Ouistreham / Caen La Vélo Francette: Normandy / Atlantic by bike

Start at Ouistreham, the Normandy ferry port north of Caen, its strand renowned as Sword Beach, its codename during the Allied liberation of France that began on D-Day, 6 June 1944. Take the towpath-turned-greenway beside the Canal de l’Orne; pay homage to the British airborne troops who took the vital crossing nicknamed Pegasus Bridge the night before D-Day. A cycle track leads on to the marina in central Caen. This city boasts splendid buildings dating back to William the Conqueror’s reign, while the Mémorial de Caen is a major war museum.