D-Day 80Th Anniversary Tour

Itinerary

Fully Guided Tour

• 3 nights accommodation
• Breakfast & 2 packed lunches
• Fully Guided break with Nick Burch
• Visits as stated in the itinerary
• Return Ferry Crossing from Portsmouth to Ouistreham.

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Day 1 - Join the coach at your chosen point heading to interchange. Once on board your weekend coach head off to Portsmouth for the afternoon Brittany sailing to Ouistreham. On arrival in France it's a short drive to the Campanile Hotel in Bayeux for the next 3 nights with breakfast and 2 packed lunches included.

Day 2 - First stop today will be Arromanches -  two temporary portable harbours were developed to facilitate the rapid offloading of cargo onto beaches during the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944. The remains of the Mulberry Harbour here can still be seen alongside good views of Gold Beach. Despite all its sombre reminders of the shattering war effort, Arromanches is a much visited town by visitors to  Normandy and retains a good deal of charm.

The Medium Gun Battery at Longues sur Mer was composed of four guns capable of firing shells to a range of 12 miles, allowing them to reach not only Omaha Beach, 8 miles to the west, but also the British landing zone of Gold Beach, 5 miles to the east. As part of the Atlantic Wall it was a serious threat not only to the landings but also to the approaching convoys early on D-Day.

To Omaha Beach with time for lunch. Here we will discuss the story of ‘Bloody Omaha’ and visit the American Cemetery at Colleville Sur Mer this vast 70 hectare site overlooks Omaha beach. Next on our itinerary is the German Military Cemetery at La Cambe the largest WW2 German Cemetery in Normandy.

Return to Bayeux and the WW2 Bayeux War Cemetery . Of the 18 Commonwealth Cemeteries in Normandy Bayeux is the largest with just over 4500 burials. Late afternoon returning to the Campanile for leisure time.

Day  3 - All aboard for an interesting day commencing with Pegasus Bridge. The Caen Canal bridge was baptised Pegasus Bridge as a tribute to the British troops. Pegasus, the winged horse, was the emblem worn on the sleeves of the men of the airborne division. The insignia was chosen by the author Daphne du Maurier, wife of the wartime commander of British airborne forces General Sir Frederick Browning. The Pegasus Memorial Museum, located between Caen and the sea, tells the story of when the very first liberators from the British 6th Airborne Division landed on Norman soil on the night of the 5th to the 6th of June 1944. Period documents, films and objects. Entrance included.

Next a visit to Ranville CWGC Cemetery where many 6^th Airborne casualties are buried and the very first casualties of 6^th Airborne are buried in the Communal Churchyard

A short drive to nearby Highlander Memorial and Breville Ridge. We examine the week long  battle here involving 9th Parachute Battalion and the 5^th Black Watch to prevent the Germans taking the high ground overlooking the Allied Beachhead. With views over Ranville toward the Coast.

Along to Sword Beach to walk in the footsteps of the British 3^rd Division battalions that landed on the 6^th June. Various memorials are in the vicinity. We will lunch here at a suitable stop

Following the coast to Berniéres sur Mer which is located on Juno Beach. On June 6^th the 8^th Brigade of the 3^rd Canadian Division landed delayed by heavy seas. Our walk here will examine the events of that morning.

Finally to Ver sur Mer and British Normandy War Memorial. Opened In June 2021this magnificent memorial commemorates 22,442 serviceman and women under British Command who fell on
D-Day and during the Battle of Normandy during the Summer of 1944.   Returning to the Campanile for leisure time.

Day 4 – Following an early breakfast we depart for the early ferry back to the U.K. After arrival in Portsmouth to the interchange and onward your home towns by mid evening.

Accommodation

3 Star Hotel

Campanile Hotel & Restaurant, Bayeux

Located in a peaceful area just outside the centre of Bayeux, the charming Campanile Bayeux offers en suite rooms with free Wi-Fi internet access.  The Campanile makes an excellent base for exploring the history of Bayeux and visiting the famous D-Day beaches. The staff at the Campanile Bayeux are dedicated to making your stay both enjoyable and memorable.

The Campanile Bayeux hotel-restaurant is happy to welcome you during a stay in the comfort of its 46 double rooms, twin rooms or rooms adapted for people with reduced mobility. You will love their amenities: bathroom with bathtub and toiletries, soft lighting, high-quality bedding and hairdryer at reception.

Room Features

• Listening rooms available
• Rooms accessible to people with reduced mobility
• Toiletries
• Bathtub only ( some with shower)
• hair dryer
• Flat screen TV
• Alarm clock
• Desk and chair
• Air conditioner
• Non-smoking room
• City view
• Courtyard view
• Forest view
• Garden view