Lesser-Known Sites of the Cotentin
An off-the-beaten-track route: the La Fière causeway and its Iron Mike statue, the church-hospital of Angoville-au-Plain, the Graignes memorial, Dead Man's Corner, the Écausseville airship hangar and the Douvres radar station.
Suggested timings
Indicative timings for a 9:00am start by car, lunch break included. Adjust them to each site's opening hours.
- Drive12 min • 12 km
- Drive11 min • 12 km
- Drive10 min • 11 km
- Drive26 min • 26 kmLunch break • 60 min
- Drive1h34 • 97 km
- 1
Stop 01 • Sainte-Mère-Église09:00 – 09:40Visit 40 minLa Fière Bridge and “Iron Mike”
The Merderet causeway, scene of the fiercest US airborne fighting.
Visit → - 2
Stop 02 • Angoville-au-Plain09:52 – 10:32Visit 40 minDrive 12 minAngoville-au-Plain Church
Two US medics treated Allies and Germans alike inside this church.
Visit → - 3
Stop 03 • Graignes-Mesnil-Angot10:43 – 11:23Visit 40 minDrive 11 minGraignes Memorial Church
The ruins of a church where villagers and US paratroopers resisted side by side.
Visit → - 4
Stop 04 • Saint-Côme-du-Mont11:33 – 13:03Visit 1h30Drive 10 minDead Man's Corner, Saint-Côme-du-Mont
The German command post turned US airborne museum.
Visit → - 5
Stop 05 • Écausseville14:29 – 15:09Visit 40 minDrive 26 minÉcausseville Airship Hangar
A 1919 concrete hangar, used by the Luftwaffe and then the US Army.
Visit → - 6
Stop 06 • Douvres-la-Délivrande16:43 – 17:23Visit 40 minDrive 1h34Douvres Radar Station
The last major preserved German radar site, held until 17 June 1944.
Visit →
Practical tips
Set off around 9:00am: most sites open between 9:00 and 10:00 and crowds are still light early on.
Book museums and guided tours online, especially from June to September and during school holidays.
Walking shoes, a windproof layer and water: much of the route is outdoors and often exposed.
A car is essential between the beaches: public transport is scarce and sites lie 15 to 40 km apart.
Cemeteries and memorials are places of remembrance: dress respectfully, keep quiet, and do not picnic on site.
Check tide times before walking onto Omaha or Utah: at low tide the foreshore extends several hundred metres.
Plan lunch in Sainte-Mère-Église, Arromanches or Port-en-Bessin; there are few options between remote sites.