Normandy Trip June 2024
Myself and seven other scooterists from Jersey planned a trip to Normandy for the 80th Anniversary of the D-day beach landings. We took the boat from Jersey to St.Malo which takes 1 hour and from there we rode 40 miles on the motorway to our hotel, Hotel Les 13 Assiettes in Le Val Saint Pere. The hotel consisted of individual chalets in the garden area. Luckily due to the lateness of our arrival the bar was closing. To be quite honest this was a life saver as we had to ride a further 70 miles the next day to get to our destination in Bayeux. The plan was to arrive in Bayeux for midday.
Arrival at Hotel Les 13 Assiettes
Leaving Jersey to get on the boat
Not long after we set off, we had to make a quick pit stop due to me not remembering I was low on fuel. Luckily one of the lads had a spare canister of fuel which got me to the next fuel station. Once back on the motorway we were all sitting at speeds of approximately 50 mph, to keep up with the moving traffic and we made sure we all stayed as a pack. One lad's Vespa ended up having a heat seizure just over 15 miles in to the journey, which as you can imagine was pretty scary for him and the rest of us, as we were on a motorway with big lorries passing us. After pulling up on the side of the road for a while, which gave the scooter a chance to cool down, we decided to try and start the Vespa. After five kicks it was back up and running but knew it was best to ride a little slower as it could seize again. We then set off for the last 55 miles of the journey to Bayeux, Normandy. Those 55 miles of the ride were very enjoyable, taking in the wonderful scenery surrounding the French roads. Before long we arrived in Bayeux at our hotel, Campanile, where we would stay for the next few nights.
Scooters parked up at the hotel in Bayeux
Bayeux Town Centre
After ditching the bags there was time for a walk and headed to the town centre, which was close to the hotel. The town centre in Bayeux is quite something with its amazing war time infrastructure, and definitely a place everyone should visit. We found a good restaurant with good French beer (most important) which was well needed. The day ended up with a bit of a pub crawl, which was the best way for us to relax after all the travelling. Especially on a scooter, it was well needed. We discovered a bar called The Conquerant which became our club house for the few days. The landlord had all old classics playing, the English tourists loved it, especially when England were on the TV for the Euros.
The next day (Friday) there were a few sore heads to say the least, but we were ready to take on the day. We visited the Bayeux War Cemetery which holds over 4,648 burial sites. There are 3,935 sites for those from the United Kingdom, 466 Germans, 181 Canadians, 25 Polish, 17 Australians, 8 New Zealanders, 7 Russians, 3 French, 2 Czechs, 2 Italians and 1 South African. We spent a while viewing the cemetery, reading the plaques on the soldiers grave stones. Most of them were a similar age to myself. Our visit to the Bayeux War Cemetery will stay with me forever.
Bayeux War Cemetery
We then rode to the Ver-Sur-Mer Memorial which overlooks Gold Beach. This Memorial has the names of over 22,000 men and women who lost their lives on D-Day and the weeks after. The memorial is not only for British soldiers but other forces from Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the USA. The memorial also remembers French civilians who died during the fighting in Normandy and contains figurines of those who had passed during the fighting or who had died many years later.
The figurines at the Ver-Sur-Mer War Memorial
Parked up at the Ver-Sur-Mer War Memorial
For this evening, one of the lads had booked up a restaurant on the outskirts of the Bayeux town centre. As always after great food, there always comes the bill... We then headed back to our clubhouse, The Conquerant, to finish of the night. With more exploring arranged for the next day we had an early evening. No one wanted to look like a Side Saddle Sally the next morning.
For our last full day we rode to Longues-Sur-Mer Battery, which was no more than half an hour ride from our hotel. This Battery formed part of Germany's fortifications between Gold and Omaha Beach. The Battery was damaged by British Forces on the 6th and 7th June 1944. The Gun battery itself is the only one in Normandy to retain some of its guns to this day. You can see the extent of damage caused by ally shells and how they had completely torn through the German's batteries. We walked round the barracks and spent a relaxing afternoon in the town before heading back to the hotel.We found a restaurant which served the best sardines I have ever had. A great end to our stay in Bayeux.
Bayeux centre
It was now Sunday and time for the 100 mile ride back to catch the boat from St.Malo. The ride was very enjoyable as we stayed on the B roads, which took us through small villages with clear open roads surrounded by fields. Luckily we only had one mishap when one of the lads went down a bank and slipped off the road. Not too much damage, except the front mudguard, so came off quite lightly. He was fine too. With no further incidents we finished the journey to St Malo. All in time for lunch and the boat journey back home to Jersey.
What a great trip away with top people for a top weekend. This trip will always be one to remember and I cannot wait for the next one.