Normandy trip advice

[micksea]

If you leave return via class then try to visit 'todt battery'it's an old gun battery with loads of old kit inside.it's on the coast road near boulogne with a campsite opposite and within easy reach of the F1 hotel in boulogne,then only 23 miles to the ferry or tunnel

[Watty2016]

Portsmouth to cherbourg is ok, but Southampton to st Malo is gonna be a long way up for you when you get to France. Try going Portsmouth to Caen, lot closer to all the sites you want to see in France.
Al (thumbs)

This is the route for me, thanks for flagging it. (thumbs)

[Watty2016]

There is an interesting tank and military vehicle graveyard/exhibition at Falaise which is worth an hour or so, (check opening times!) as is the town itself, as somewhere away from the beaches. Bill the Conqueror came from there! Bloody Normans..... :whistle:

A super ride through back lanes from St Lo or Villers-Bocage and through Clecy. This gives you a real idea of the Bocage, and takes you through the Suisse Normandie which is stunning.

Oh yes and one of the few Tigers left. We always go Pompey Caen now and dont forget you can get a 10% off code. Also the D roads south of Caen are a gem plus more tanks of course.

How do I get the 10% discount voucher ?

[Watty2016]

if you use a higher end gps this file transfer method is very very usefull, it is probably worth a little time to learn. Even if you do not use a gps on bike, you could still use it for pre planning. Believe me I am no computer geke so the basics can not be to difficult First you will need a computer type thing Android tablets and such don't work as far as I can tell and I only have Experience of windows. You will then need to aquire some software, Garmin(gps suppliers) have their own, the old stuff was called Mapsource the current stuff is called Basecamp, there are others- tyre being another commonly used one which is the better is open to debate, Basecamp is free to download. This will allow you to make up routes something similar to google maps or similar but is a far more powerfull/usefull tool. You can store old, edit, add to, use others offered to you and collect them from many sources on the net. Basecamp is a little tricky as it is just a platform you need to add maps of regions or countries to it to make it a useful tool these are also available from Garmin at a cost or other types are free(OSM). I am/was old school rallycar navigator/co-driver cupboards full of maps Wales, UK, Europe etc still always have map's on the tank when going somewhere new and have many old routes in different colours on old maps, but IMHO this GPX stuff is the way to go till something new comes Grab a beer start pressing buttons. Frustrated you will be a lot, time it will take, give it a try let us Know how you get on.
A screenshot only of An example of Mapsource file of Normandy POI's,
points of interest

Screenshot9.png

Good luck Paul.

Thanks

[Watty2016]

If you leave return via class then try to visit 'todt battery'it's an old gun battery with loads of old kit inside.it's on the coast road near boulogne with a campsite opposite and within easy reach of the F1 hotel in boulogne,then only 23 miles to the ferry or tunnel

Thanks on the list of must do's and thanks for accom suggestions, I'm not really the camping type so hotels and B&B's are appreciated. (thumbs)

[herman]

pm on way B)

[Watty2016]

Cheers much appreciated