D-Day by bike
For a week in early June the sleepy village of Cormolain was occupied by a small posse of well-behaved bikers, here to celebrate the 64th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
Coming from as far afield as Scotland, the Midlands, East Anglia and the West Country, most arrived with wet gear after a journey through the tail end of a few weeks of almost unbroken rain. However, Normandy played fair this year and we were treated to a week of virtually unbroken sunshine. This was a blessing not only to those camping, but those staying in the house too, as we were able to eat outside in the courtyard every evening.
Each day there was an organised ride out. One day took in Suisse Normande, another the British and Allied beaches (and a short excursion into the American sector at Omaha Beach). We even convoyed en masse to watch one intrepid biker try a bungee jump at the Viaduc de la Souleuvre.
Although there were several combinations of ferries to and from Normandy, we turned the trip from Le Havre into a scenic ride, stopping for breakfast in Honfleur and to have a look at Pegasus Bridge and Fort Hillman on the way to Cormolain. On the return trip we paused for lunch in the delightful Pont l'Eveque, with its rows of half-timbered houses and cobbled lanes.
This year it was evident that the tourist industry is looking for ways to exploit the interest in the D-Day campaign as the number of veterans able to attend steadily declines.For example, there was a parade of military vehicles in Bayeux one evening. For the week leading up to 6th June each year, WWII Willys jeeps are a common sight on the roads along the beaches, together with a few small trucks. The parade in Bayeux featured the extremely rare sight of two Sherman tanks. Although familiar to anyone who has seen any programmes or read any books on the campaign, they were very impressive seen close up.
On the evening of 5th June there was a firework display at the Longue-sur-Mer battery. The fireworks started when it was dark, which this year wasn't far short of midnight, not many minutes before the first paratroops began to land at Pegasus Bridge and Ste-Mère-Eglise. The sounds of the firework explosions echoing off the hills inland was very evocative of what the German defenders and local inhabitants must have heard all those years ago.
We had such a lot of fun hosting the event that we plan to repeat it later this year.
