Our EV road trip from Bayeux to Dives-sur-Mer, Normandy, France

Our EV road trip from Bayeux to Dives-sur-Mer, Normandy, France

Hi, and welcome to a scenic Normandy Road trip from Bayeux to Dives-sur-Mer. An indirect route to capture some history as we go. This trip, as always, starts at the Eurotunnel. What’s different this time is that we’re in our new Polestar 2 EV. We make the 265mile journey from home to Bayeux with a couple of charging stops as we are being a little cautious. On this segment, from Bayeux to Dives-sur-Mer, we could take the direct route of around 35 miles, but we’ll be covering 113 miles. And we’ll be taking in Cerisy-la-Forêt, Villers-Bocage, Clécy and Falaise before finally arriving at Dives-sur-Mer So, let’s buckle up and hit the road. We’re leaving our hotel in Bayeux, and if you saw our video on yesterday’s memorial road trip. All I can say is, ‘oh what a difference a day makes.’ Don’t worry if you missed that, or indeed, our stay in Bayeux I’ll pop both of those videos up at the end. As is the norm with my videos, any points of interest I mention, like say Visit Normandy, the links will be included in the description. So if you want more information, it’ll be there for you. We’re leaving central Bayeux at around 8:30 on a Wednesday morning, and yes, it is this quiet. It’ll be around 5.5 hrs before we reach Dives-sur-Mer so I’ve sped up the footage a little, but hopefully you’ll still get a taste of Normandy As I mentioned, this is a trip in our new EV, in fact our first international one, so we’re still learning about charging. And in this video there are a couple of failures, a surprise or two, and I will let me alter ego the EVegan, have a word or two. But not too much. What I will say is we’re leaving with around 85% charge, so we have a range of around 270 miles, so there is actually no need to charge at all. Now, back to the route, and I think it’s nearly all ‘D’ roads, or Departmental Roads, and these can range from lovely open roads like this, But they can become smaller at time, and maybe not so well maintained. All forms of traffic will use them, again as we’ll see later – all I have to say is breath in. The ‘N’ roads, or the Routes Nationale, are the next level, and they connect the larger towns and cities. They were the precursors to the ‘A’ roads, or Autoroutes. These often have a toll segment and can work out costly, but they are the quickest way to get from A to B. On the toll sections, they are generally very quiet. Set your cruise control at the speed limit and you’re eating up the miles. But the aim of todays trip is to travel at a much slower pace, with the primary goal to head to Falaise, The birthplace of one William the Conqueror. We aim to get to our accommodation at Dives-sur-Mer at around 3:00pm, so we have plenty of time to explore the Normandy countryside. And we’re heading towards our first destination of Cerisy-la-Forêt, a village with an ancient heritage, thought to date back to Iron Age times, it certainly had a Roman fort to protect the Roman road that ran through it. We’ll be travelling along some roads later in the trip that must follow those historic routes, you’ll see what I mean. However, the reason we have decided to pop in is to check out the Abbey of Saint Vigor which is the far end of the town. Now let’s park up and take a look. The abbey was founded in 1032 by the Duke of Normandy Robert the Magnificent, However, it was built on the site of an earlier abbey from the 6th century. From the 12th century the abbey’s power and importance began to grow, and over the years hosted several French Kings. This earned it the status of a Royal Abbey, and so it came under the protection of the King of France. This all helped Cerisy, to use its informal name, to become a thriving medieval market town. However, today it’s a much quieter place, with a population of around a 1,000; in 1793 that was over 2,100. I think life in the villiage would have been even more tumultuous during the 100 years war. In 1418, the Abbey was ceded to Henry V of England, and stayed that under English control until 1450 , when the French regained Normandy. The abbey slipped into a decline, and the monks left in the French Revolution, and it became the parish church of Cerisy. The abbey church was classified as an historic monument in 1840, the rest of the abbey in 1938. We’ve had a look around, and almost as if on cue, a little Citroen 2CV pootles past to remind us we’re on a French road trip. So leaving the car park, we head on back through Cerisy, and our route is now going to take us to Villiers-Bocage. Once out of town I think we can deduce we’re following the route of one of those Roman roads. It’s straight and heads as far as the eye can see. As we’re heading through Villier-Bocage I may as well stop, have a coffee and perhaps a cheeky little patisserie. Now, the car doesn’t need a charge. We’ll be roughly at 73% when we get there. However, the one thing I have learnt whilst researching owning an EV is, ‘why not charge whilst you’re doing something else?’ That makes sense, right? I don’t need to be there whilst recharging, unlike a regular fuel car, so I scan for a charger at my stopover. I find one, cafe nearby – all good Anyway, a few miles to go, and we meet the inevitable, a group of cyclists enjoying the Normandy countryside. Normal rules apply, slow down and pass then, leaving as much space as you can. Do you remember I mentioned ‘D’ roads at the beginning? This is one of the smaller ones And do you remember I said, ‘Breathe in’? Well here goes. Honestly, I slowed down, but I don’t think he was taking any hostages. And he won’t be the last, see! The point is you never know what you may come across, there can be a surprise around every corner. Although I never expected a jogger with a donkey and a dog. I guess why not? The good news is we’ve arrived at Villers-Bocage, although it’s not made too easy. All we have to do is find our charger, piece of cake. I should mention I am using Octupuses Electroverse app and card, that does give me access to a vast amount of chargers. and talking of chargers, here we are. It’s a 50kWh DC charger and I really don’t need it that powerful, which is handy, because we couldn’t get it to work. One for the naysayers I guess, and this episode probably wasted 5-10 minutes of our time, but hey there’s another couple at the other end of town, so off we toddle – looking for a nice cafe or patisserie en route. And here we have it, just around the corner, next to the tourist office. Surely better luck this time. This is a lower powered AC charger, so I need my cable. and again, a few minutes wasted and no luck – so I say Villervillirs Bockage is not for us, and we’re going to head to our next destination, Clecy. (don’t worry, the cable is in the boot) I deliberately left these two failures in the edit, because I think it’s best to be truthful about touring with an EV. It’s not all roses, and this is just our first trip. However, by the time you see this, we will have completed another road trip through France later in 2024. We covered over 2,200 miles on that one and hit the French Riviera. We’re finalising the plans for our 2025 trip, and have booked a hotel for a further trip in 2026. So, do I believe an EV is an effective tourer – well I think you have our answer. Now, I’d still like a coffee and a cake, so we’ve spotted a couple of chargers in Les Mond D’Aunay, so let’s check them out. At the end of the car park – has somebody beaten us to it? Nope, fortunately two bays and I suspect these guys are new to EV’s. So let’s get ourselves feed and watered. And now we have a different type of failure – we couldn’t find a decent cafe or patisserie. Well, in that 18 minutes 2 things have happen. We’ve pulled 3.14 kWh of electricity at the cost of 1.31. That’s about 4% charge, or 12 miles. And the 2 guys have left – I have a feeling they were just doing a little test charge. So onwards to Clecy, and I should mention we are now in the Suisse Normande, or Normandy Switzerland. Now, please don’t expect a Mont Blanc anytime soon, but the region does have a bit more of a rugged landscape, Where it’s a touch more hilly around the Orne Valley and it’s popular with rock climbers, hikers, kayakers, cyclists, in fact, anyone wanting to get closer to nature. and at it’s heart, you’ll find Clecy. The area has been created by the erosion of the Armorican Massif by the river Orne, that creates the dramatic landscape. However, I have to be honest, our route skirts around it, apart from our detour to Clecy for that well-earned coffee. There is a charger in town, but I’m not holding out any hopes. As we make our way there, the village seems pretty enough, there’s a village square that’s just a 2 minute walk from the charger. As we pass the Église Saint-Pierre de Clécy we know we must be close. And here’s the charging space, we’re at 71% so this isn’t necessary, but we’re here now. And in the words of Ken Dodd, ‘Bye Jove’. Everything is working. so let’s explore. As we step outside, it feels nice, clean and peaceful. We stumble across a piece by the French-based Ghanan artist Joe Big Big But coffee is calling, and in no time we pass the Mayor’s Office, or town hall, and we arrive at the village square. Much to our delight, there is a Boulangerie