AIM: The exercise took place over the period of 10 – 16 June 2024 and involved 8 personnel from the Regimental Headquarters permanent staff cohort of 203 MMR, conducting 6 days of cycle touring in Northern France. The overall distance was 238km and was conducted from Cherbourg to Caen.
BENEFITS: 203 MMR conducted numerous exercises pre-COVID 19 and wants to rebuild through AT, sport and other activities to promote a retention positive environment and to enhance the skills of individuals. This exercise was invaluable in the personal and physical development of all the participants; it was designed to improve physical fitness, stamina, teamwork and leadership skills of all those that attended. This activity also fulfilled HQ Army’s direction to “re-invigorate all activities as a recruitment and retention mechanism” and will be an activity that can be quoted as an example of Army Reserve Service opportunities as well as The Ulysses Trust that supports these activities through financial assistance.
OUTLINE: The main idea of this exercise was cycle touring and physical fitness. As it was the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings the week prior to this exercise; the planning staff wanted the trip to include all 5 of the Normandy Landing beaches. The cycling would be supported with a vehicle that carried all the stores and equipment that was required.
As this exercise fell outside of those labelled AT or Sport (ASCO 1209) the available funding and facilities were reduced. Military transport, fuel cards and subsistence allowance are all forbidden for this type of exercise. Therefore, it was imperative that grants such as those from The Ulysses Trust was applied for as this would drastically reduce the personal contributions by those attending.
10 JUNE: TRAVEL DAY
Travel by road from Cardiff to Portsmouth. Dropped vehicles off at 243 MMR Army Reserve Centre for duration of the exercise.
11 JUNE: Cherbourg to La Grande Dune
Duration: 7hrs 39 mins Distance: 68.90km
Once the hire vehicle had been collected from Enterprise Rentals in Cherbourg and the first 24L of water purchased, all kit was loaded and the riding phase for day one began. We exited Cherbourg to the East on the D116 and spent most of the day riding on the public highways with other traffic. We continued on the D116 until we arrived at Barfleur and had lunch. From here we turned South on the D902 towards Utah beach. We hit the beach just outside of Le Bourg Neuf and rode along the D421 alongside the promenade. We continued South until we reached our first nights’ accommodation at Camping Paradis Utah Beach.
OIC Admin had already checked us in so we set up our tents, showered and settled in for the evening. The facilities on site were very good with toilets, showers and a restaurant/shop available.
12 JUNE: La Grande Dune to Raids
Duration:6hrs 39 mins Distance: 50.44km
Once we had completed breakfast at the campsite restaurant, we continued south to the end of Utah beach. The rest of the day was spent inland. We passed the “Band of Brothers” memorials and rode through country lanes to St Mere Eglese. We met with our support vehicle at the main square while all riders visited the numerous attractions in the town (Museum and Church). Coffee was on the menu before we departed for Carentan. Again, we continued south until we arrived at “Dead man’s Corner” museum and the D-Day Experience. The weather had improved so we all enjoyed an ice cream and cold drink. The roads to Carentan were quiet with little to no traffic. As we entered Carentan we stopped at a “Carrfour” supermarket to buy our evening meal and refreshments. Upon leaving Carentan towards Raids we again were taken onto quiet country lanes for the remainder of the day. We arrived in good time to “Le Clos Castel” campsite which is run by a British Veteran and his wife. We were the only tent campers, so we had all the pitches to spread out on. Our host allowed us access to their recreational room where we could charge our devices and have a drink or 2. An early night was had by all
13 JUNE: Raids to Vierville-sur-Mer
Distance: 49.6km
Before we departed, OIC Admin and I drove to a local bakery to purchase the team’s breakfast of croissants, pain au chocolate and ham and cheese baguettes. We set off at approximately 9am and were taken through quiet smaller roads until we got to our first checkpoint which was the German cemetery at La Cambe. We spent 30-45 mins here taking in the sombre atmosphere and ate lunch prior to leaving for Point du Hoc. The riding again saw us away from major highways until we reached our second checkpoint where we met again with OIC admin to replenish water and snacks and proceeded to see the attractions. Once completed, the rest of the day’s activity was conducted on a gravel coastal path until we reached the day’s final destination of Camping Omaha Beach. Due to the small pitch sizes, we separated the group onto an additional pitch for comfort/overcrowding reasons. Once showered and changed, we walked down to the beach and had a hot meal at a sea front hotels.
14 JUNE: Vierville-sur-Mer to Lion-sur-Mere
Distance: 49.7km
After breakfast at the campsite café, we proceeded down to Omaha beach. The route was easy going along the coast and, at the end of the beach, we met our first hill of the day that seemed to go on forever. Once up, we continued on public roads until we arrived at the Overlord Museum. There were no takers for the Euro 19 entrance fee, so we continued on to the American Cemetery. Once the tour was completed, we continued on to the British Memorial at Ver-sur-Mer. The memorial had just been upgraded as the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings was the week prior to our visit and had over 1700 steel silhouettes overlooking Gold Beach.
From the memorial we descended down to Gold beach and continued to both Juno and Sword beaches before we arrived at the Air BnB we had booked. The house was spacious and as the weather had turned for the worse, the home comforts were well met by all. Tonight, we had a group meal at a local restaurant and 8 tired individuals slept well.
15 JUNE: Lion-sur-Mere to Ouistreham/Pegasus Bridge
Distance: 19.5km
Today was the last ride of the exercise. We left the house and continued east to Ouistreham. Once we saw the canal, we proceeded along the canal path south until we arrived at Pegasus Bridge which was packed with tourists. We took photos, went to the British Airbourne museum and had lunch before returning to our accommodation. The rest of the day was spent preparing to leave the following day and conducting other admin tasks.
16 JUNE: Travel Day
The first thing was to transport all the baggage to the ferry terminal. This was completed quickly as the Exercise lead and OIC Admin had to return the rental vehicle to Caen. This took approx. 45 mins to complete before the pair had the 20km cycle ride back to the ferry terminal. Then the ferry from Caen to Portsmouth with Brittany Ferries, a road move from Portsmouth to Cardiff and dispersal.
QUOTES FROM THE TEAM
Capt Walker – “Just got a text from Steve” (OIC Admin) “He is too busy eating a McDonalds breakfast to drop off water at the arranged replen point.”
Sgt Wilson (Exercise Lead) – “There are no hills in Normandy, its undulating terrain only” – proceeds to cycle up a massive hill!
