Get your Game of Thrones fix with DFDS

The final series of Game of Thrones came to an end earlier this year but its popularity continues – last week it won an Emmy for its eighth series, highlighting its enduring appeal. But if the end of the saga has left a Games of Thrones shaped hole in your life, fear not, you can travel with DFDS to northern France to get your fix.

Game of Thrones was an epic tale of feuding families, waging wars and great battles, but how does it measure against one of the great real-life historical dramas – the Norman Conquest?

Judge for yourself by travelling onboard the DFDS Newhaven-Dieppe ferry to Bayeux, home to the famous 68-metre long tapestry recording the events leading to the defeat of England’s King Harold at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

This painstakingly stitched record of events can then literally be measured against an 80-metre long tapestry recording the Game of Thrones (GoT) saga, where the great houses of Westeros plot and fight towards a titanic showdown involving dragons and zombie hoards from the northern wastes.

GoT ran for eight seasons and much of the filming happened in Northern Ireland, inspiring Tourism Ireland to commission a tapestry in the style of the world-famous Bayeux masterwork.

GoT has become part of the Northern Ireland spirit and culture since filming began there over eight years ago. To celebrate the impact the series has made on the country, they looked to their rich heritage of textile manufacture and created an 80-metre wall hanging made from Irish linen which brings to life the characters, locations and events of the series.

The impressive tapestry is the work of many skilled illustrators, weavers and embroiderers. To begin, each scene had to be hand drawn. These illustrations were then brought to life on a Jacquard loom by hand weaving experts before a team of hand embroiderers added the finer details from golden crowns to fire breathing dragons, using the finest linen thread from one of the last surviving mills in Northern Ireland.

It’s been a major draw at Belfast’s Ulster Museum since July 2017 and the modern-day tribute has now made a symbolic journey across the Channel.

The GoT tapestry will be displayed in the Hôtel du Doyen near Bayeux Cathedral until 31 December 2019.  Its exceptional size prevented it being shown beside its inspirational forbear in Bayeux Museum but why not make a trip of it and see both?

This is a dream opportunity for anyone with a passion for historical drama: two sagas depicted in great style in the beautiful city of Bayeux, just 2.5 hours from our ferry port of Dieppe after a crossing time of around four hours.

It’s also a great excuse for a short – or longer – break in Normandy. Other superb tourist attractions close by include the WWII D-Day beaches, Normandy’s capital – Rouen, the beautiful harbour of Honfleur and its association with Impressionist art, chateaux a plenty, and the imposing former fortress monastery of Mont St Michel.

It’s a region ripe with history, architecture, beautiful landscapes and delicious food – ideal for an autumnal break.

Dieppe itself is an ideal base for a leisurely ‘Normandy invasion’ with its beach, 15^th century castle, attractive centre, and a turbulent history latterly marked by the Allied raid of 1943, Operation Jubilee. The trip wouldn’t be complete without sampling the cider, Calvados and cheeses galore.

Find out more about the GoT tapestry exhibition in Bayeux here. Book your ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe with DFDS here.

Photo credit: The Irish News