FRANCE

Location - Western Europe; Capital - Paris; Population - 65 million; Currency - Euro MORE FRANCE

I've long wanted to see Mont St Michel and coupled it with a visit to the World War II beaches along the Normandy coast - January 2017.

A more recent version of the 10 Euro note

If you have time and are able I recommend walking the 3km from the hotel-town of La Caserne to Mont St Michel

As you walk closer, see it grow from a rock on the horizon to an imposing fortified island in the Channel - Mont St Michel

It's a magnificent sight, which even in mid-January attracts hundreds of tourists. I dread to think what the crowds are like in summer! Mont St Michel

Above the main street, the island is topped by the Abbey - Mont St Michel

The sturdy ramparts surrounding the Mont date to the 13th-15th centuries - Mont St Michel

The Mont only becomes a true island every six weeks or so, when the tide is high enough to submerge the coastal sands - Mont St Michel

Passing La Mere Poulard hotel restaurant on the left - Mont St Michel

Grand Rue is the main street, full of souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants - Mont St Michel

A short cut indeed! Or rather a very narrow cut to my hotel, though for anyone on the large side there's alternative, wider paths. Honest! Mont St Michel

There's hundreds of steps on Mont St Michel, particularly if you want to get to the Abbey (its spire pictured here) so get used to climbing

Pigeons take in some winter sun - Mont St Michel

A few kms from Mont St Michel is the smaller island of Tombelaine, now a dedicated bird reserve, with the Normandy mainland behind - Mont St Michel

The sun casts a giant shadow of the Abbey - Mont St Michel

The Abbey was founded in 708 following Bishop Aubert's vision of St Michael instructing him to build a church on the island - Mont St Michel

Over the centuries the site expanded, incorporating a monastery in the 10th century, and a town developed below - Mont St Michel

Supplies were hoisted up via a giant treadmill - Mont St Michel

Looking southwards from the Abbey treadmill - Mont St Michel

I think this is Gabriel Tower, a fortified section of the ramparts - Mont St

The Grand Rue is much quieter at night, once the day-trippers have disappeared - Mont St Michel

There were even less people on the streets at sunrise, which was pretty late in January, after 08:00 - Mont St Michel

It was also sub-zero and much of the shallow waters were frozen - Mont St Michel

Sunrise at the North Tower - Mont St Michel

This is sunset over the flat plains south of the island - Mont St Michel

Another great photo opportunity comes around when the lights come on - Mont St Michel

A quirky water tower outside the nearest train station to Mont St Michel at Pontorson

An hour or so by train from Pontorson is the attractive port city of St Malo

On the left is the Etoile du Roy, a replica of an 18th century frigate - St Malo

The 17th century Fort National - St Malo

To the east of the fort is l'Eventail Beach - St Malo

The tourist heart of the city is the Intra Muros, the walled old town - St Malo

At low tide you can walk to the two small islands of Grand Bé and Petit Bé, with the open-air pool in front - St Malo

The 17th century Fort du Petit Bé - St Malo

Take in the whole of the old town from the end of the pier - St Malo

Bars, restaurants and cafes line the old town. Although maybe not in this photo! St Malo

Ferries to the Channel Islands and England ensure a bustling atmosphere - St Malo

The Port de Plaisance, or Pleasure Marina, is in the southern district of St Servan - St Malo

If arriving by train this will be your first sight of Notre Dame Cathedral - Bayeux

The 11th century cathedral was the original resting place of the Bayeux Tapestry - Bayeux

Several old half-timbered houses line the streets near the cathedral - Bayeux

One of the water wheels on the Aure River in Bayeux

The river opens out into a small but attractive pond area - Bayeux

Street art in the backstreets near the tapestry - Bayeux

And a more subtle piece.. - Bayeux

The nearest I got to seeing the famous Bayeux Tapestry was the entrance - it's closed in January! Most museums are it seems.
The tapestry is a 70m long embroidered cloth depicting the Battle of Hastings of 1066, which pitted William, Duke of Normandy against the English King Harold. It's believed to have been made by nuns in England in readiness for the inauguration of Bayeux's Notre Dame Cathedral, where it was originally housed, in 1077 - Bayeux

On the southern ring road is the Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy (closed in January) - Bayeux

Close by is a British War Cemetery, one of many in Normandy. It's home to over 4,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers, as well as Germans, who died during the Normandy Invasion in 1944 - Bayeux

In the same area is the Reporters Memorial, dedicated to journalists killed on duty from WWII to the present day. One of the more recent additions is James Foley, beheaded by Islamic State in 2014 - Bayeux

I took an excellent day-tour of WWII Normandy, with the first stop being La Cambe German Cemetery

Over 21,000 Germans are buried here. They include Adolf Diekmann, responsible for the atrocities at Oradour-sur-Glane, and revered tank commander Michael Wittmann - La Cambe German Cemetery

The church at Angoville-au-Plain was turned into a makeshift hospital by US medics Kenneth Moore and Robert Wright who, with minimal training, performed heroics on injured soldiers, including Germans. Bloodstains still mark the benches inside

