France - Day one - Pegasus Bridge

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Departing Honfleur, I headed west along the D513 coast road towards my final destination for the day. I followed the coast road passing through Villerville and on to Trouville Sur Mer (on Sea) then Deauville, Villers sur Mer, Houlgate, Cabourg, and finally towards Ouistreham when I recognized a landmark that I’d only seen in films or documentaries. As I approached Ouistreham I recognized the Pegasus Bridge in front of me and the Pegasus bridge memorial with the old bridge was towards my right hand side.

I had planned to visit the Pegasus Bridge at sometime during my tour of Normandy but I hadn’t planned a specific time or date for the visit. Just before the new bridge was a turning to the right which took me to the memorial site and museum. Pulling into the car park I saw a number of bikes parked up and space around them for me to park up. After brief refreshment I went into the museum to take a look around at the exhibits only to be surprised at what there was to see. The original bridge could be seen in the distance from the road but once inside the memorial building and grounds I could see many more exhibits. The highlight of this visit had to be the original bridge where lives were lost during it’s re-capture. In the first few minutes of 6th June 1944, glider-borne troops of the 6th Airborne Division capture the bridge which was on the same site as the new bridge over the Caen Canal. It was one of the first objectives of the allied landing in Normandy. It was renamed the Pegasus Bridge after the emblem of the British Airborne Forces.

Walking around the grounds of the museum was very interesting but to actually walk across the original Pegasus Bridge and see the tributes that were left in the middle of it was very touching. I returned to the bike in the car park and decided to have a feed before setting off again. The bikes that were parked in the same area as me had all gone now but soon a couple of bikes with British number plates on pulled up next to me and parked. “Okay lads” I said as they got off their machines, a little bit premature as the second rider on a 900-cc Hornet removed her helmet and shook her blonde hair just like the scene from a hair spray commercial. “Opps, Sorry” I said and she grinded and told me it how it was a regular mistake that many people make. We chatted for a while about the different sights to see on the Normandy coastline before they went into the museum and I finished my feed. As I was about to get ready to leave, I could hear sirens in the distance and as I looked around I saw the new Pegasus Bridge lifting up over the river. Being the same type of design as the original bridge it gave an insight into how these bridges worked.

Back on the road again, I was heading towards my final destination for the day, still traveling west along the D513 passing through Courseulles sur mer, I eventually arrived in Arromanches les Bains.

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Photos

The Current Bridge over the Canal
The original Pegasus Bridge was replaced in 1994 by this new Bridge of Benouville

Pegasus Memorial
Clockwise from the top left hand, An A1-M3 Half-track, 25lbs Field gun, Bofors gun, 4x20mm Anti Aircraft gun, The Benouville Bridge Open and in the centre, Tributes left to the men who lost their lives.