# D Day Beaches



## teensvan (May 9, 2005)

Hi All.

Off to the D Day beaches next Monday for 3 weeks. This will be the first time over the water in the Swift 622. It is a lot smaller than our fulltiming Burstner 748-2 we had up until last year. We hope to get into some of the smaller Aires that we could not get into in years past. I expect it will be very busy so it will be pot luck where we shall stop. 

This will also be our first time out since I finished my Radiotherapy 3 weeks ago so hope all goes well. Have done loads of checks on all the van systems and some of my last years additions that I never got round to trying.

If anyone spots a Swift 622 with English flags flying from the cab windows give us a knock we may be in.

steve & ann. --------------- teensvan


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## Wizzo (Dec 3, 2007)

Good to hear you\'re back. Hope all goes well.

John and Brenda.


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## MEES (Apr 20, 2006)

Enjoy the trip x


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

Worth a read as next week is the 70th anniversary of D day.

http://www.normandie-tourisme.fr/no...0th-anniversary-events-not-to-miss-855-2.html

There are restrictions on vehicle movements on 6th June.


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## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

Good to hear you\'re back on the road.

We\'re planning on avoiding Normandy next week, it looks as if it\'ll be very busy. Best of luck finding somewhere to stay, I suspect it won\'t be easy.


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## bigcats30 (Aug 13, 2012)

Utah beach is alway empty....not the Aire but the beach a couple of mile up from the Museum (By the Golf course)

Lovely place to sit and watch the sea


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

> bigcats30 said:
> 
> 
> > Utah beach is alway empty....not the Aire but the beach a couple of mile up from the Museum (By the Golf course)
> ...


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## teensvan (May 9, 2005)

Yes it is nice to be back.

I will do as the French do and that is if there is an empty spot in any car park stick your van in it wind out the awning and make yourself at home with a glass of what ever you like.

In the 7 1/2 years we fulltimed we never got moved off once wherever we parked in the EU. You could not say the same in the UK.

steve & ann. ---------------- teensvan


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

I posted this on the Bayeux thread the other day

"Good time to go! Great wild camping spot at Longues sur Mer about 3 miles west of Arromanches.

Here. http://goo.gl/maps/m0KaO 49.34596, -0.68982

Its also the most intact gun battery of the Atlantic wall. You can see the Mullberry harbour from there as well. Great views.

When we were there for the 65th anniversary of D day we shared it with a load of WW2 military vehicles who came and camped for the night."

You will almost certainly get on there. Its a lovely spot and worth having a look around the gun battery just 200 metres inland.

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## Devonboy (Nov 19, 2009)

We head for the tunnel today. Will be in Normandy from Monday onwards. 

If you see us, an AutoSleeper Luxor A Class give us a wave. We are booked into a site at Saint Aubin Sur Mer from Tuesday for 7 days as we wanted a base, but will be moving around before & after. 

Note the local town will be issuing window stickers for those that are based in the town. We were required to send registration documents & booking confirmation, but we still have not seen the stickers so we will need to collect from the Mairie when we arrive. 

Hope to see you all there.


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## teensvan (May 9, 2005)

Hi. Devonboy.

Did not know about the window stickers. We hope to get set up in one of the aires by 4th June

Hi barryd

Thanks for the wild spot at Longues . I did google earth it to see if I could Spot somewhere at Longues.

May see some of you in the next couple of weeks. 

steve & ann ------------ teensvan


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

If you do go to Longues then dont make the mistake of stopping at the car park where the gun battery is (which is free by the way). keep going all the way to the cliff edge. Thats where the spot is.


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## bigtree (Feb 3, 2007)

We stayed at the spot Barry is talking about at Longues in April,fantastic spot.I rode along the clifftop on my MTB to get a good view of the Mulberry harbour.


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## Geriatricbackpacker (Aug 21, 2012)

If the aire in Arromanches is full (it's quite often bulging) then use the car park at the rear of the church in Tracy Sur Mer (n49.335468, -w0.644594), it level and spacious and very quiet. Its only a few minutes drive from Arromanches. Obviously no services but these can be obtained from the Arromanches aire either before or after.

Terry


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

> *Geriatricbackpacker wrote: *If the aire in Arromanches is full (it's quite often bulging) then use the car park at the rear of the church in Tracy Sur Mer (n49.335468, -w0.644594), it level and spacious and very quiet. Its only a few minutes drive from Arromanches. Obviously no services but these can be obtained from the Arromanches aire either before or after.
> 
> Terry


Last time I was at Arromanches it was November and the Aire was full then! We just stayed on the car park outside the Aire which was empty. I imagine the Aire and the car park will be impossible for the next couple of weeks.

