Discover the stories, tragedy and bravery of the First World War Battlefields of the Somme and Flanders
4 days from £269.00, 5 days from £345.00
ITINERARY
Discover the stories, tragedy and bravery of the First World War Battlefields of the Somme and Flanders.
4-Day Tour
- Day 1 – Local departure by coach, then onwards to Belgium or northern France for a three-night stay.
- Day 2 – Ypres and Passchendaele - Our tour starts in Flanders around the Belgian city of Ypres. Here, one in three of Britain's Western Front dead fell by 1918 and it has been a place of pilgrimage ever since. We begin in the preserved trenches at Sanctuary Wood Trench Museum. We look at the battlefield around Hill 60, one of the most fought over corners of the Ypres area, and examine the war underground seeing craters that still scar the hill today. After lunch at Hooge Crater Café and Museum we look at the commemoration of Britain's dead at Tyne Cot Cemetery, the largest British war cemetery in the world. At Vancouver Corner we examine the use of gas in the trenches and see the moving 'Brooding Soldier' memorial to the Canadians. At Langemarck German Cemetery we see how Germany commemorated her dead and look at the story of 'Fritz' on the other side of No Man's Land. Our day ends in Ypres where we attend the moving Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate Memorial. B
- Day 3 – The Somme - The Battle of the Somme began on a summer's day in July 1916 and ended in a snowstorm four and a half months later. It was a battle of contrasts from the blackest day when 57,000 became casualties to the first use of tanks and the change in approach to fighting on the Western Front. We look at these stories and start our tour among the trees of Delville Wood. At Peronne we visit the excellent Historical de la Grande Guerre museum which helps to put into context not just our Somme day but the whole tour. At La Boisselle we see Lochnagar, the largest British mine crater surviving on the battlefields. Following lunch we visit the trenches in the Newfoundland Park and the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing which commemorates more than 72,000 missing soldiers on the Somme. B
- Day 4 – To Calais, then return home. B
Included Meals: B=Breakfast
Please Note: Entrance fees to museums and places of interest are at extra cost.
5-Day Tour
- Day 1 – Local departure by coach, then on-wards to Belgium or northern France for a four-night stay.
- Day 2 – Ypres and Passchendaele - Our tour starts in Flanders around the Belgian city of Ypres. Here, one in three of Britain's Western Front dead fell by 1918 and it has been a place of pilgrimage ever since. We begin in the preserved trenches at Sanctuary Wood Trench Museum. We look at the battlefield around Hill 60, one of the most fought over corners of the Ypres area, and examine the war underground seeing craters that still scar the hill today. After lunch at Hooge Crater Café and Museum we look at the commemoration of Britain's dead at Tyne Cot Cemetery, the largest British war cemetery in the world. At Vancouver Corner we examine the use of gas in the trenches and see the moving 'Brooding Soldier' memorial to the Canadians. At Langemarck German Cemetery we see how Germany commemorated her dead and look at the story of 'Fritz' on the other side of No Man's Land. Our day ends in Ypres where we attend the moving Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate Memorial. B
- Day 3 – Arras and Vimy Ridge - We spend a day in northern France close to the city of Arras, looking at life beneath the Western Front in the Wellington Quarries where we go underground to see where thousands sheltered on the eve of battle. At the Arras Memorial we pay our respects to the missing and see the Air Services Memorial. Following lunch in central Arras, we look at the Canadian assault on Vimy Ridge in April 1917. We end the day at the Notre Dame de Lorette, the largest French war cemetery in the world. B
- Day 4 – The Somme - The Battle of the Somme began on a summer's day in July 1916 and ended in a snowstorm four and a half months later. It was a battle of contrasts from the blackest day when 57,000 became casualties to the first use of tanks and the change in approach to fighting on the Western Front. We look at these stories and start our tour among the trees of Delville Wood. At Peronne we visit the excellent Historical de la Grande Guerre museum which helps to put into context not just our Somme day but the whole tour. At La Boisselle we see Lochnagar, the largest British mine crater surviving on the battlefields. Following lunch we visit the trenches in the Newfoundland Park and the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing which commemorates more than 72,000 missing soldiers on the Somme. B
- Day 5 – To Calais, then return home. B
Included Meals: B=Breakfast
Please Note: Entrance fees to museums and places of interest are at extra cost
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Book before 01st December get £20.00 per person discount
Battlefield Tours also available by Rail ,Air, or self-drive Other Coach Trips are available from us at www.coachholidaytravel.com |