APPENDIX B
Preparation and planning are important prerequisites for an enjoyable and successful tour. This section aims to give some advice to those who are travelling to Normandy for the first time and acts as a checklist for the more seasoned traveller.
Travel to Normandy
Most visitors travelling to the Normandy battlefields do so by car. However, with the area’s proximity to ports, an increasing number of visitors are cycling around the battlefields. However one travels around Normandy, a journey originating in the UK has to cross the Channel. A wide range of options available available. The nearest ferry service to the Caen area is the Brittany Ferries route, which takes the visitor from Portsmouth to Ousitreham, less than half an hour’s drive from the EPSOM area. This crossing is slightly longer than others, being six hours during the day or six hours thirty minutes overnight. Further away, just over an hour to the west, is the port of Cherbourg, which is served by sailings from Portsmouth, and Poole (four hours thirty minutes to five hours). Two hours drive to the east is le Harve, which is served by ferries from Portsmouth. Choice for most visitors depends on the convenience of the sailing times and, of course, relative costs. To the east of Normandy are the shorter, and consequently cheaper, crossings in the Boulogne and Calais area. For those who dislike ferries there is the Channel Tunnel, but this option, though quicker, can be more expensive. Internet deals can be attractive. From the Calais area, EPSOM country can be easily reached via the new autoroutes in just over four hours but bear in mind tolls cost up to £15. This can be reduced by about £5 by avoiding the new Pont de Normandie. It is worth checking out all the options available and make your selection of routes based on UK travel, ferry times and cost. French law requires you to carry a full driving licence and a vehicle registration document. Do not forget your passport and a GB sticker if you do not have EU number plates with the blue national identifier square.
Insurance
It is important to check that you are properly insured to travel to France. Firstly, consult your insurance broker to ensure that you are covered for driving outside the UK and, secondly, make sure you have health cover. Form E111, available from main post offices, grants the bearer reciprocal treatment rights in France but, even so, the visitor may wish to consider a comprehensive package of travel insurance. Such packages are available from a broker or travel agent. It is a legal requirement for a driver to carry a valid certificate of motor insurance. Be warned that without insurance, repatriating the sick or injured is very expensive, as is return of vehicles.
Accommodation
There are no hotels in the immediate EPSOM area. However, in Caen there is a wide variety of accommadition ranging from five star to chambres d’hotel. Up to date contact details are available from the French Tourist Office, 178 Picadilly, London W1V OAL (01891 244 123). Further details of accommodation and travel amenities are available from the office of Calvados Tourisme, Place du Canada, 14000 Caen, France. To telephone from the UK dial 0033, drop the 0 necessary for ringing with France and dial 2 31 86 53 30.
Maps
Good maps are an essential prerequisite to a successful battlefield visit. Best of all is a combination of contemporary and modern maps. The Battleground series of course, provides a variety of maps. However, a number of modern map series are available in both the UK and Normandy. Most readily available in both countries are the Michelin 1:200,000 Yellow Series. Sheet 54 covers the British and US D Day build-up and break-out battle areas and is useful for getting around the Normandy battlefield and its ports. Better still are the Institut Geographique National (IGN) 1:100,000 Serie Vert (Green Series) maps. Sheet 6, Caen-Cherbourg-Normandie, covers most of the Normandy battle area. Normally only available in the UK at a specialist map shop, they can, however, be procured as a special order through high street book shops such as Waterstones. The Series Vert maps have the advantage of showing contours and other details such as unmade roads and tracks. Sheet 6 is a good compromise if you are visiting several sites and wish to use a single map. The most detailed maps, readily available in France, are the IGN Serie Bleue in 1:25,000 scale. The EPSOM area is covered by the sheets: 1512 O Bayeux, 1513 O Villers-Bocage, 1513 E Evrecy, which together cover Norrey-en-Bessin, Cheux, the Odon Valley and Hill 112. This map can normally be found in the tourist shops at Arromanches. However, if you are planning your tour well in advance, large retailers in the UK can order Serie Bleue maps, given sufficient notice. The London map retailer Stamfords, provides a quick and easy method of ordering IGN maps over the internet.
Courtesy
Much of the EPSOM battle area is open farmland but many of the villages in the area became German strong points and therefore, form a part of the battlefield. Please respect private property in both open country and villages, particularly avoiding driving on unmade up farm tracks and entering non-public areas in villages. Adequate views of the scene of the action can be enjoyed from public land and rights of way. In all cases, please be careful not to block roads by careless car parking. The people of Normandy extend a genuine welcome to those who come to honour the memory of their liberators. To preserve this welcome please respect the local people and their property.