D-day beaches tour 2010

[Penfold]

Need some help and advice here please:

Some time in June/July 2010 myself and about six other workmates plan to complete a camping cycle tour of the D-day landing beaches and nearby sites/museums etc.
The plan so far is to take a seven day break and travel from Cherbourg all down the coast to Caen.

OK here is the 'rub' a quick check of Brittany ferries website shows that 'we' can each expect to pay around £65 for a ticket for our chosen route. (Just put in any dates as 2010 isn't posted yet)

To travel from our base in the West Midlands to Portsmouth via network rail will cost each around the same amount and there is no guarantee of us all getting onto the same train due to limited bike storage space.

So is it cheaper/better to hire a van to get us to Pompey and park it up for a week in a multi storey or car park?
We can't cycle to Pompey as time is limited.

Anyone done similar or has advice/ideas?

Sorry for the long post however, it may be one of many re this trip

 

[Bigtwin]

Done this - it was great.

Train to Pompey, overnight ferry to Cherbourg, cycle round using spec b+b at about £10 a night for v good accom and brekkie, evening ferry back from Caen to Pompey. Shagged up only by UK trains up the duff on way back - replacement coach service didn't take bikes - cycled back from the coast at midnight - great.

Fab trip though.

 

[rich p]

No offence mate, but why don't you compare the price of van hire and train or car plus car parking and decide from there. That's the beauty of Google. We can help more with other questions but you have to do some of the legwork yourself.

 

[dragon72]

Can't offer advice about getting to Portsmouth from the midlands, but I just did this trip two weeks ago. It'll take you way less than a week, even if you go slow.
Read about my trip here:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/cherbourgtocaen

 

[Penfold]

Can't offer advice about getting to Portsmouth from the midlands, but I just did this trip two weeks ago. It'll take you way less than a week, even if you go slow.
Read about my trip here:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/cherbourgtocaen

Dragon72,
Thats a nice CGOAB journal mate.
'We' plan a similar route, but intend to hunt out those smaller museums and travel a bit of extra milage inland too, hence the 7 day target. Can't do too many miles per day as some of our team are not cyclists (some have to buy a bike yet )
Thanks for the reply

 

[Penfold]

No offence mate, but why don't you compare the price of van hire and train or car plus car parking and decide from there. That's the beauty of Google. We can help more with other questions but you have to do some of the legwork yourself.

Rich P,

No offence taken mate. I've read your CGOAB journals and I realise that your an experienced rider.
I'm just trying to balance the costs of train against van travel, so hoped that someone may know a van storage area in Pompey (plus its costs)
No worries on the Google front mate, I'm on the case.
Thanks for the reply anyway and hope to quiz you a bit more later on.

 

[peanut]

what a fantastic trip. I'd give anything to do that. I was caught completely unawares by the news last week that it was the 60th Aniversary of DDay.
I thought at the time it would make a fantastic trip on a bike .

I wonder if there are any others on here that would be interested in doing a CC tour of the landing sites etc . Think I might put up a post.

In answer to your question I would say why not look at hiring a van and taking it across to France and leaving it there and picking it up on the way back or better still hire from hertz who I think will allow you to off-hire in another country . That way you can all get safely there and back without any problems or hassle .

 

[Chrisz]

what a fantastic trip. I'd give anything to do that. I was caught completely unawares by the news last week that it was the 60th Aniversary of DDay.

...........or even the fact that it was the 65th Aniversary

I thought at the time it would make a fantastic trip on a bike .

Just got back from one - Cherbourg through to Paris - absolutely fantastic - despite some pretty crap weather! Had some military historians meeting us at important points along the wqay to fill us in on the details.

 

[peanut]

...........or even the fact that it was the 65th Aniversary

Oops

 

[hubbike]

Done this tour but we were more interested in ice cream and sunbathing that museums. nevertheless I would recommend the following
LD ferries to le harve, dirt cheap.
Pont de normandie cool bridge
Merville battery quite interesting
Honfleur beautiful town and one of very few not raised to the ground
Quick look round Bayeux, but don't bother with the boring tapestry.
Mulberry Harbour war winning feat of engineering
There was also this great village we passed through with a recreation of a US army camp (with french actors!) also there were these billboard sized photos of the village during d-day. That was worth a look, but I forget what its called. Hope this helps!

 

[dragon72]

A Scotsman saying that an action-replay of the English on the receiving end of a spanking was boring.
Whatever next?!
FWIW, I thought the tapestry was ace!

 

[Penfold]

Hubbike and Peanut,
Cheers for the replies.
No worries on the history front 'we' have done loads of war-walks, from most of Normandy, to Ypres, Arnhem, The Somme.

'We' have only ever had a Friday, saturday and Sunday away though so this is the gentle slowed down tour (war-cycle) we've all been asking for.

I'm still trying to find the best way of gettin 6 or 7 cyclists plus kit to Pompey (DOH!)

At the moment it looks like two vans (one bikes/one people) and paying for secure 7 day parking. 'We' are lucky in that we are part of a sports club that operate several Minibus/transit vans hired at £12 per day so at least there are no hassles re train space etc. We get there, do the tour, get off the ferry and return home.

I love logistics. NOT pmsl..

 

[Dave Davenport]

I know you've said you'll be detouring inland etc. but me and mrs d have done Caen - Cherbourg in two easy'ish days. It's a nice (fairly flat) ride from St Malo across to Arromanches (landing beach & museum) taking in the Mt. St. Michel bay & Bayeux (again we've done that one over two days) then you could follow the coast north to Cherbourg. That would be a four day trip for us so seven for inexperienced riders should be ok.

 

[Penfold]

Les combatants......As you can see we share a few extra pounds (for emergency usage only, lol)

 

[Dave Davenport]

Granted you look more like a rugby team than a cycling team but I still think you'll find Caen to Cherbourg not nearly far enough, it really is very gentle terrain so even you're slighty more stout 'combatants' will find they can cover a fair distance in a day.