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Normandy is a beautiful region in Northern France, noted for its gastronomic delights and gardens, the most famous of which is Monet’s Garden in Giverny. Staying in the historic city of Rouen, you can make an early visit to Monet’s Garden before the crowds build up, and then continue to a private garden near Montmain, where a magnificent collection of roses presents a striking visual effect in front of the manor house.

An opportunity to recall the event that took place from June 6th 1944 along the Normandy beaches, where thousands of courageous British, American, Canadian and French soldiers were killed as they liberated France from German occupation, the tour will trace the D Day landings from Caen to Cherbourg via Pegasus Bridge, Bayeux, Arromanches and Gold Beach.

Your first meeting point will be The Botley Park Hotel in Hampshire at midday on Monday 21st June 2004, where you can safely leave your car whilst you are in France. (You may wish to book an additional night’s stay at Botley Park on the Sunday evening). Join fellow tour members and your professional tour guide and enjoy a buffet luncheon prior to departing by executive coach for Portsmouth European Ferry Terminal. Here you will board either the Pride of Portsmouth or the Pride of Le Havre. During the crossing there will be reserved seating for the duration of the journey and there will also be plenty of time for dinner in the ship’s restaurant or a light meal in the cafeteria. Other facilities to be enjoyed during the five and a half hour crossing include a cinema, casino and on board shopping.

On arrival at Le Havre, you will continue by coach to Rouen and check into the Hotel Mercure in Rouen Centre. Situated in the heart of the old city and close to the cathedral, this comfortable 3* hotel has it's own bar, air-conditioned bedrooms with en-suite facilities, telephone and minibar.

The following morning you will make an early start for Giverny where a special opening time has been arranged at Monet’s Garden so that you can enjoy the gardens before they become crowded. Giverny is a small village on the banks of the Seine between Rouen and Paris and is where the impressionist painter, Claude Monet, lived and worked between 1884 and 1926. The highlights in June should include the famous water gardens with its wisteria-festooned bridge, water lilies, a riot of roses and poppies.

Continue to Montmain and Jardin d’Angelique. In the front of the Norman manor house is a collection of over 1600 roses, which provide an intense burst of colour and fragrance in a relaxing environment, a characteristic of Normandy. A formal Italian garden nestles behind the house and the lawned garden, fountains, trees, shrubs and trimmed hedges compliment the delicate shades of the roses. The owners will prepare a savoury baguette and drink as light lunch refreshments.

Return to Rouen mid afternoon and enjoy the atmosphere of this historic city. The cathedral is within a five minute walk of the hotel and there are many other attractions and fine shops to visit. Later in the evening, a three-course dinner has been arranged at La Couronne, the oldest restaurant in Rouen, situated in the old market square.

The following day you will check out of the hotel and depart by coach for Pegasus Bridge, north east of Caen. Shortly after midnight on 6th June 1944, six gliders approached the heavily guarded bridges - code named Pegasus and Horsa – over the Orne and Caen Canal. The bridges were a vital link between Caen and the sea, enabling the Germans to move reinforcements and special units from the east to the west to attack the flanks of the British-Canadian invasion sector. Men of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, supported by Royal Engineers, manned the gliders. It was their task to take and defend both bridges.

A visit to the museum will expose the critical piece of history that took place here, and coffee can be taken before continuing to Bayeux via Gold Beach, Arromanches and the site of the Mulberry Harbours. “Gold” was the code name for the centre beach of the five designated landing areas of the
Normandy invasion; the beach was more than 5 miles wide and included the coastal towns of Le Hamel and La Rivière.

The next stop will be Bayeux where there will be a leisurely break for lunch and free time to visit the cathedral or famous tapestry. This is followed by a visit to another important museum - Musée de la Bataille de Normandy - and the nearby British Cemetery. Kampfgruppe Meyer, a mechanized unit of the 352nd Division, was based in Bayeux, and practised rapid manoeuvre to the nearby beaches to meet the possible invasion attempts. Many of the Germans were set up in houses along the coast with the greatest concentrations located at Le Hamel and La Rivière.

Continuing to Cherbourg, you will pass close by to Omaha and Utah beaches where American infantrymen, supported by Allied naval gunfire, gained a tenuous toehold on the Normandy coast before consolidating to prepare for the next step of the invasion. Time permitting, a stop will be made in Sainte-Mère-Église,

At Cherbourg you will board P & O’s fast ferry service to Portsmouth, relaxing in Club Class seats during the journey. After a short coach transfer, a comfortable night’s sleep will await you at the Botley Park Hotel so that you are refreshed and ready to depart at leisure after breakfast the following morning.

Price per person £449: Single Supplement £96: Non refundable deposit £100:
Includes:

• Services of a Professional French-speaking Tour Manager throughout
  
• Air-conditioned executive coaching as indicated in the itinerary
  
• Ferry crossing with P & O from Portsmouth to Le Havre
  
• Return crossing on the P & O fast ferry from Cherbourg to Portsmouth
  
• 1 night’s accommodation at Botley Park Hotel with breakfast included
  
• Buffet Luncheon at Botley Park Hotel and free car parking
  
• 2 nights’ accommodation and breakfast at Hotel Mercure Rouen Centre
  
• Porterage and City Taxes
  
• Reserved seating on the outward ferry crossing
  
• Club Class seating and facilities on the return crossing
  
• All garden entries, museum and associated visits as indicated in the itinerary
  
• Set three-course dinner in a local restaurant on Day 2
  
• Savoury lunch baguette and a drink provided on Day 2
  
• Coffee at Pegasus Bridge

Not included:

• Travel insurance (Details available on application)
  
• Lunch on Day 3 in Bayeux
  
• Evening meals on the outward and return ferry crossings although facilities are available