As the UK and Europe were getting ready to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, at the same time a group of 37 Alton u3a members were preparing to spend a week in Brittany and Normandy. This took a lot of organising and coordinating by Mary Tricker - coach, ferry crossings, hotels and visits to places of interest, of which there were many.

Blake’s coaches were simply the best, driven by the infamous Doug who kept the conversation lively and comical with his knowledge of all the places visited. Leaving Alton en route for an overnight stay aboard Brittany Ferries, the coach made a stop at the D-Day museum in Portsmouth - how appropriate was that!!!

The arrival in St Malo was lovely and most people found the beautiful beaches. The next stop was Dinan, which is so typically French and charming with al fresco cafes, cobbled streets and timbered buildings. A real treat! The hotel booked in Vannes, southern Brittany was very comfortable and we all got together for evening dinner.

Sometimes we were left to explore on our own but the trip included a visit to the submarine pens in Lorient - you have to calm your nerves if you suffer from claustrophobia and go aboard… and most of the group did.

We left Brittany for Normandy and travelled along parts of the coast, witnessing the expanse of the five famous beaches - Gold, Juno, Sword, Utah and Omaha - where the combined allied forces landed. A visit to a German war cemetery was in sharp contrast to the
Normandy War museum, the graves of the former being a darker stone colour but all representing the huge loss of life for so many.

Our visit to Normandy could not pass without something more light-hearted. So a visit to a fromagerie and a Calvados factory was on the itinerary. Poor Doug suddenly found his brand new coach smelling of cheese. He didn’t seem to mind! We also called at the second most visited attraction in France - the chateau of Mont St Michel. Don’t ever go in July and August it gets packed ,standing room only. We had half the school pupils in France and the UK visiting on the same day as us. It it really is a marvellous monument.

Our final visit was to Bayeux and the famous tapestry which has seen the museum’s facilities upgraded so that people can access their various language barriers. It was also hard to believe that one reference note mentioned Winchester as a possible source in its making.

We left on a glorious day for Caen to catch the return ferry back to Portsmouth only to relive our visit very soon after with the real D-Day celebrations on either side of the channel.