Marshall on the Beach

We were on the move again today! We've come back down the coast to the fabulous campsite at Martragny which we first came to last year.
We managed to pack up and leave by about 11am which is pretty good going for us! Then we set off for an explore. The weather was nowhere near as nice as yesterday but thankfully it didn't rain.
First of all we went to see the lighthouse at Gatteville-le-Phare - a very impressive 75 metres tall. This picture was taken there - I can't get enough of all the beautiful flowers on the beaches.
The Little Misses played on the rocks while I walked along the beach to the lighthouse. It's enormous!!
Mr K drove down to get me and then we carried on to Barfleur. Where William the Conquerer's flagship Mora was built in 1066. What a beautiful town! As I've been doing all day I looked up the Camping Car Parking and as usual it was right in town. I love that about France - they love campers and make it so easy. There are aires in every town - often with water and electricity, often free and often right in the middle not banished to the ring road near the Park and Ride like we are in England. 
So we parked right by the harbour in Barfleur and went for a lovely walk. The lazy Little Misses wanted to stay in Marshall and play on their iPads and I didn't want to drag them round kicking and screaming so we went without them!
We had a gorgeous walk - round the harbour to the old lifeboat station - lovely views back to the lighthouse at Gatteville where we'd just come from; round the beautiful church with it's stunning war memorial; through the lanes looking at the houses and gardens dripping with flowers and lushness!! I loved it!
When we got back to Marshall Miss E said she really regretted not come with us. As soon as we'd gone!! That'll learn her!!!!!
Onwards to Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, another very pretty town with a lovely marina and an enormous oyster farm stretching out into the bay as fas as you could see. It was fascinating watching the tractors zipping about and driving off the beach laden with bagfuls of oysters. They were for sale everywhere but I'd rather eat my own arm than an oyster!!
We wondered around for a bit and somehow found ourselves at a lovely ice cream shop. Delicious!!
A couple more stops before we got to the campsite - so much to see!!
First of all we headed to Sainte-Mère-Église, the first town liberated on D-Day, famous for its battle on D-Day. American paratroopers parachuted in  - getting caught on wires and picked off by the Germans, and one even sucked into a fire. Most famously, John Steele's parachute got caught on the church tower and he hung there like a sitting duck. He escaped death by pretending to be dead and was later captured by the Germans. All immortalised in The Longest Day. There is a model of him and his parachute hanging from the tower (see extras, he's on the right hand side)
Eventually the Allies liberated the town which was vital to prevent a German counterattack .
It was massively busy and chaotic and we didn't stay long. We headed a little bit further down the coast and met my mum and dad at the memorial at Pointe du Hoc where the US Rangers came in from the sea, scaled the 100 foot cliffs and disabled the German positions. Incredible stuff!! 
At most of the D-Day sites we go it's difficult to imagine what it was like 75 years ago but at Pointe du Hoc it's all still there - craters from the bombardment, ruined gun emplacements, bunkers looking as if the Germans have just left. Very moving. 
We decided that was probably enough sightseeing for one day!! So we jumped on the motorway and headed to the campsite.
The girl on the reception desk remembered us from last year which is always lovely!!
We're in the orchard to the side of the chateau. Just us, my mum and dad and one other van. It's as beautiful as I remember!!!
More in Extras.