TheBuchans

There were supposed to be 2 Mulberry Harbours for the D-Day landings, but one was wrecked by a storm, which caused enormous problems for the Americans. I had wanted to see these for some time because some of the caissons were fabricated near here at Lepe. The caissons were 37 x23x12 metres in size and made of concrete.

Pegasus bridge, as most of you probably know, was one of the bridges which had to be taken intact so that the allies, after landing, could cross the river and move east. As it happened the first Horsa glider landed just 47 feet away from the bridge. If you hear the whole story it was quite a fantastic feat of navigation. The museum is well worth the visit.

Pancakes at Midday.

Bayeux old town

Cathdrale Notre-Dame

Bayeux has preserved the old historic centre with its medieval structure. Its exceptional architectural heritage emerged unscathed from the Allied bombing raids of 1944. The cathedral, which was consecrated in 1077, underwent all kinds of extensions and embellishments from the 13th to the 15th century.
You can't visit Bayeux without seeing the 'Bayeux Tapestry'. We both really enjoyed this and thought it was exceptionally well done and very informative. Did you know it is really an embroidery and that it was made in Kent? I won't go into the the history as there are plenty of websites that will regale you with all the information.

Sue at the observation post

Stuart with the remains of a 152 mm gun

Sue and I had wanted to see the D-Day beaches for a while, so we decided to spend some time near to Bayeaux so that we were fairly central for the visits. We stayed with the caravan in the grounds of a château at Martagny. These sites are supposed to be 'top notch', but this one could have done with better toilet facilities and a warmer swimming pool.
The first of the visits was to The Longues Battery. The concrete structures here are just huge with 1000's of tons of concrete. There were 4 - 152mm guns which threatened both Gold and Omaha beaches.

Photo taken from the P&O ferry.
This service is being discontinued on Sept 30th 2005!


Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth