HEROES OF D-DAY

Normandy beaches are a magnet for those who feel

MALTA: Seven nights’ B&B at the four-star Victoria Hotel in Sliema is £244. Fly out from East Midlands on November 27. Hit loveholidays.com or dial

0203 870 6844. CHRISTMAS MARKETS CRUISE: Six nights on board Fred Olsen’s Black Watch is £485. Sail from Tilbury on December 7. More at iglucruise.com or phone 0203 733 5557. LONDON: Get a top-price ticket to Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre and one night at the Royal National Hotel for

£132.50. Arrive on November 17. See superbreak.com or call on 0800 042 0288. CANADA: Explore Vancouver on a five-night room-only break at the four-star Pinnacle Hotel at The Pier for £738. Travel from Manchester on Tuesday. See traveltrolley.co.uk or ring 0208 843 4400.

THE sun is shining on Sword Beach at Ouistreham, scene of one of the five D-Day landings.

The invastion was one of the most daring and critical battles of the Second World War – some 155,000 troops landed on French shores in an operation that marked the end of Nazi domination and the liberation of the European mainland.

As a result, Normandy’s beaches and bunkers are a magnet for those who feel a connection to World War II.

Standing on French soil helps veterans, their relatives and history enthusiasts understand the events that shaped the modern world and visiting during its annual D-Day festival in May/June makes trips to the region all the more stirring.

Ouistreham town mayor Romain Bail tells me that its atmospheric sandy bay will soon be home to a brand-new museum dedicated to Franco-British relations, covering everything from William the Conqueror right up to the present day.

The four other beaches west along the coastline also have their own stories to tell.

Still known by their Operation Overlord code names, Utah, Omaha, Gold,