Utah Beach was the westernmost point of the D-Day landings of 6 June 1944

Traditional Normandy horse-racing (apparently) on Utah Beach

21,000 American troops landed on Utah Beach on 6 June 1944, many being carried in Higgins Boats, pictured - Utah Beach

It's amazing to think that the wooden panels are actually rail sleepers used in the landings. They helped in the transport of trains off-loaded from ships once the site was secured - Utah Beach

This bunker was captured from the Nazis and became a US Navy communication centre for much of 1944 - Utah Beach

Ste Mere Eglise is the location of a famous D-Day battle, highlighted in the film The Longest Day: American paratrooper John Steele's parachute got caught on the church spire. Unable to safely free himself, he played dead for two hours before the Germans took him prisoner. He later escaped and rejoined his division

Pointe du Hoc formed part of Nazi Germany's Atlantic Wall, over 3,500km of fortifications built along the north European coastline from southern France to Norway

A long-range gun position at Pointe du Hoc, which posed a major threat to Allied ships on D-Day

On D-Day the American Ranger Assault Group climbed these 30m cliffs, located between Utah and Omaha beaches, and captured the strategically important Pointe du Hoc

A memorial to those who fought at Omaha Beach, scene of the bloodiest D-Day battle, where little went according to plan

Air bombing prior to the landings missed their targets, while many of the tank landings in rough seas ended up swamped on the seabed - Omaha Beach

US infantry also suffered heavy casualties as soon as the landing boats set down, either drowning or being shot. Yet by the end of the day the Americans secured the beach, where casualties stood at 2,400. Crucially, as Germany hadn't anticipated the D-Day landings, they suffered 1,200 casualties but had no reserves to back them up - Omaha Beach

Look through the grill (pictured right) to get see this German gun emplacement - Omaha Beach

Overlooking the eastern end of Omaha Beach is the Normandy American Cemetery, where over 9,000 Americans are laid to rest - Colleville-sur-Mer

Theodore Roosevelt Jr, son of President Roosevelt, is buried here, along with two of the Niland brothers, their lives being the inspiration for Saving Private Ryan - Colleville-sur-Mer

The tour concentrated on the American sectors of Utah and Omaha, but unfortunately none were available in January for the British/Canadian areas of Gold, Juno and Sword. So I resorted to good old public transport and taxis, beginning with the German site of Longues-sur-Mer.

Longues-sur-Mer is a clifftop battery site which formed part of Nazi Germany's Atlantic Wall, located between Omaha and Gold beaches

It consists of four gun positions, some of the best preserved in-situ WWII artillery positions along the French coast - Longues-sur-Mer

You can wander inside the casemates and get up-close - Longues-sur-Mer

According to my Omaha Beach guide, footprints of eager Nazi soldiers can be seen in the setting concrete. Maybe this is one? Longues-sur-Mer

A misty morning at Longues-sur-Mer

A German bunker overlooking the Channel. As part of the D-Day invasion on 6 June 1944 Allied ships bombed the gun emplacements, thereby disabling a key defensive position - Longues-sur-Mer

From Longues-sur-Mer the breakwaters of the harbour at Gold Beach can be seen further east

A great view of Arromanches, part of D-Day's British-led Gold Beach sector

Until Allied forces captured a French port, a harbour was required to facilitate the offloading of vehicles, troops and huge amounts of supplies. At Gold Beach this came in the form of the Mulberry harbour, a series of temporary floating platforms towed across the English Channel - Arromanches

A photo of the Mulberry harbour in operation during WWII at Port Winston - Arromanches

Amazingly, remains of the Mulberry harbour still lie on the beach - Arromanches

A series of floats upon which the roadways were placed - Arromanches

A Mulberry harbour pierhead - Arromanches

A Mulberry harbour also existed at Omaha but was destroyed in a storm in late June 1944. Gold Beach's Mulberry was also damaged but repaired, and operated for 10 months after the D-Day landings, transporting over 2.5million men, 500,000 vehicles and four million tonnes of supplies - Arromanches

Street art just off the seafront at Arromanches

A quick stop in Caen before heading to Paris and on to London

Ramparts belonging to the destroyed 11th century Chateau du Caen, now home to a couple of museums - Caen

The Abbaye aux Hommes is a notable sight linked to the Battle of Hastings - Caen

I say that because the tomb holds the body of William the Conqueror, who died in 1087. Or maybe just a bone or two, as he's likely to have been removed following ransackings over the years - Caen

Website and content Copyright © 2008-2017 Mark Wilkinson. All rights reserved.

LINKS

www.eurostar.com - Eurostar train from London to Paris, Brussels and more

http://uk.france.fr - French tourist office

www.ot-montsaintmichel.com - Mont St Michel tourist board

www.saint-malo-tourisme.co.uk - guide to St Malo

www.voyages-sncf.com - French trains

I am not responsible for the content of external websites.