WW1 Battlefields and The Somme

Itinerary

We leave Lancashire and head for Dover with breakfast on the way with a further refreshments enroute. We catch the afternoon ferry to Calais then on to our hotel in Lille for the duration of our stay. Our 2 exciting days out include a morning in Flanders Field Museum, located in the Former Cloth Halls of Ypres. The museum presents the story of WW1 in the West Flanders Front region. That afternoon, we enjoy a guided tour of the Western Front Route 14-18, a path through the stories of the Great War, helping us to realise what took place. Stops include Essex Farm where John McCrae wrote his famous ‘In Flanders Fields’ poem. On the return to Ypres there will be some free time to explore before heading to a local restaurant for the evening meal. Our day finishes at the Menin Gate to witness the emotional Last Post Ceremony, the call for all the soldiers to head back to the city for the evening, not all soldiers returned through the gates. This tradition is one of the most poignant elements to any battlefields tour. Arrive early to see the ceremony and the wreaths being carried. Our second full day is to the Somme Battlefields with a specialised guide. We visit important sites including Lochnagar Crater, at 300ft it is the largest crater of its kind created from charges packed into a tunnel. Thiepval Memorial is a striking memorial to over 72,000 officers who have no known grave. We also visit Arras and Wellington Quarries, almost completely rebuilt after being destroyed during the Battle of Arras. After an early breakfast we head back to Dover with a meal and refreshment stop on the way*.



**Please note that a valid passport will be required