The field of craters
Ten hectares ploughed up by Allied bombing, left untouched since 1944. You walk among craters ten metres across, now carpeted with grass.
Bessin · Calvados
DiscoverThe Pointe du HocThe Rangers' cliff, twenty-five minutes from the campsite
Thirty metres of cliff, a field of craters and gutted casemates: the Pointe du Hoc is twenty-five minutes from your cottage.
On 6 June 1944 at 7.10 am, two hundred and twenty-five of Colonel Rudder's Rangers scaled a thirty-metre vertical cliff under fire, to knock out a battery that threatened Omaha and Utah. The site has been left as it was: the bomb craters, the overturned blockhouses, the observation post on the edge of the drop. It is the most striking D-Day site to see with your own eyes.
Good to know
The route
From the campsite- 20 kmaway
- 25 mindriving
- D514 then D194the route
Via Grandcamp-Maisy; a large free car park and a waymarked path around the headland.
On site
How long to allow- 1 h 30around the site
- 30 minthe observation post
- 20 minthe visitor centre
The site is exposed to the wind and has no shade: bring a windproof jacket and closed shoes, even in August.
Useful to know
Planning your visit- Freeaccess to the site
- Windproof jacketessential
- Shoesclosed shoes advised
The site is windswept, shadeless and lined with cliffs: keep hold of children near the edge. The path goes round the headland in an hour and a half.
On site
Four stops
The observation post
Clinging to the cliff edge, it was used to direct the guns' fire. Restored and reopened to the public, it offers the most dizzying view of the site.
The casemates
Six 155 mm gun emplacements, including two concrete shelters you can visit. The guns themselves had been moved the day before to an orchard a kilometre away: the Rangers destroyed them there.
The Rangers Monument
A granite obelisk set on a blockhouse, at the tip of the headland. Below, the cliff that two hundred and twenty-five men climbed with London fire brigade ladders.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions about the Pointe du Hoc
Which campsite should I choose to visit the Pointe du Hoc?+
Camping Portland, a five-star Yelloh! Village, is in Port-en-Bessin-Huppain: 20 km and 25 minutes' drive. You sleep facing the Channel, between Bayeux and Omaha Beach, in a fully equipped cottage, with a heated water park on site.
How much time should I allow for the Pointe du Hoc?+
1 h 30 to go round the site. 30 minutes for the observation post. 20 minutes for the visitor centre.
How do I get to the Pointe du Hoc from the campsite?+
D514 then D194: 20 km, a 25-minute drive. Via Grandcamp-Maisy; a large free car park and a waymarked path around the headland.
Also worth seeing
Our other day trips
Visiting Bayeux
10 km · 12 min from the campsite
Visiting Caen
40 km · 40 min from the campsite
Visiting Mont-Saint-Michel
130 km · 1 h 45 from the campsite
The D-Day beaches
5 km · 10 min from the campsite
Discovering Port-en-Bessin
1.5 km · 5 min from the campsite
Visiting Arromanches-les-Bains
10 km · 15 min from the campsite
The American Cemetery at Colleville
10 km · 15 min from the campsite
The Longues-sur-Mer batteries
6 km · 10 min from the campsite
Omaha Beach Golf Club
2 km · 5 min from the campsite
Your base camp in Normandy
5-star cottages and a 2,020 m² heated water park, in Port-en-Bessin facing the Channel.
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