We shall ride them on the beaches...

[the_lone_wolf]

Righto allies, this is your chance to do something you won't regret, join me, Captain Awesome for an assault on the beaches of Northern France

The rough plan is to hit the WW2 sites, on or around the weekend of the 6th June 2010.

Anyone interested? I'd prefer to take some time and do it properly, perhaps taking week from Sunday to Sunday

Looking for up to ten bikes ideally, over that and organising the group could well prove difficult and accommodation could be an issue...

Which brings us to the subject, are people happy camping or do we want B&Bs / hotels??

Anyway, add your names if you're interested...

1. TLW


If a few people are interested I'll start looking at prices and locations

[fizzwheel]

Did this last year, there is sooo much to see, you'll struggle to fit it in in a few days or you'll miss stuff.

Highlights for me were

Pegasus Bridge Visitors museum
American War Cemetary - well not so much a highlight it was quite sobering, but something I think everybody should see.

I did a write up with pics here if you havent already seen it

http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=118005

If I was going again. I wouldnt get the night ferry. I'd take the Fast ferry and leave myself the whole day to travel where I was going to and vice versa when coming back.

I reckon you want a good few days, we struggled to fit everything in in the time we had.

Theres a guy on the gixerjunkies forum who does guided tours, he's a biker and his tours are setup for bikers, he has a place to stay as well. So might be worth contacting him.

Heres his website, I've nattered to him a bit on the junkies forum, seems like a decent guy and very knowledgable about his subject matter...

http://www.freewebs.com/gixajak/

[Rich]

1. TLW
2. Rich

A week away sounds perfect to me, and if theres anything I can do to help then I will.

[fizzwheel]

The rough plan is to hit the WW2 sites, on or around the weekend of the 6th June 2010.

Oi Captain Awesome, you are sure you want to go on that weekend ? I'm sure you realise the significance of that date, I would imagine it might prove rather popular with WW2 veterans...

[the_lone_wolf]

Oi Captain Awesome, you are sure you want to go on that weekend ? I'm sure you realise the significance of that date, I would imagine it might prove rather popular with WW2 veterans...

The date was chosen specifically because of it's significance, you reckon it'd be a bad idea to go then? I reckon it'd be the time when everything is likely to be well polished and presented:-k

[fizzwheel]

I reckon it'll be heaving and you wont be able to have a good look at anything... but thats just me. I'd rather have time and space to look round ay everything.

Of course being when it is, I bet the atmosphere will more than likely be fantastic with all the extra stuff that will no doubt be laid on. I know the guy on the Gixerjunkies forum I talked to said it was fantastic to sit and talk to the vets and listen to them tell all their stories, so thats another element to it all to.

TBH when we went in September last year everything was well polished and presented. The french seem to have massive respect for what the Allied forces did on D day. The American war cemetary was absoloutly immaculate.

[Wideboy]

1. TLW
2. Rich
3. wideboy

definitely in, arromanches is a must

[Scoobs]

I can only fit one Euro trip in per year and I've already decided to do Spa Francorchamps and Nurburgring other wise it would have been yes.

Don't know why I posted this really. :lol:

[the_lone_wolf]

Don't know why I posted this really. :lol:

In a valiant but ultimately doomed attempt to keep your post count above mine???;):p

[Scoobs]

In a valiant but ultimately doomed attempt to keep your post count above mine???;):p

+1

[Wideboy]

presumably one of us would have to be able to speak french, i ended up eating horse last time because we couldn't......... but it was feebing nice

[mattSV]

Je suis parle un peu de francais, mais malheuresement je suis going to france in September et je juis pense aller a Scotland dans June for le Glencoe Massacre.

Donc, je suis ooooot

Mange tout Rodney

[the_lone_wolf]

I can speak passable broken french

If that fails we can just do what most tourists do and speak english, LOUDLY!!!

[Wideboy]

I can speak passable broken french

If that fails we can just do what most tourists do and speak english, LOUDLY!!!

with a bad french accent?

"excoose ma mr poloceman"

[fizzwheel]

presumably one of us would have to be able to speak french

If you are staying in Arromanches, then I dont think you'll need to worry that much as long as you can say hello, please and thank you in french I reckon you'll struggle through. Most of the menus we looked at where we were eating were printed in both french & english.

[Mogs]

The beer in the bars of Arromanche was stupid expensive, buy a load in the local Aldi/Lidl same taste but stupid cheap. We went to the one in Carantan, it's on the road in from St Come du Mont.

[Luckypants]

Most of the menus we looked at where we were eating were printed in both french & english.

But whatever you do, don't order cheese after pudding... 'Fromage?! Apres les desserts??!!' :-D

[Mogs]

If you going on the ferry then Fizz is right, the overnight was a pain, the fast ferry is much better.

We booked it via Brittany Ferries, but we couldn't get Mike on the same ship back. When it came to it there was plenty of space, only then were we told " you should have booked via Condor".

http://www.condorferries.co.uk/home.html

Buy the "all museums discount voucher" at the first place you get to, it will save you a few Euros in the long run.

The small coastal roads are often straight but have 90 degree bends in little hamlets, real easy to enter too hot, be careful.

While we were there we found it easier for the navigator (usually me) to ride as number two, lead (usually Viper) could concentrate on the roads - speed limits etc. freeing me to concentrate on the navigation task. Even though there were only six of us we still used the drop off system in combination with next bike in mirror.

I hope you have a great time guys.

[Owenski]

what weekend is the AR and GM meet?

[the_lone_wolf]

what weekend is the AR and GM meet?

AR = 6-8th August

Dunno about the GM?

[fizzwheel]

Dunno about the GM?

Looking at the poll in the ecosse section I'd say last weekend in June at the mo...

[Owenski]

The names you mention of place in your thread Fizz its so odd seeing those places as they are now. I've had a real keen interest in WWII since playing with soldier as a kid and its kind of odd hearing the places been mentioned.
Not long back I watch band of brothers for nearly the millionth time and the thought of going into Carantan for beers seems totally alien to me.
I visited Aushwitz this spring, I imagine the memorial was much the same atmosphere. Most bizare thing is the silence, just been there seems to make even the noise of a coach engine seem like a semi-silent drone somewhere in the distance.

[Mej]

1. TLW
2. Rich
3. wideboy
4. J2

Im game as long as i can get it off even for a couple of days

[custard]

did it this summer.
i would steer clear of going over there around the anniversary of D-day/overlord as it will be rammed full of campervans, and the prices will hike astronomically.

eating out round there aint that cheap as it is, try 10E for an omlette...

[Gerry]

Just out of interest, the "Wiltshire Bikers" are planning a France trip on 12/13 June.


If the dates finished up the same, could be fun :)

Details: http://www.wiltshirebikers.co.uk/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1253531583

G

[Supervox]

This is a trip I've been wanting to do for sometime - I'd also like to include some of the 'Band of Brothers' locations - Carentan, Saint Mer-Eglise etc, but- as Fizz has stated around the D-Day date could be a problem.

However, can you add me as a 'possible' ?

[davepreston]

dam you people for putting ideas in my head, did arnham many years ago as a red **** so the beaches would be good bang up details and i beat the bank manager till she pays up
ps +1 to fizz i wouldnt do d day either