Patisserie searching coffee too. Mission accomplished. We only spent a short time here, but you felt you could stay longer. The tourist office is packed with activities, too many to list, but of course, there’ll be a link in the description. Time to take a slow stroll back to the car and reflect on how different today’s little trip is from yesterday’s, where we visited some D-Day memorial sites. It’s easy to pack a lot in on a road trip, without really feeling like you’re trying too hard. So, back to the car, and we’ve charged for an 1:20, and we’ve drawn 12.38kWh of charge at a cost of £5:19. That’s added around 14%, or 44 miles range, and we’re back to 85% where we started the day. As we wend our way out of Clecy we pick up the main ‘D’ road, and as I said we haven’t seen the best of the landscape. But hopefully, as we make our way to Falaise, we’ll enjoy a few treats along the way. As I mentioned earlier – it’s clear these were Roman roads. And we continue to meander through the Suisse Normande, never far from the river Orne, we pass through Pont-d’Ouilly. Another activities hotspot, especially for those who enjoy kayaking. And if we’d wanted a spot for lunch, this would have made a good choice. Remember the golden rules for eating while touring. If you want something from a Boulangerie Patisserie, say a lovely fresh baguette, or a something sweet, then make sure you do that before 12:30. I know it seems strange to us, but in the smaller towns or villages that is often the case. However, if you want a little picnic, and you really should try it sometime, it’s just perfect. Although, through experience, you’ll learn to avoid some of the chains because they can be a bit average. And remember regionality, here we’re in the Calvados region, so apples; in tarts, pastries, We had freshly pressed apple juices at the stop in Clecy. And. of course, Normanday has Camembert, as well as a range of other fine cheeses. Now, if you want more of a bistro, restaurant vibe, then 12:30 – 1:30 is your window. You’re probably going to luck out after 2:00. That’s why when we plan our arrival time, if it’s going to be around 2:00 then we try to make sure we grabe a bite en-route. I hope all that talk of food hasn’t made you hungry, anyway we’re now arriving in Falise. Once again, we’ve found a charger, and I guess we’re going to be here an hour or so, so why not? And I guess I should explain why we put Falise on today’s route. Well, it’s the birthplace of one William the Conqueror. And it links with why we’re staying at Dives-sur-Mer, but more of that later. It also has a vital role to play in the Battle of Normandy, after D-Day in 1944. Now let’s get parked up and charging – all done no problems. So, seismic events in English and Scottish history both happened here. This castle, or to give it it’s proper name Chateau de Falaise holds the key. However, we’ll get back to that shortly, firstly a brief look around the centre of town. And in front of the town hall is the biggest clue, and a statue of Guillaume-le-Conquérant on horseback. Better known as William the Conqueror Born in this city in 1027 or 1028. The only, but illegitimate, son of Robert I, Duke of Normandy Next to the statue is the Memorial de Falaise, a memorial to the civilian casualties of war. Outside it is a piece called ‘War is Hell’ by the French graffitti artist Jef Aérosol, innocent faces stencil on a Sherman tank. We have a limited edition print by the artist, so we recognised it immediately. The Museum memorial recognises the 15,000-20,000 civilians killed in the Battle of Normandy With a significant number coming during the Battle of Falaise Pocket, where the Germans were decisively beaten and that defeat opened the road to the liberation of Paris. We have decided that Falise may become a future stopover on another Tour of Normandy. We did it with Bayeux, we have visited the city a few times before, but it was on this trip that we actually stayed. That allows us to take our time to enjoy the experience, so we will skip the museum, and the full castle tour for our next visit. We can still explore the castle grounds, so let’s head up to the high ground. It’s strange this castle looks so familiar, but I guess it would. Most of the ancient castles in England were built after the Norman Conquest. So it’s no surprise this shares traits with our own Rochester Castle that’s just a few miles from home. Now, I mentioned its link to Scottish history, and that’s the Treaty of Falaise, signed in 1174. At the time, this region was under the control the Plantagenet king of England, Henry II. Henry’s forces had captured William I, King of Scots, in 1174 at the Battle