Boys Motorbike trip to D-Day Beaches and WW1 & WW2 Memorial sites
For many years, one of my best mates, Nigel Windsor & I, had planned (dreamed) of visiting the D-Day landing beaches and the memorials from WW1 & WW2. After several failed & cancelled attempts due to various work commitments, we never made it together. Nigel passed away a few years ago now.
This trip, for me, was in memory of Nigel.
So last year when a bunch of guys, who I occasionally ride with on a Sunday (when the weather is good) asked me to join them on a week-long ride to the D-Day landing beaches and Ypres, in Belgium, I snapped their hand off!
The ride was in a big loop - Brighouse to Portsmouth, ferry across the English Channel to Cherbourg in France - Cherbourg to Arromanches - Arromanches to Dieppe - Dieppe to Ypres - Ypres to Middelburg - Middelburg to Rotterdam - overnight ferry to Hull - Hull to Brighouse. Around 900 miles in total.
I decided to have a couple of days in London catching up with friends and old work colleagues and meet the guys at Portsmouth Ferry Terminal at 9.30am on the allotted day.
Day 1
Not much sleep last night in excitement and great anticipation of the trip, so at 6am, I had hit the road for the 80-mile journey from Lewisham in London to the Portsmouth Ferry Terminal. After a couple of leisurely stops for coffee and a bacon butty, I arrived in good time and about 5 minutes before the guys arrived.
Perfect!
We all checked in, boarded the ferry and found a table for the 6 of us in what was a mini heat wave in the UK.
The ferry to Cherbourg is only about 5 and a half hours so plenty of time to get to know each other a little better with copious amounts of piss taking and banter! Spirits were high.
The other 5 guys had all grown up together in Elland & Brighouse with a youth band bringing them together. Their relationships are close, like 5 brothers who constantly take the piss out of each other but with real affection and respect for each other. So, to be invited as an incomer to the group, really was a privilege.
One of the guys is my daughter’s Father-in-law, hence being invited to ride with them.
We arrived in Cherbourg late afternoon and after a short ride, we arrived at our hotel.
Dinner with copious amounts of booze was consumed at a steak house close by the hotel
Day 2
After breakfast, we hit the road. Dave, our lead rider, hates motorways. He uses an app that allows him to plan routes on country roads, lanes and through divine northern French villages and hamlets.
I have never been to this part of France before and as I soon discovered, it really is stunningly beautiful. The bonus also with Normandy, is that they actually like the English!
Our first stop today was Utah Beach. The first of the two beaches where the American’s landed and eventually took on D-Day. Whilst casualties on the beach were relatively low with 197 losses from 21,000 troops landed, a further 14,000 arrived by glider and parachute but suffered over 2,500 losses because they all landed wide off the mark.
We spent some time on the beach in reflection.
On our way to our next stop, which was the second American beach landing, Omaha, we stopped at a German bunker called the Maisie Battery. Here the Germans housed several Howitzer guns and 12 x 8mm anti aircraft guns. It was this battery alone which held the Americans up on Omaha Beach and caused the most losses of the 5 x beach landings. Over 2,400 men were lost on Omaha alone.
After spending time paying our respects on Omaha, we headed off to Arromanches, where we were staying for the night. As we approached on the cliff’s tops, we stood and viewed the artificial harbour built by the British just after D-Day. This artificial harbour enabled the allies to unload tanks, heavy equipment and supplies to aid the advancement of the allies into Normandy.
Although much of it has now eroded into the sea, there is still enough left for the viewer to envisage just how huge this operation was and how vital it was for the eventual liberation of France
Bags dropped off, shower and out to the town area for dinner and a huge reflection on how much we owe to those brave, brave men, who gave us the freedoms we enjoy today.
Day 3
A short drive on the opposite side of the valley above Arromanches, was the British Memorial. This memorial is between Arromanches and Gold Beach, where the British landed on D-Day. A beautiful memorial overlooking the sea, there is a museum, memorial and fabulous views. We spent some time here before heading off to look at Gold Beach.
In between Gold and Sword Beach (where the British also landed) is Juno Beach where the Canadians landed. Memorials at all of the beaches were visited and our respects paid to the fallen.
From here, we headed to Pegasus Bridge. Pegasus Bridge is one of the bridges that were key for capture during the landings, if the allies were to cross the Caen Canal and river. This was achieved by surprise attack by Gliders, who, managed to land within a few feet of the bridge and took the bridge by surprise attack in roughly 10 minutes. They then held it until reinforcements arrived from the main beach landings.
