Pointe du Hoc is a headland of grey cliffs, about thirty metres high, between Omaha and Utah beaches on the Normandy coast, and it is one of the most moving places on the whole D-Day shore. On the morning of 6 June 1944, some two hundred and twenty-five US Army Rangers under Lieutenant Colonel James Rudder came in by landing craft, fired grappling hooks and rope ladders up the cliff, and climbed under fire to take a German battery thought to threaten both beaches. They found the guns had been moved inland, tracked them down and disabled them, then held the position for two days against counterattacks. Fewer than a hundred were still able to fight when they were relieved.
What makes the site so powerful is that it has been left almost as the battle left it. The ground is cratered like the moon by the naval bombardment, the concrete casemates are broken and tilted, and you can walk among them on paths to the observation post at the tip, with the Channel wind in your face. A granite pylon stands on the bunker at the point as a memorial. The site is cared for by the American Battle Monuments Commission and there is a small visitor centre.
The riding along this coast is gentle and atmospheric rather than technical. The D514 follows the shoreline through Grandcamp-Maisy, Vierville and Port-en-Bessin, with hedged lanes, stone farmhouses and views of the sea, and almost every village has its plaque, its museum or its preserved tank. Traffic builds heavily around the early June anniversaries, when the area fills with veterans' groups, reenactors and old jeeps. The rest of the summer is busy too; shoulder seasons are calmer, though the wind can be bitter.
Grandcamp-Maisy, three kilometres away, is a fishing port with cafes and seafood; scallops are its pride in season. For fuel and a larger supermarket, Isigny-sur-Mer, known for its butter, cream and caramels, or Carentan to the west are the reliable choices. Normandy cider and Calvados are everywhere. Bring a layer even in summer: the headland is fully exposed and weather can blow in fast from the Atlantic.