I did it in 10 days but that included about 1000 miles of driving, the two ferry crossings, visiting other stretches of coast, etc. If you were pressed for time and could plan your trip carefully around places to visit and their opening times, I guess it could be done comfortably in a week, less if fewer sites were visited.
Places to stay are manifold, whether camping or using hotels. I 'wild camped' in the Land Rover and provided discrete sites are found that are away from sources of noise or other disturbances, that should be fine for any tents, camper vans or similar.
Petrol and diesel prices are low. I found diesel in Carentan as low as 1.11 euros. The highest I paid was 1.15. Food prices were also very reasonable especially in local markets. The P&O ferry crossings were £100 both ways so that equates to only £10 a day. Entrance fees to museums range from 4 -15 euros; again, this is very cheap compared to the UK.
The places to visit are really all good quality but I've mentioned the tendency that some might be going towards a theme park but I would hope good sense will prevail. I certainly saw lots of money still being invested. I guess at some point the market will become saturated and investment will plateau or start to drop but until then everything seems buoyant.
I understand and fully support raising understanding and improving education for everyone, especially children, and if they can experience some of this to appreciate what our previous generations went through in the name of freedom (quite rightly), this is a good thing. But it does bug me when I see coach loads of kids being dragged around these historic places because they have to. Many are simply not interested (could it be the boring pre-trip pep-talk) or maybe they cannot see the relevance to them; some cannot even take their eyes off their I-Pads. Come on parents and teachers - inspire!
Of course most visitors seem to be genuinely interested. Others are clearly moved by what they see, me included.
Going to these sites just 'out-of-season' and certainly outside school holiday times is a good plan and visiting early in the morning is also a good thing.
If it's peace and quiet you want for personal reflection, I think you have to accept that you will have to compromise or plan your trip to avoid or mentally block out the crowds.
Anyway, I must not end on a negative note so will sum up with a selection of photos that I have not included elsewhere. I think they bring out all the positives of the place and there are so many of them.
The bust of Major John Howard, at Pegasus Bridge - the Commanding Officer who led his troops in battle. A true and inspirational leader. Respect and Pride!
A German bunker - one of hundreds of military emplacements along the Atlantic Wall. A fantastic achievement but for all the wrong reasons. If only the Germans could have devoted their time and skills to something more positive.
The Germans were developing their own radar at Douvres-la-Delivrande but it was never as good as ours. Ironically, war has proved to be one of the greatest motivations for technological advancement.
Much of the new architecture was modern and inspirational yet sympathetic to their surroundings. However, some of the new museums left a bit to be desired like this one at Point du Hoc. I suppose an architectural student might argue that it was designed to be subservient to the intrinsic character of the important historic site (read about it and you'll know why)...or maybe they just used a rubbish architect with a limited budget!
On a personal front, I wanted to combine this trip with a tour around the northwest coast and, the further you drive west into the Contentin (Cherbourg) Peninsula, the more interesting it looks; a bit like Devon and Cornwall. It creates great opportunities for arty photos.
Finally, one of my primary aims was not to hit my shin on the rear step of the Landy again and I achieved this thanks to a crafty bit of yellow pipe insulation. All things considered, a very successful trip!
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