We're lucky at Inntravel to work with Penny – one of the expert photographers who helps us to capture inspiring shots of our destinations across Europe and the UK.
Penny tells us about her Inntravel trip to Normandy – where she and her husband Eric had a week of wonderful walking along expansive beaches and quiet country lanes, ending with an exploration of the medieval town of Bayeux.
See this fascinating region through her lens – in a photo a day.
Arrival day
Only the hooting of an owl
Heading across our hotel courtyard, all we can hear on this calm autumn evening is the hooting of an owl. His home is the surrounding farmland which supplies the hotel restaurant – this is true local eating (not the owl, the beef!).
Day 1
To the beach
Utah beach was the most westerly point of the D-Day Landings. Walking the golden sands on a sunny day, it’s hard to imagine the events of 80 years ago until we reach the superb Utah Museum which sits defensively, almost hidden in the dunes, and provides our first insight into the events of June 1944 and the liberation of Europe.
Day 2
Time for reflection
The American Cemetery above Omaha Beach is amazingly big – it’s a walk in itself – and I’m equally astonished at its beauty. Lines of pure white stone crosses are utterly, perfectly, aligned, in stark contrast to the mayhem of the events they commemorate. A sweeping stone memorial wall is engraved with the names of thousands whose bodies were never recovered.
Day 3
From one harbour to another
We spend the day walking back from the bay of Arromanches where remnants of the vast artificial harbour created in June 1944 are still visible out to sea. In the evening we watch the fishing boats sailing out of the small harbour in front of our hotel in Port-en-Bessin, before heading out to feast on fresh fish in one of the wonderful restaurants just a few paces from the harbour wall.
Day 4
Sea-side promenade
The scale of the D-day landings was huge. By day four of our walk, we’re reaching the most easterly point – Sword Beach – with its relaxed seaside promenade that links Bernières-sur-Mer with St Aubin-sur-Mer. Over the last few days we’ve traversed clifftops scattered with gun emplacements, strolled along country lanes, and paddled our feet in the sea. Now it’s time for an ice-cream.
Day 5
Caen – old town
From Pegasus Bridge, site of the famous glider landings, we follow the canal into the heart of Caen, overlooked by a hill-top fortress. The destruction of the city in 1944 was significant, but parts survived and have been beautifully restored. The streets of the pedestrianised Old Town are a delight to wander. Of the churches, abbeys, and museums to squeeze in before catching the train to Bayeux, the 11th-century Abbaye des Dames with its quiet, simple interior is a must.
Day 6
Bayeux – more than just a tapestry
And so to Bayeux and its famous tapestry. Though it documents a seaborne invasion and battle of 1000 years ago, waged with longships not landing craft, and swords, arrows, and lances rather than bullets, it is just as much a part of Normandy's history as D-Day.
Often overshadowed by its extraordinary piece of embroidery, Bayeux has plenty to offer – cobbled streets lined with half-timbered houses, a quite riverside path, the largest British Commonwealth World War II cemetery in France, and a Romanesque cathedral with an elegant pierced tower and copper spire. In the evening we finish our week with (another) wonderful dinner, followed, this time, by a rich chocolate dessert complete with locally produced Calvados.