Driving trip Normandy to Oldenburg, Germany with focus on WW II Camerons of Canada

We don't want to be rushed.

With respect, you will be.
For example,

May 11. Brugge to Rouen the fastest way, assuming no traffic and no stops, will likely take 3 to 4 hours. That's using the most direct route and Autoroutes the whole way. Ypres/Ieper and the Flanders Fields Salient will take at least half a day, plenty more if include the Canadian memorials (some of the best I have seen in the world) at Vimy Ridge and Arras. I spent over 2 hours at Vimy Ridge a few months ago. It was very moving. Adding the detours to reach these places adds lots more time.

I think you will be able to tick them off a list but I wonder if you will be doing them justice.

Want time to spend time in cafes, pubs, enjoying local foods and wines.

With so many one night stops, and so much go go go, I'm not sure you will have much time for that. Don't drink and drive. That is simply not on in Europe. Drink/drive levels are much lower here and strictly enforced.

Want to stay off major highways as much as possible to enjoy country side.

N- and D- roads can be lots of fun, but the old N- roads in France can be quite dangerous as they are often lined with large trees, no shoulders, and one - fairly narrow - lane each way. There are areas with bigger small roads but they are in no way predominant.

I hope you and yours really enjoy your trip. You may need to be flexible and prepared to either slow down or use direct routes (and still slow down).

May 12
Don't Dale Booth's tours start quite early in the day at Bayeux, not Rouen?

Thanks for the quick responses. More work to do!

I have no idea what route your father in law has exactly followed in WWII. Living near the Scheldt Estuary, I know that the Canadians have contributed a lot to liberate our region. The Battle off the Scheldt is a bit forgotten, but deserves to my opinion more attention.

The supply route still running back to Normandy, a more northern big harbour like the one of Antwerp was vital to equip the Allied Forces during the final stage of WWII. Capturing the harbour intact, the 80km long estuary was still onder control of the Germans, it took five weeks of fierce battle from 2 October 1944 to clear it. The first ship with supplies at last arrived on 28 November after the seaway was made mine free. During the Battle of the Bulge one of the primary objectives of the Germans was retaking the city and its port.

However the faillure of immediately taking The Scheldt in an earlier stage of the war is one of big tactical mistakes and for that reason I think the victory has remained under the radar. The Canadians, as well as the Polish, British and others involved, deserve way more honour for this and so for helping to liberate Europe.

In Coureulles-sur-Mer there is the Juno Beach Centre with an overview of the Canadian operations, mainly clearing the ports along the Atlantic Coast. For that reason I think it´s best to start your itinerary there. Around the Westerschelde (Scheldt Estuary) there are only smaller private museums, but run by enthousiasts who can certainly tell much more then I can do. For exploring the area is best to use a car.

Near Bruges: For Freedom Museum, see: http://www.forfreedommuseum.be
Near Middelburg in The Netherlands: Polderhuis Westkapelle Dijk- en Oorlogsmuseum, see http://www.polderhuiswestkapelle.nl and in Nieuwdorp http://www.bevrijdingsmuseumzeeland.nl

Reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Scheldt

Thanks everyone for the ideas! The reason we thought we would do the trip in reverse is because we thought it would be fun to be in the Netherlands for the liberation day celebrations on May 5 and our vacation starts May 2.

Nothing wrong with doing it in reverse!