The original bridge is now in a museum and the bridge there today, still in the bascule design, was built in 1994.
Our next destination, Dieppe, was over 200km away, so an afternoon of riding through pristine and beautiful countryside was the order of the day. The weather was stunning and riding through the gorgeous French countryside was unbelievable riding.
On arrival in Dieppe early evening, we showered and headed out to explore Dieppe and eat
Day 4
We were having 2 x nights here in Dieppe. Partially for a rest day but also to explore Dieppe and discover more about the attempted Raid of Dieppe in 1942.
Operation Jubilee or the Raid on Dieppe, was seen to test the feasibility of a larger scale landing and was primarily led by the Canadians with support from the RAF and tanks delivered by the Royal Navy.
The amphibious landing was an absolute disaster.
Mounting casualties after 6 hours forced a retreat and within 10 hours the Canadians suffered a 68% casualty rate. 3,367 killed or taken prisoner from 5,000 troops. The RAF lost 106 aircraft and the Royal Navy lost 33 landing craft and a destroyer. In total almost 4,000 casualties. A walk along the beach and harbour front, brings to life the ambiance of the time and puts into perspective the horrendous task at hand for those brave men.
When you read, see and feel these types of experiences from history, it brings home the ultimate sacrifice that was made in the name of liberty and freedoms for us all.
We walked around this lovely man-made harbour, protected from the fierceness of the English Channel, savouring the superb bars, cafes and restaurants. It was here where you just have to eat the fresh Mussels and a particularly superb dish is Mules smothered in Camembert cheese with garlic and white wine!
Day 5
Today we had a 220km ride from Dieppe to Ypres in Belgium to visit the WW1 memorials and sites. So, after several cups of coffee, we set off on one of Dave’s magnificent scenic routes towards Belgium.
With 3 x breaks along the way to admire the prettiest of villages and hamlets, we stopped in Ploegsteert. Here is a wonderful, small museum and a fabulous memorial (Statute) of a German and a British soldier, shaking hands with a football at their feet. It was not far from here where on Christmas Day in 1914, there was a short ceasefire and the soldiers from both sides, played football together in no man’s land.
It really is quite moving.
From here we headed to Ypres, checked into our hotel then headed to Menin Gate.
Not only does Menin Gate Memorial hold the names of over 55,000 missing Commonwealth Soldiers during the First World War, it is the place where the Last Post Association play the Last Post at 8pm Sharpe every night, in memory of the fallen soldiers. It has been played every night since 1928. Even during WW2, it was played, albeit, elsewhere.
For me, this was the most emotional part of the trip so far. It truly is a moving experience. The landlord of the pub next to Menin Gate said when he first bought the pub 40 years ago, only half a dozen people came at 8pm to hear the last post played every night. Today, several hundred come each day, which is really heartening. More heartening was the large numbers of school children that were there to experience history.
Dinner and a few pints were the order of the evening.
Day 6
I was awake early again, so headed out for my morning walk around Ypres and specifically to Menin Gate. Unlike last night where there were crowds of people, this morning gave me an opportunity to savour the grandness and solemness of this majestic memorial with lots of reflection time. The sheer death toll of WW1 is mind blowing, with often tens of thousands of men being slaughtered in a day in
trench warfare that gained or lost, mere feet of ground. The loss was so great, it’s hard for the mind to even process the loss and carnage that occurred.
As you walk around this Commonwealth memorial, name after name after name is inscribed in the stone which is there to remember the sheer numbers of men who sacrificed their lives.
Ypres as a town or city, is very beautiful. A walled city that houses many museums of WW1, non-as splendid as the architecture of the Flanders Museum. Definitely worth a weekend or long weekend visit to explore.
We headed out and hit the road this morning, heading towards Middelburg in Holland.
Our first stop after a short ride from Ypres, was the Yorkshire Trenches. Re-discovered when they were developing an industrial park, it is an incredibly pristine set of trenches where the Yorkshire regiment fought.
The original sand bags are petrified into stone and the trenches are very narrow and you can imagine how terrifying it must have been. The water table here is only a few feet below the surface of land, so multiple pumping stations had to be manned constantly to keep the trenches as free as they could have from water - an impossible task! They were so narrow, some of our heavier number would have touched each side with their bodies and that was without all the kit they had too.
It really did allow the mind to see how horrifying it must have been to fight such close combat against the Germans who were mere feet away and in such claustrophobic conditions. They must have been terrified.
