Today’s ride was 86.3km with 948 vertical metres of climbing between Canisy and Bayeux including the extra loop past Tilly-sur-Seulles Military Cemetery.
It was another beautiful albeit warm ride to our destination for two nights, Bayeux. On the way we rode through the heart of the Norman bocage, a perfect riding landscape of hedge-lined fields, forest and farmlands. We stopped in Cerisy-la-Forêt for our coffee break and passed its Abbaye (see below). Then, via a view of the Chateau de Balleroy, we rolled on along the quiet lanes through more pretty Norman villages to Bayeax where we split amongst 3 marvellous accommodations – Domaine de Bayeux, Belle Normandy & Chateau de Bellefontaine.
Kenny says the following about the Chateau’s we have been staying in
Many of the châteaus that we stay in also have stories during the occupation. The “master race” saw themselves as modern-day counts, and the temptation was to bring their wives or fancy women with them as their countesses.
This is from one of my research books.
“The commander of the 12th SS Panzer Division, Fritz Witt, had also brought his wife to France, as had several other senior staff. Now, General Witt decided they should all live together in a requisitioned mansion, Château de la Guillerie.
There was a touch of architectural fantasy to this communal home. With its leaded windows and monstrous brick chimneys it could almost have been conjured up by mad King Ludwig of Bavaria. In different circumstances, it might have been a droll place to stay, but Frau Meyer was upset by the enforced move because she no longer had her husband to herself. ‘There were too many people and we were never alone, we had constantly to make conversation with other people in the evenings.’ There were but two consolations. One was the large lake in the park, a delightful place to swim. The other was getting to know the dashing young officers of the 12th SS Panzer Division. The men of Hubert Meyer’s panzer regiment certainly looked the part. Frau Meyer was particularly taken with the hawkish Max Wuensche, always decked in ‘his splendid black tank uniform’. He would strut around the drawing room of Château de la Guillerie with an air of imperious disdain, his blond hair oiled, his eyes piercingly cold. Hero of the Third Battle of Kharkov, in which he led a crushing assault on the Soviet front line, he had been decorated with the Knight’s Cross, the most prestigious military award in Nazi Germany.
The trip plan says: After a coffee in the village, roll on to the Abbaye. A grand and domineering building, this is known as the centrepiece of Romanesque art in Normandy and is worth an explore. Its 3-storey windows alone are breathtakingly beautiful. The best photo opportunity is however once you have left it, cycling down its side lane, through holes in the tumbling down field wall. Yep, that was spot on…
One of the highlights today was riding through a beautiful forest just after passing the abbey. There were hardly any cars and the road quality was fantastic.
Most of them elected to ride onto our main hotel for lunch and a rest. The loop ride with Thommo (Bob was already ahead of us somewhere) took us past the Tilly-sur-Seulles War Cemetery and the Abbaye Saint Martin de Mondaye. It was pretty hot, but well worth the effort.
We returned for a late lunch and well-earned rest…
I stayed closer to town…