In answer to IJzendijke, my FIL fought in battles Oct 1944 along the Sheldt. The document we have talks about battles at Sternhoven, Woensdrecht and near Wemeldinge.
I have rearranged the itinerary to try to slow things down a little. We do want to try to hit all of the stops along my FIL's regiment's march so won't have as much time to relax as we would like. We are now thinking of flying into Brussels, taking the train to Lille to rent a car, and flying out of Paris. This cuts a little travel time. By going to Lille to rent the car we avoid the cross country drop off fee but it does mean we have to back track a little.
The new itinerary is:
Day One: Brussels airport to Lille via train; rent car drive to ANtwerp and spend the night.
Day two: Drive through the last part of the Camerons march: Mook, Xanten, Kirchhatten and Oldenburg. Stay night in Oldenburg (busy day but can't think how else to do it)
Day three: Drive to Groningen, Hoogeveen, Wageningen (stopping here to see hotel where truce signed and catching liberation day events) and then on to AMsterdam.
Day four, five; in AMsterdam
Day six: Drive to Bruges, stop at battle sites Woensdrecht and Wemeldinge, and stay in OStend two nights
Day seven: Tour DUnkirk, return to Ostend for night.
Day eight: TOur Vimy Ridge and stay at AMiens.
Day nine: Drive to ROuen and tour Dieppe, and return to Rouen for night.
Day ten: spend in Rouen.
Day eleven: Drive to Orbec, Falaise, Caen and spend next two nights in Bayeaux.
Day twelve: guided tour of beaches of Normandy.
Day 13: Head toward Paris and stay night somewhere near CDG airport. ?? ideas.
Hoping this is an improvement. I have limited travel experience and have never been to Europe so appreciate all of your comments.

Hi,

I'm only familiar with Xanten of the places you list. In 1989 I took a day trip, a diversion, to Xanten from Düsseldorf, mainly to see the town that was taken by the Canadians, after the lower Rhine area (Niederrheingebiet) had been cleared. Agree also with Wil's assessment.

I see from your itinerary you'll be heading to Oldenburg from Xanten. If you could change the time schedule after Xanten, a closer place would be Kleve to see not only an interesting town but also a site connected to the war....the Reichswald battle site and military cemeteries for both the British and the Germans, a very marked difference in seeing them. At least, they looked that way in 1987.

That tour sounds very well thought out now. I think your FIL would be proud of you.

Lower your expectations for Dunkerque. The city itself is pretty yukk, and very industrial. I seem to remember a post from our missing colleague, Ed, saying that he couldn't find any evidence of battle activity, not even a plaque. I do remember that there is an old fortification there. But then you obviously aren't going expecting big monuments everywhere.

Hi Robert,

Sternhoven is a hamlet north-east of Antwerpen along freeway E19 to Breda in The Netherlands, however don´t know and cannot find much about it on internet. Woensdrecht north of Antwerp is well-known for it´s very fierce battle, in nearby Ossendrecht is a war museum, they will certainly help you, see: http://oorlogsmuseumossendrecht.nl

If your FIL was also in Wemeldinge he was likely involved in Operation Vitality, to clear the north-side of The Scheldt. In nearby Kapelle is a museum: www.stichingvitality.nl or E-mail: info@stichtingvitality.nl

I live at the south-side of the estuary, my native village Sluiskil and IJzendijke where I live now are both liberated bij the Canadiens. I think there was not so much fighting around Sluiskil, but around IJzendijke was much worse as it was located in the Breskens Pocket, were German resistance was very fierce. Every year the Liberation is commemorated here, so a big thanks to your father in law and fellow combatants.

About renting the car I´m thinking about the following: you can already pick-up one in Brussels or Antwerp for the German, Dutch and Belgian part of your trip. Drop it off in Kortrijk in Belgium near the French border and take the train to nearby Lille for picking up the car for the French part of the trip.

Dunkerque is indeed far from attractive and is more well-known for Operation Dynamo, the dramatic evacuation of over 300.000 allied soldiers in 1940. There is a museum in a 19th century fortification just north of the city-centre and nearby is a memorial at the beach.

South of Calais are remains of the Atlantik Wall, like Batterie Todt and more east the former V2 bases of St-Omer and Éperlecques to give an impression were the Germans busy with in that period.

The small city of Arrar is the most convenient overnight location for Vimy. It has its own history in both the First and Second World Wars and attractive northern architecture.

Southam may mean Arras.

Thank you for the suggestion!

Hi,

As pointed out above, Arras would be worth a visit. You'll see evidence pertaining to both wars since the city and its immediate area was fought over in WW 1 and in May 1940 and again in its liberation in 1944. Walk around in the centre ville to see plaques alluding to 1940 and 1944, aside from the British military cemetery from WW 1 within the city limits and the exhibit in the city hall.