itinery , help !!!!!!!!!!!!

[recymechman]

im going over to france on the 1st week in aug , this is my first trip abroad on my bike , my plan was to do a battle field tour over 9 days , i have looked at other members trips but dont know where to start , i plan on camping and b+b etc with another two people , can anyone suggest some kind of itinery ?

 

[wessie]

I made my 1st visit to France in 1994. I bought the Rough Guide. They are excellent if you want to do some sightseeing or want to know which parts of the larger cities to avoid.

Arras would make a good base as it is surrounded by 20th century military history and is a nice, smallish town with a good café culture. A little further east is the Ardennes. Lots of military history and some fabulous roads to ride (you are going on a motorcycling holiday, yes?).
Don't ignore Belgium, visiting Ypres/Ieper can be an emotional experience.
Then there's all the stuff west of the Seine in Normandy.

My suggestion: pick 2 bases and spend 3-4 days at each one, making day trips. That way you won't have to cart around your luggage. Leave the camping gear at home and use the cheap motels such as Premiere Classe or Etap if you are on a tight budget. Formel1 are even cheaper but very utilitarian, but do rooms that take 3 people in bunk beds.

 

[stephen.stallebrass]

Normandy

If your going to France for battlefields there is no place better than Normandy, I LOVE Normandy!!! As a regular visitor of battlefields and as a WW2 History/Normandy buff, I tend to book a Gite, especially if I'm taking a group - better value! If your interested try Welcome Cottages but book early. If you want a battlefield guide there are none better than Paul Woodage. He'll take you to places not in the guide books... tell him I sent you. As your going round on your bike a D.I.Y battlefield tour is probably better so get yourself a good guidebook. I suggest Major & Mrs Holt's Battlefield Guide of the Normandy Beaches with Map, this will take you to just about every place of interest in Normandy. There are hundreds of sites and places to visit not just the beaches, which was just the initial phase of the battle, head inland too.



For more info on many of these sites check out the Normandie44LaMemoire and NormandieMemoire sites for all the places to visit: museums, cemetries, monuments, vestiges etc. If your going to visit a lot of museums get yourself a Normandie Pass for reduced admission. These are a short list of must see places, and there are lots of awesome places to visit, including all the major museums, but these are my faves:

Benouville & Ranville: Pegasus Bridge, Gondree Cafe, 6th Airborne Div Memorial Museum, Cemetery, Major Howard & Gen Gale busts, monuments & memorials
Merville-Franceville: Merville Battery (Otway & the 9th Para Bn Assault), monuments and memorials
Saint Pierre Du Mont: Pointe Du Hoc (Rudder & the 2nd Rangers Bn Assault) monuments and memorials
Longue Sur Mer, Crisbecq, Azeville battery & block houses
St. Mere Eglise & Saint Marie Du Mont: US Airborne Museum, monuments and memorials
Brecourt Manor - PM me and if I think you're worthy I'll tell you exactly where it is! Most people got to the wrong field...
La Fiere: Iron Mike Memorial Monument
Arromanche: concrete cassions, Landing museum, the 360 cinema
Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer: Omaha Beach, museum, US cemetery, 1st Div & 20th Div Monument
Crepon: Green Howard Memorial Monument

Remember, it's not all about the beaches, that was just the initial part of the operation. Head inland too:

Saint-Martin-des-Besaces & Villers Bocage: breakthrough Museum (11th Armoured & Bocage territory)
Montormel: Museum & Memorial (Falaise Gap)
Mount Pincon
Cagny: Guards Armoured & Goodwood monuments & memorial

Lots of cmemteries inland: check out La Cambe (Big German) and Jerusalem (Smallest CWGC including a 16 year KIA). There are literally hundreds of places of interest... just keep your eyes peeled! Remember every inch of Normandy was fought over. Any questions or book recommendations let me know. There's also lots of local farms and orchards that will sell you local produce too: especially cider and calvados, mmm!

If WW1 is more your thing have a look here, I have created a bunch of WW1 & WW2 battlefield waypoints including 147 WW1 sites from two of the Holts guidebooks on Somme and Ypres/Passchnendaele. The WW1 POIs include probably about 75% from the two books. They're are only so many cemeteries one man can visit.





Hope this helps.

 

[AJSmith110]

Battlefield itinerary

I got back yesterday after a fantastic 6 night trip to Somme & ypres.

We stayed in a fantastic B&B in Somme, called Otago View in Flers just outside Albert. website http://www.fieldsoffrance.com/

4 nights gave us plenty of time to visit all the key locations and I would definitely recommend not missing:
Delville Wood - Fascinating
1916 musee de abris, Albert - good start point
Lochnagar crater - unbelievable
Old Blighty tea room - nice cake
Avril williams tea room & Museum, Auchonvilliers - excellent little museum
Beaumont Hammel - much of site is untouched since 1918
Ulster tower - good tea room
Thiepaval monument - best visitor display
Wellington quarry tunnels, Arras - excellent guides and next to L'clerc superstore for picnic

Roads are brilliant fun, no traffic, no police, nospeed cameras. Don't forget NOTHING is open on a Sunday and not much during afternoons.

We stayed two nights in the worst B&B near Ypres, Cherry Blossom B&B.
However there is plenty to see locally and we enjoyed:
Paschendale museum - very good
Hooge Crater museum - Excellent display and good ham sarnies
Tyne Cot cemetry - Must not be missed, a real tear jerker
Sanctuary wood -much critisised as over commercial, but a good collection of artifacts.
Menein gate ceremony @ 8.00pm I recomend you get in place just after 7.30 if you wanta good position. Crowd was 20 deep on friday.
Good pizza in Poppy restaurant, near the gate.

 

[advancedbiker]

The Somme - The Ulster Tower and Trench visit

Just got back from a weekend in France where we spent some time on the Somme. Bit wet, but got to see a fair bit. Did the usual sites, but due to the weather went to the Somme Museum in Albert. For 5 euros, a nice little museum set in an underground tunnel system.
On the Sunday returned to the Somme for the the best guided tour I have been on given by Ted from The Ulster Tower. Highly recommended. Him and his wife could not do enough for you and the food was very nice, served quicker and more value for money than Old Blighty Tea Rooms.

 

[Ex TSi Fly]

im going over to france on the 1st week in aug , this is my first trip abroad on my bike , my plan was to do a battle field tour over 9 days , i have looked at other members trips but dont know where to start , i plan on camping and b+b etc with another two people , can anyone suggest some kind of itinery ?

Hi, five of us have just got back from Ypres, we spent a brilliant day out with Joris from http://www.flandersfieldsoutrider.be
Its a guided tour of the WW1 sites in the Flanders fields by motorcycle, riding the quiet lanes from site to site. Joris will lead you around the best places of interest in the area and adjusts his pace to suite, he gives his commentary via radio sets with plenty of breaks and a stop for lunch.
If you give him enough notice he will tailor the trip to what you want to see.
He is Belgian military and is very safe, giving warnings of cyclists, approaching cars mud, loose grit etc.
The beauty of this is it allows you to relax and enjoy the day.
I know its Belgium, but its very close to the border and well worth the effort.