Places to base myself for a long weekend in Normandy this Summer

Philsilva

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Hi all

I'm looking for advice from everyone on a place to stop in Normandy over a 3 or 4 day period this Summer.

The place would ideally be central to the coastal area, have some secure parking for the bikes and ideally, be recommended by the group ;)

I have no strong feelings about the whole affair at the moment so can be very flexible and would be willing to accept any sugestions by anyone who has been there and done that already so has some positive suggestions to make.......

Anyway hope everyone had a great Christmas and will enjoy their New Year just as much: beerjug::beerjug::beerjug:

Cheers
Phil
 
I stayed at Normandy Beach B&B in Arromanches with a couple of mates on our bikes a couple of years ago. Secure parking and great hospitality, plus a great location.
 
http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php/470829-Trip-to-DDay-beaches

Just one of the many threads on the subject of: “Tell me where to stay in Normandy, when I visit the D Day sites”. Hack your way through a few threads, like a brave soldier hacking his way through the bocage.

As to ‘safe, secure, parking’, there is not much on this site about blokes having their motorcycles stolen or tampered with in Normandy, or indeed anywhere else in France or mainland Europe. Most have them stolen here in the UK, sometimes from their own homes. You’ll be fine, I promise.

PS The Normandy beaches are roughly 50 (or more) miles long, west to east. Look at a map and find somewhere roughly in the middle. Then do a search in Google or something like: ‘Motorbike stay Normandy’ or something similar. Three, short, words.
 
Something as simple as a search of:

‘normandy best places to stay d day’ turns up: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/where-to-stay-for-2-days-in-normandy

Does it really matter that they are American or don’t ride a GS motorcycle? They landed in Normandy, too.

As you haven’t given us the slightest clue, beyond it must be safe to park your bike, as to whether you fancy a hotel, a B&B (maybe British run, as they know about bike parking perhaps) a private luxury hotel or a Formua 1, you could look at:

https://www.tripsavvy.com/hotels-and-restaurants-in-normandy-1517340

Or

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/d...les/top-10-the-best-beach-hotels-in-normandy/
 
Bill and Carol, La Motte B+B, tel 0033-233-510084.
great digs, bar on site, fantastic food, undercover bike parking, central to most attractions.
 
Thanks everyone for your help.

I've got a few open windows for the links give so will take time to review them now.
Here's hoping for a good trip :thumb

Thank you all once again
Phil
 
Bill and Carol, La Motte B+B, tel 0033-233-510084.
great digs, bar on site, fantastic food, undercover bike parking, central to most attractions.

Just checked through my bits n pieces, that's the place me and two mates stayed at in August, Great place.

Ignore Wapping and his ever so unfriendly condescending advice, he's a cnut.
 
Just checked through my bits n pieces, that's the place me and two mates stayed at in August, Great place.

Ignore Wapping and his ever so unfriendly condescending advice, he's a cnut.

I kind of picked up a flavour of what you mean ;) However some good info :)

Thanks for your help
 
Currently favouring La Motte ATM but thank you all for your help

Really very much appreciated :beerjug::beerjug::beerjug:
 
Try Honfleur - it is a gorgeous old world port, lovely marina, just a great place to be.
 
Just a bit further away, but great location and roads together with Nigel & Carole’s hospitality is https://www.maisonlaudiere.com/directions/

Numerous Tossers have stayed there as have I and a friend and would happily go back.

See 'Tank' of this parish. Talk of them selling up - maybe they can update us on progress shortly & intentions for 2018
 
one of our trips last year was to Normandy. we stayed in a fantastic apartment in Honfleur called Le Salamadre,(link below) there where 5 of us and there's a 6 foot remote controlled electric gate to park behind with plenty of space so bike are 1000% safe. Spotlessly clean. run by a very elegant and helpful woman and ideal location for D-Day beeches. Its a bit trumpy in the harbour but an amazing place to stay.
Its about 4 1/2 hours from Calais on the 'twisties' (personally, I'd do this) or 2 1/2 on the M-way
I would HIGHLY recommend it.......

https://www.booking.com/hotel/fr/l-39-abris-cotier.fr.html
 
The fellow wants places “Central to the invasion beaches”. In a word, Honfleur, isn’t. It’s 120 kms west between Honfleur and say, Omaha beach. That’s over an hour using the inland A13 motorway / N13 main road, the fastest way between the two points. Slower still if you take the much smaller roads that run closer to the coast. Logic dictates that if you are hooning along the A13 / N13 you aren’t stopping to look at sites. You are also looking at an hour or more lost from the day coming back.

It’s a common enough mistake, people sometimes not realising the scale of the beach landing sites, sometimes imagining that it’s all in a 10 square mile radius. It’s not.

Google a map of the D Day beaches and then ask Google maps for a simple route from say, St Mere Eglise to the west to Sword beach in the east, broadly encompassing the spread of the main D Day itself events.

ddaylandings.gif


That’s 100 kms or 60 miles, direct via the main road / motorway that runs inland, so nowhere near the beaches themselves.

To be midway along the line, you need to be looking at somewhere along the triangle: Colleville-s-Mere - Bayeux - Arromanches. Choosing somewhere around these three gives you the luxury of going either left or right each morning, halving the Daily distances you’d have to ride had you hitched your awsome steed in Honfleur. If you choose Bayeux, it’s a reasonably small’ish but historic town, so it’s got a decent number of pubs, cafes and restaurants.... along with its very own tapestry. If the tapestry is “Well boring, mate” the town is conveniently situated on the E46 / N13 main roads, so you’ll be able to hoon off to St Mere or Sword beaches easily. Similarly, you’ll be able cut towards the coast by riding north east, through north west, rather like a fan, giving you a convenient arc for each day’s travel. Booking.com lists a load of hotels in the town, from the Ibis Budget upwards.

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One last tip. Plot each day out, so as best to use your time. The biggest museums will take a couple of hours (though some bods will say they take all day) then add on a coffee stop (30 mins) and lunch (45 minutes) and a tea stop (30 minutes).... very quickly the day starts to go, with more lost if you stubbornly refuse (as some do) to take the motorwayand your hotel is now 100 kms away.

There are some excellent and quite cheap guide books and maps, that’ll help you do it. TripAdvisor can help, along with Google. You don’t want to arrive at the airborne museum to find it’s closed that - and your only - morning to accommodate three school groups from Lyon... It’s happened, trust me.

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Having the latitude and longitude references pumped into your GPS device (you can check them on Google streetview) may save you some time, too.
 
I stayed at Normandy Beach B&B in Arromanches with a couple of mates on our bikes a couple of years ago. Secure parking and great hospitality, plus a great location.

Adrian’s place ?

Not been there for over a decade but was always a great base.
 


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