So good tip behind the church. Can you still park up on the cliff top near the 360 degree cinema?


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## 91502 (May 1, 2005)

Hi
I have read on a few of the French forums that quite a lot of the area will be restricted with towns issuing passes to allow locals to move around.
People seem to be trading their stickers as they have now all been issued.
James


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## MYFANWY1 (May 9, 2011)

Hi there, we are in Bayeux at the moment and yes it is getting busy with all sorts of reenact forces, and a lot of military jeep from years gone bye, going to tourist infore in a while try and find out more.
Eddie.


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## pete4x4 (Dec 20, 2006)

Area of restrictions

I'm passing through on the 6th in my Jeep and giving it a wide berth!


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Eddie.

There was quite a lot of stuff going on at Pegasus bridge just down the road from you in 2009 when we were there for the 60th. Always worth a visit anyway.

Wish I was there!

We need photos (assuming they fix the photo upload)


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Sorry 65th!


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## Geriatricbackpacker (Aug 21, 2012)

barryd said:


> > *Geriatricbackpacker wrote: *If the aire in Arromanches is full (it's quite often bulging) then use the car park at the rear of the church in Tracy Sur Mer (n49.335468, -w0.644594), it level and spacious and very quiet. Its only a few minutes drive from Arromanches. Obviously no services but these can be obtained from the Arromanches aire either before or after.
> >
> > Terry
> 
> ...


The 360* cinema carpark was charging a horrendous rate just to park for a couple of hours so we parked on the road outside (as did twenty other vehicles once we had stopped) we visited and then left the area as the road was very busy. When we went in August last year the Italians had taken over both the aire and carpark forcing a French van to park in the service bay!


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

The whole place is packed with military vehicles and motorhomes occupying every supermarket car park. It's manic this year.
My wife wants to take our guests to visit all the action but I doubt we will be able to get near.

Ray.


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## Jimbost (Aug 25, 2012)

We left to stay at Honfleur on the way home last Friday and at 15:30 and could not get near the Aire! Motorhomes parked along the quaysides and the coach park. We scooted off to an Aire we found about 10k away that is normally empty. We arrived to take the last of the 12 pitches. Motorhomes were pulling in and leaving until well after dark so I imagine that the whole area was manic with people trying to find a pitch over the coming days.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Just come back from St. Mere Eglise today and the motorhome park was full of about 100 vans. Then there were many other car parks and fields with dozens more vans in them.

After we extricated ourselves we tried to get into St. Marie du Monte and it was blocked off from all sides. So we found a very quiet WW1&2 bit of history just a couple of miles away here.......................

http://www.aerobase.fr/

Ray.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Sounds great Ray! This is what I like about France. The Motorhomes just seem to take over at things like this and nobody seems to object.

Glad I have the scooter though!

Im just completely miffed that we are not there. 

Hope we get some photos from someone soon.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Yes Barry.
My wife wants to try and get in again tomorrow but what with the bus loads of police arriving and blocked off roads I think it will be better on BBC.

My brother in law a 90 year old Burma veteran covered in medals was mobbed for his picture and signature.
He came back a 'star'.

Ray.


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## suedew (May 10, 2005)

teensvan said:


> Hi All.
> 
> Off to the D Day beaches next Monday for 3 weeks. This will be the first time over the water in the Swift 622. It is a lot smaller than our fulltiming Burstner 748-2 we had up until last year. We hope to get into some of the smaller Aires that we could not get into in years past. I expect it will be very busy so it will be pot luck where we shall stop.
> 
> ...


Delighted to hear you are back motorhoming again, enjoyed meeting you in Luxemburg, still making good use of gaffer tape. Have a great time. 
Sue n John


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## aldhp21 (Aug 4, 2008)

barryd said:


> If you do go to Longues then dont make the mistake of stopping at the car park where the gun battery is (which is free by the way). keep going all the way to the cliff edge. Thats where the spot is.


Thanks for all the tips. Current on top of the cliffs at Longues sur mer that you recommended Barry. Quite a few vans here but there is space. Wonderful flypast by the Lancaster yesterday.

Cheers Alan.


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## aldhp21 (Aug 4, 2008)

Just to add, absolute wonderful location. Didn't get all the procession of military vehicles we would have had in arromanches but we could sit here in a mostly sunny day watching the flypasts, drinking wine next to the BBQ. Thanks again.

Tried unsuccessfully to upload a photo. 

Cheers Alan


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Good stuff Alan. Glad you like the spot. I was thinking when watching all the stuff on telly that Longues would be a great location for the fly past! Very jealous!

Wish we could have been there!


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