of Alnwick and transported him to Falaise. Where he was forced to sign the treaty. This gave Henry II power over him and a degree of English control over Scotland. Fortunately for Scotland, this was annulled in 1189 by Henry’s successor, Richard the 1st, or Richard the Lionheart. Through time, the castle has be owned under several dynasties before it fell into disrepair in the 17th century. In 1840, the castle was recognised as a national monument, and a programme of works was undertaken to restore it. Unsurprisingly, it was damaged in World War II during the Battle for the Falaise Pocket, but it has once again been repaired. We’ve enjoyed out brief look at Falaise, and we’ll definately be back, but for now, it’s time to return to the car and continue our journey. And now a little mystery, we returned to the car, unplugged and away we go. What usually happens is after a few minutes, I get a receipt with all the details of how much I pulled, like this one from Clecy. However, this experience appears to be free. Well, that’s nice. As a point of reference, we’ve just passed through the rest of Falaise. And back to using Electroverse, using the app or card is really easy, and as you can see, gives you great reporting. Plus, we received free credits when we bought the car, so this trip isn’t costing anything in ‘charging’. When I produce the final video of this road trip, I will include the full charges versus an estimate of the cost in our petrol cars. Anyway, we’re closing in on Dives-sur-Mer, probably a place that you haven’t heard of, so why visit? Well, we’re following on from the story of William the Conqueror. It’s where he set sail from in late September 1066 to embark upon his Norman Conquest of England. It is a quiet little town with a historic centre. And within walking distance, is Carbourg. A Normandy seaside resort born out of the Belle Epoque. That period in French history free from war from from 1871 to, well I’ll let you guess. Dives and Carbour will be the next two videos in this adventure, but I will give you a sneak peek at the end of this too. I guess I haven’t mentioned that standard ntoices, you know the one about ‘if you’re enjoying this video’ Well, if you are, why not subscribe and hit the notification bell. Oh, and don’t forget a ‘Like’, we all know we live in a world powered by algorithms. Also, if you have the time, drop me a comment. Let me know if you’re enjoying the video, if there’s more you’d like to know. I love talking about EV’s, and dispelling the myths about them and being honest about the pitfulls. but really I love travelling, constantly learning, putting more pieces into my jigsaw of life. and if you have any feedback on the video I’d love to hear that. Is the high-speed action OK, would you like less narration? Just let me know in the comment box below. As I said at the beginning, this is a Wednesday in July, and even with the editing, it hasn’t been that busy. And I think we’ve been through some wonderful little towns and villages, and we have dissected Normandy’s Route de Cidre. And if you want to see how this channel has changed, check out an early video from 2017 on the Route de Cidre. And for reference, I’m driving a 4.2litre V8 Audi – So I’ve changed too. We have crisscrossed this landscape many times, and I never tire of the places I visit, the new places we discover. I hope that this video, and the others that surround it, inspire you or bring back a memory from past travels. It’s one of the benefits I get from this channel, knowing somebody has had a great time by trying something new. We are now closing in on Dives-sur-mer, and our hotel is next to the River Dives, which separates it from Carbourg. We’re here for two nights but the car will be rested tomorrow, except there’s a Lidl close by with a high powered charger. So tomorrow, we’ll pop it on charge whilst we pick up a few French favourites, maybe a bottle of wine or two, whilst the car is set for the journey home. When we booked our hotel, it didn’t have any EV chargers, but on the day it turned up 6 were being installed. And if we visited today, we could get a charge from 10 to 100% for around €31. Which at motorway speeds would give us a range of 270 miles. Anyway, we have arrived now, so let’s park up and have a quick look at Dives and Carbourg. This is the river Dives and to the east is the historic Dives-sur-Mer. A quiet, quaint place to explore. To the west is Carborg, something very different but equally interesting to explore. Anyway, that really was the tiniest of peeks at our next two destinations. Make sure you don’t miss them, unitl next time Stay safe, stay well and happy travels

