides during the invasion and the ground here is still clearly marked with numerous bomb craters surrounding the remains of the German gun emplacements. From here the route leads you back inland, via some pretty Norman country lanes to Bayeux.

After breakfast it’s time to head for home or your next adventure