Itinerary for: Walking the Ypres Salient (5BWY/1)
| Belguim | Ypres |
| Battlefields |
5-Day Break
- Day 1 – Local departure by coach then onwards to Ypres for a four-night stay.
- Day 2 – The Hills of Flanders – The Bluff
Walk 1: Our first walk shows us that Flanders isn’t always as flat as we think! We start in the village of Locre, and looking at the subject of soldiers ‘Shot At Dawn’. We then walk out to the site of Locre Hospice, seeing a unique field grave to Irish Nationalist MP, Willie Redmond. From here we look at operations around Kemmel Hill in April 1918, climbing our way to the top of the hill, seeing the French cemetery, and crossing down into the village to the see the graves of men who fell in the early period of the war.
Walk 2: We begin in the village of Vierstraat, and see the grave of Peter Llewllyn Davies, immortalised in ‘Peter Pan’. We then follow a route to the Ypres-Comines canal, and towards the Bluff. Along the way we see bunkers, battle-scarred remains of the canal and battlefield cemeteries – a most unusual walk. B
- Day 3 – Messines Ridge – Behind The Lines
Walk 3: We start in the village of ‘Whitesheet’, in the centre of the Messines Ridge. We walk out to the eastern side of the ridge, and follow the site of fighting, seeing several small battlefield cemeteries, and a British bunker. In Messines we look at the fighting of 1914 and capture of the village in June 1917.
Walk 4: We move away from the battlefield, and look at the work of Casualty Clearing Stations at Brandhoek, also seeing the grave of Captain Noel Chavasse VC & Bar. In the village we also see his memorial, before going to Hagle Dump. We then trace the site of Dirty Bucket Camp – and finish at Hospital Farm, close to Vlamertinghe. B
- Day 4 – Broodseinde Ridge – Visit to Nieuport (optional).
Walk 5: Our final walk starts at arguably one of the finest museums in Flanders, The Passchendaele Memorial Museum, with it’s unique reconstructed WW1 dugout. From here we walk from the grounds of the Zonnebeke Chateau, through the village, and follow the old railway line up onto the Broodseinde Ridge. From here we walk across to Tyne Cot Cemetery, seeing the graves of those connected with the ground we have just crossed, and take time to see the Visitors Centre. In the afternoon either take free-time in Ypres, or join us on an optional visit to Nieuport, where the Western Front petered out on the beaches of North Belgium, and where British soldiers were in action in 1917. B
- Day 5 – To Calais, and return home. B
Included Meals: B=Breakfast
Please Note: Entrance fees to museums and places of interest are at extra cost.
Notes
Prices are per person, based on two sharing
Extras:
- Optional excursions
- Single room supplement £129
- Travel insurance from £30.95
You will stay for four nights at the 3-star Novotel in the centre of Ypres, near the Menin Gate and the market place, with its many shops, cafés and bars. The hotel has a lift, bar, and restaurant. All bedrooms have a T.V., hairdryer and air- conditioning.
Tour Includes
- Free local joining points
- Travel by Executive coach
- 4 nights’ accommodation with breakfast
- Specialist Battlefields Guide
- 5 Battlefield walks, each approximately 3 - 4 hours
- Upgrade to Silver Service available
Silver Service
Upgrade to Silver Service and enjoy these extras
- Travel by Silver Service luxury coach which includes:
- Extra legroom for your added comfort
- Comfortable rear lounge to relax and chat
- FREE personal headphones with a choice of music & DVDs
- Porterage in all hotels
- Smaller, more personal group
Tour Dates
Walking The Ypres Salient (5 Days)
Tour Ref: 5BWY/1
11 April 2011 - £385.00
12 September 2011 - £399.00
Walking The Ypres Salient (5 Days) - Silver Service
Tour Ref: 5BWYV/1
09 May 2011 - £449.00
25 July 2011 - £449.00
22 August 2011 - £449.00