Normandy Road Trip in a Polestar 2 EV | Bayeux → Dives‑sur‑Mer via Cerisy, Villers-Bocage, Clécy & Falaise

Join us on a scenic and historic 113‑mile Normandy adventure—from Bayeux to Dives‑sur‑Mer—aboard our new Polestar 2 EV. We take the indirect route to explore Cerisy‑la‑Forêt’s Royal Abbey, Villers‑Bocage (and a few EV charging hiccups), picturesque Clécy in the Suisse Normande, and Falaise—birthplace of William the Conqueror and pivotal site in the Battle of Normandy—before winding down by the River Dives in Dives‑sur‑Mer.

📍 Highlights

🌿 Stunning countryside, Roman roads, beautiful landscapes, charming villages, and EV touring truths (warts and all)
🚗 5 charging stops (and a couple of unexpected fails) using the Octopus Electroverse network
🏰 Historic stops: Abbey of Saint‑Vigor (Cerisy), medieval Villers‑Bocage, Swiss‑Norman Clécy, Château de Falaise & the Normandy war memorials

🔌 Why an indirect 113‑mile route?
To slow down, explore hidden gems, learn EV touring firsthand—and yes, –share the charging wins & hiccups in real time.

🚘 Throughout the trip, we share insights on EV travel in Normandy, France, including:

Real-world range performance ⚡

Charging stops and costs 💡

Tips for EV road trips abroad 🌍

Real-world range performance ⚡
🛣️ Total Distance: 113 miles
💶 Total Cost: £6.50
🔋 Consumption & Efficiency 28.3 kWh used – 25.11 kWh/100Mi or 3.98 Mi/KWh

👍 If you enjoyed this slower, historic Normandy drive, please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and ring the 🔔 to follow our EV travel adventures (next stops: Dives-sur-Mer & Cabourg). Drop a comment—EV pros/cons, pacing, what you loved or want more of—I’d love your feedback!

Until next time: stay safe, stay well, and happy travels 🛣️

#Normandy #EVroadtrip #Polestar2 #TravelVlog #VisitNormandy #Falaise #SuisseNormande #ElectricVehicle #SustainableTravel

⏱️Timestamps⏱️
00:00 – The intro to our little Normandy road trip
00:10 – Our route across Normandy
00:48 – The route from Bayeux to Cerisy-la-Forêt
03:42 – A look around the Abbaye Saint-Vigor at Cerisy-la-Forêt
05:07 – From Cerisy-la-Forêt to Villers-Bocage
07:12 – Failing to charge at Villers-Bocage
08:21 – From Villers-Bocage in search of coffee
09:01 – The shortest of charges at Les Monts d’Aunay
09:27 – From Les Monts d’Aunay to Clécy
11:07 – A coffee break at Clécy
12:18 – The route from Clécy to Falaise
15:00 – A brief look around Falaise
18:18 – From Falaise to Dives-sur-Mer
22:27 – A sneak peek at Dives-sur-Mer and Carbourg

🔗 Useful Links:
Visit Bayeux – 🔗 https://www.bayeuxmuseum.com/en/visiting-bayeux/
Visit Normandy – 🔗 https://en.normandie-tourisme.fr/
Cerisy‑la‑Forêt Abbey info –🔗 https://www.abbaye-cerisy.fr/
Octopus Electroverse app – 🔗 https://electroverse.com/
Suisse Normande tourism – 🔗 http://www.suisse-normande-tourisme.com/
Château de Falaise & William the Conqueror – 🔗 https://www.falaise-suissenormande.com/
Crit’Air Emissions Sticker – 🔗 https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/
RAC Advice for Driving in France – 🔗 https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/travel/country/france/
AA Advice for Driving in France – 🔗https://www.theaa.com/european-breakdown-cover/driving-in-europe/driving-in-france
Visit Bayeux – 🔗 https://www.bayeuxmuseum.com/en/visiting-bayeux/
Visit Normandy – 🔗 https://en.normandie-tourisme.fr/

🚗 Need a car?
Check out our Rental Cars link 🔗 https://bit.ly/37obdHk

🎬 You may also be interested in our videos on ;
Our visit to the historic city of Bayeux in the Normandy Region of France
🔗 https://youtu.be/k0cmhJOtaKA
Our mini-day trip from Bayeux, Normandy, in an EV
🔗 https://youtu.be/yvVSb9uuh8s

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