Saint-Malo to the D-Day Landing Beaches

After making your own way to Saint-Malo, you will have a meeting with your guide between 9 and 19:00 and can do a first loop if you arrive before 14:00. Today’s cycling will start and end in the same place and take you on a circuit of one of France’s truly beautiful villages: Saint-Suliac. Here is gorgeous countryside on the banks of the Rance River, particularly beautiful when the sun is setting and light is reflected on its banks and the stone of the village buildings.

Today you will leave Saint-Malo and head along the Côte d’Emeraude and near the Bay of Month Saint-Michel. The route here will take you through land and sea and allow you to meet oyster, mussel and other local farmers, so you really can taste some amazing things on your trip. You will leave your bike safely at the bottom of Mont Saint-Michel and then a shuttle will take you from there. From leaving the shuttle you will have a quick walk to reach the abbey, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Here we find a peaceful road out in the bay which goes along the sea and take a perfect picnic here. Before you get there, there will be a slightly steeper climb up Avranches, a typical Normandie city made with dark stones and equipped with small local shops. Enjoy some food from numerous Delicatessens. Your stop for the night is Granville which has a pleasant beach for bathing and a pleasant promenade to stroll on.

It’s time to say goodbye to Granville and head northwards, firstly stopping by Countances. Here you will find a gorgeous church in the city centre. From here you will see the Normandy grove open up in front of you and will have a slightly hillier route to Saint-Lo, famous for a its Memorial to the Civil Victims of 6^th June, 1944.

Today you will be cycling alongside the ocean via the Regional Natural Parc des Marais du Contentin et du Bessin. Once you leave Grandcamp-Maisy and up to Port-en-Bessin you will be learning all about the Second World War, many of the events of which took part here. The Hoc Point, Omaha Beach, and the Colleville-sur-Mer American Cemetery will be memorable things to visit on this day. Once you arrive in your day for the night of Port-en-Bessin you will be amazed by the charm of this fishing town.

Peddle along the coast until you get to the famous Juno Beach. Here you can visit Winston Harbour where there are numerous pontoons laying on the sea, which were made as a port for the D-Day landing of June 1944. Now it’s time to leave the Normandy coast to head for Bayeux, the route on which you get here is so beautiful with mills in the Suelles Valley. Bayeux was surprisingly spared from bombings and thus traditional and pre-war houses can still be seen today.

Your stay comes to an end after breakfast, but, if possible, we would recommend a visit to the Bayeux tapestry museum. Here you can see great works of 11^th century artwork and a 70-metre-long tapestry depicting the conquest of England by William the Conqueror.