Day trip from Cherbourg

We will be docked in Cherbourg from 7:00AM to 5:00PM and have rented a car to explore for the day. We are thinking of driving to Utah Beach and then to Granville but are wondering if this might be too much driving and wouldn't leave us enough time to enjoy our destinations. Looking at perhaps substituting Barfleur or Bayeaux for Granville - any thoughts?

Mary

Hi Mary,

Granville is about an hour out of your way & the same to return. Perhaps a pleasant place to stop off for anyone headed for Mont St Michel but do you have a special reason to go there?

Possibly D-Day overload, but you have plenty of time for Pointe du Hoc (heavily-shelled gun emplacements) 30 mins, Omaha & the American cemetery which overlooks it 90 mins, mebbe continue to Arromanches (museum & remains of Mulberry harbour) 60 mins and Bayeux (untouched by WW11, Bayeux tapestry & cathedral), 60 mins, perhaps the German cemetery at La Cambe (stark contrast to the American cemetery), 15 mins then Utah (excellent museum & you can drive the length of the little lane which runs behind the beach) 90 mins, St Mere Eglise (Airborne museum etc) 60 mins & back to Cherbourg.

All of those places means around 3hrs 40 mins driving & ideally about 7 hours at the sights (my suggested minimum times in red), so delete those which appeal the least.

Here's a typical route, though if you have a special interest in Utah you might want to go there first so that you won't miss it if time runs short.

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=Cherbourg,+France&daddr=Pointe+du+Hoc,+Cricqueville-en-Bessin,+France+to:American+cemetery+Omaha+beach+to:Arromanches-les-Bains,+France+to:Bayeux,+France+to:49.2853634,-0.7346648+to:La+Cambe+German+war+cemetery,+Route+nationale,+La+Cambe,+France+to:Utah+Beach,+Sainte-Marie-du-Mont,+France+to:49.443188,-1.2574423+to:Sainte-M%C3%A8re-%C3%89glise,+France+to:Cherbourg&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=49.458306,-1.124725&spn=0.619494,1.322479&sll=49.418121,-1.075287&sspn=0.620002,1.322479&geocode=FcNZ9QIdhz_n_ymNGDOdC5cMSDGQfrlPSBQMBA%3BFa2-8QIdGefw_yn5ngbxNQoLSDHL8JJsd6M2dg%3BFVIE8QIdAn7z_yE_ma5BhJW4NSnfsq2vxakLSDE_ma5BhJW4NQ%3BFY3a8AIdsYD2_ynFAVHh2lUKSDEA_bxPSBQMBA%3BFRXm7wIdXEX1_ymJCuK4qqwLSDGU8sPJX8VL1g%3BFfMI8AIdOMr0_ylnnQQkY6sLSDE2p1VoD3wN_A%3BFfjl8AIdq1bw_yGRklQ3zYFskClfwkqctQoLSDGRklQ3zYFskA%3BFQr98QIdERfu_ynrC0qE7nYLSDGu-LWIy3cQ5w%3BFXRx8gIdHtDs_ymfXDYBH3oLSDG_wzgWQ19fgA%3BFXDv8QId2eLr_yk5cbgPM3kLSDFgZ7lPSBQMBA%3BFcNZ9QIdhz_n_ymNGDOdC5cMSDGQfrlPSBQMBA&doflg=ptm&mra=dpe&mrsp=8&sz=10&via=5,8&t=m&z=10

JB :)

Just down the board:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2160347

Hi Mary,

Granville is about an hour out of your way & the same to return. Perhaps a pleasant place to stop off for anyone headed for Mont St Michel but do you have a special reason to go there?

 

Thanks for your helpful advice - I was thinking it might be pleasant to just wander around/stop at a cafe in a scenic town, but perhaps Granville might be too far "out of the way." Thinking maybe we should go to Bayeux and see the tapestry...we did get to Omaha Beach, Pointe du Hoc and the American cemetery on an earlier trip.

Thanks for your helpful advice - I was thinking it might be pleasant to just wander around/stop at a cafe in a scenic town, but perhaps Granville might be too far "out of the way." Thinking maybe we should go to Bayeux and see the tapestry...we did get to Omaha Beach, Pointe du Hoc and the American cemetery on an earlier trip.

Granville will be very far off your way. If you just want an interesting town to wander, Barfleur might be a better option. It's a charming small town. Or Saint Vaast la Hougue. A little out of Barfleur you have the Gatteville Lighthouse which can be visited, if you are not afraid of stairs you can climb to the top and have a very nice view over the sea and the coast.

As an alternative, the coast west of Cherbourg (northern and western part of the Cotentin Peninsula, from Cherbourg down to Carteret (or even Portbail) is very beautiful also. Goury feels like a tiny part of Ireland and if there's a bit of wind the sea can be quite dramatic. The Baie d'Ecalgrain and the Biville Dunes are beautiful and Dielette, Carteret, Portbail are typical coastal town with characters.