From here we headed to Tyne Cot Cemetery. Tyne Cot is the largest Commonwealth War Grave in the world. 11,000 bodies buried with a further 35,000 men’s names inscribed in the stone walls, whose bodies couldn’t be identified - all this from one battle, in one area.
The war grave is so emotional, the 6 of us all star burst away from each other to spend lone time as we each comprehended the gravity of what had occurred here.
Head Stone after Head Stone in pristinely kept rows, highlighting the horror of what world war is. Several gardeners, quietly and respectfully tending to the graves and surrounds make this memorial solemn and a moving experience.
Quietly from speakers around the footpaths, names and ages of those fallen soldiers are read out.
A small visitor centre shows videos on a loop of the fallen soldiers. Naming them and telling their age in tandem with the speakers on the paths leading up to it.
This and the Last Post last night, were the two biggest emotional moments for me of the whole trip and memories I shall keep with me until my dying day.
From here we hit the road heading to Middelburg in Holland. Just 150km from Tyne Cot but we took several hours on the back roads and through even more beautiful hamlets, villages and country lanes. The weather had been magnificent which makes riding blissful and Dave’s route planning did not disappoint again.
We arrived late afternoon and I am completely ashamed to say, I had never even heard of Middelburg, let alone knew where it is before this trip!
The reason we stayed here is because Simon and Peter live here and run a lovely restaurant in the centre of the city. Simon is one of the lads who grew up with the other 5 on the trip and was in the youth band too. Although Simon has lived abroad for a quarter of a century or more, they have all stayed in touch.
Greenwoods is their restaurant and in a prime location in the main square in Middelburg, Holland.
After dropping our kit off at the hotel, showers and spruce up, we headed out to explore this amazingly beautiful city. Magnificent architecture, elegant squares, (canal of course) and the biggest surprise seeing how wonderful it is, considering I have never heard of it!
We met Simon and Peter at Greenwoods just as they were closing up after their days trade and headed out to explore the bars and had a fabulous meal in an excellent pub. At around 11pm I was the first to peel off and head back to the hotel, having consumed enough of the amber nectar to ensure a blissful night’s sleep. The others carried on……
Day 7
Another early morning stroll around Middelburg to savour the delights of this beautiful city. Just behind the square where Greenwoods are, is another square where the most appealing food market is being set up for today’s trade. I can honestly say I have never seen such a magnificent array of cheese, fresh local fruit and vegetables, fish and meat on display for customers to choose. It really was huge for the size of the city. Unlike the UK where people generally now buy food from a supermarket, here, fresh locally produced vegetables and locally reared meat are the order of the day. The sheer size of what was on offer is testament to the way people support local farmers on the Continent.
At 10am the 6 x of us descended on Greenwoods for a huge English Breakfast Brunch. Simon and Peter excelled in service and quality of food and today was no exception!
Pigged, we all went for a walk around Middelburg before bayed our final farewells to Peter & Simon.
As we hit the road, it was clear to see how this small string of islands in Holland is protected from the sea. Each bridge between each island, is actually a flood barrier, not unlike the one on the Thames in London. As you cross these bridges, the land to your right is much lower than the sea on your left, so land is below sea level. If you want to go to the beach, you have to climb more than a few steps up to the beach! The brilliance of engineering from mankind!
Today, whilst the weather was still hot, it had turned very windy and some of the bridges/barriers were closed so we had to divert to roads on the land below. You could see first hand the large climbs people had to get to the beach.
After stopping to see fresh mussels being farmed and collected, we arrived in Rotterdam for the overnight ferry back to Hull in the UK. We checked in and boarded just as it started to rain.
Bikes stored, luggage dropped off in our rooms, we headed to the bar for a drink before dinner
Day 8
Right on time the ferry docked in Hull at 7am and after fond farewells, we all departed for the 70-mile trip home.
Huge thanks to the guys for an amazing, emotional but hugely fun week. We laughed so much at times, the tears came. The memorial sites in this part of Europe should be visited by everyone as we should never, ever forget the sacrifices of war.
Thanks to (in riding order) for accepting me (at least that’s how it felt!) into the band of brothers;
Dave - lead rider and route planner
Allan - dry and funny
Adrian (Span) - Daughters Father-in-law and trip organiser
Me
Martin - Adrian’s big brother and all-round good egg
Paul (Slim) - Rear rider to make sure me and Martin kept up and huge fun
…..and Nigel ……
Add comment
Comments