Battlefields by 4x4

Trenches at Vimy

Western Front - Ypres to Arras

Tour Over Four Days (Two full days and two half days) -

Cost Includes your Vehicle, Driver and One Passenger, three

nights hotel accommodation

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Costs below are for your vehicle,

driver and one passenger.

Just £100 deposit required at booking

to secure your place

WESTERN FRONT TOUR

Our tour starts on Saturday 6th April on the outskirts of Ypres, Belgium

We will visit sites and locations unique to this tour, with a special stop or two along

the way such as the largest Commonwealth Cemetery in the world and Pond Farm, a

private WW1 museum collection.

On arrival in Ypres town centre, we will check you in to your hotel, which is just off

the market square and central to bars and restaurants.

We’ll attend the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate and then have a group meal

in a very nice restaurant - a great opportunity to relax and meet your fellow

travellers. This is of course optional - allow approx €30pp plus drinks.

On Sunday morning, after a healthy breakfast, we continue the tour,

traversing the relatively flat areas of the Battles of Neuve Chapelle, Loos before

arriving at the strategic heights of Vimy Ridge.

We spend the night in the Ibis Arras, your hotel is located in the centre of the town so

local bars and restaurants are all within easy reach on foot.

On Monday 8th April, we’ll start with a visit to the Wellington Quarry, where more

than 20,000 troops were billeted 102 years ago to the day on the eve of the Battle of

Arras. We then drive through some of the Battlefields areas of Arras and as far as

the plains of Bullecourt before arriving at the Arras Memorial.

On the Monday evening we are organising a candlelit Vigil at a remote

battlefield cemetery, accessible only to 4x4’s, where the majority of casualties

buried there are from the 9th April 1917

On the morning of the 9th April, we will attend the annual dawn service at the

Wellington Quarry that commemorates the anniversary of the Battle of Arras – the

service is in English and French and well attended by international dignitaries and

members of the public. Coffee and croissants are served after the dawn service free

of charge.

Tour dates: Saturday 6th to Tuesday 9th April 2019

The Battle of Arras is often overlooked, but at the end of 38 days of fighting in the

spring of 1917, along a front stretching 20 kilometres from Vimy Ridge to the plain of

Bullecourt, 300,000 personnel on both sides were listed as wounded, missing or

dead. The British Army suffered an average of 4,000 wounded and killed every day -

the highest average daily casualty rate of any British offensive on the Western Front.

For many, their experiences at Arras were the most brutal of the war. Most visitors

travel around the battlefields by car or bus; however, on our tours we rarely see other

vehicles on the lanes we use to traverse the area

Over four days we will give you an insight from a different perspective of this famous

battlefield, travelling in a small convoy of 5-6 vehicles, on tracks once trod by

infantry.

You’ll receive CB commentary as we drive along our route so you can really get a

sense of where troops came from and what their objectives were.

To book, click on the link above. We only require a £100 deposit per vehicle or full payment if the tour is less than six weeks away. Eight weeks before the tour we will send you a balance request and invoice. Once the balance is paid we will send you an information pack including meeting places, times, booking references etc.If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at: info@battlefieldsby4x4.com

APRIL

6-9

WESTERN FRONT TOUR

BOOK NOW

Join us for a special tour starting in Ypres and heading down the Front Line culminating in a moving ceremony to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Arras

HOTEL BASED

£899

for two people

This year we have a new tour

starting in Ypres and heading

down the Front Line, ending in

Arras in time to commemorate

the 102nd anniversary of the

Battle of Arras

Included in this tour:

• Three night’s accommodation in a twin bedded room on a bed and breakfast basis • An optional three course meal on the Saturday evening. Allow around €30pp plus drinks • Attending the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate. • A special candle-lit ceremony at a small cemetery where only 4x4’s can get to • Access to a ceremony on the morning of the 9th April • Partake in the special activities planned, including some night laning

• Tyne Cot Cemetery & Memorial • WW1 Private Museum Collection • Menin Gate • Last Post Ceremony • Wellington Tunnels • Arras Memorial • Candle-lit ceremony at a remote cemetery • Dawn ceremony

Tour Highlights

Example Itinerary: Day 1 Independent travel to Ypres, Belgium 1pm - Welcome, introductions and briefing. We will visit sites and locations unique to this tour, with a special stop or two along the way such as the largest Commonwealth Cemetery in the world and a private WW1 museum collection. 5pm – Arrive Ypres town centre, check into hotel, which is just off the market square and central to bars and restaurants. 8pm - Attend the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate 8:30pm - Optional meal – we have a table booked at a restaurant in the centre of Ypres. This is optional but gives you chance to relax after your journey and also get to know each other over delicious meal. The cost is approximately €30pp excluding drinks. Day 2 9am - Meet near local supermarket so you can stock up on provisions for the day before setting out. 9:30am - We head south towards Arras, taking in some of the battle areas of Neuve Chapelle, Aubers Ridge and Fromelles. After a lunch stop, we continue our route and cover the battle of Loos before reaching Vimy Ridge and the outskirts of Arras. At approximately 5:30pm we will arrive in Arras, check into hotel, which is just a stone’s throw from the many bars and restaurants in the centre of this lovely city. Day 3 9:00am - Meet at local supermarket to stock up on supplies and fuel. 9:30am - Guided tour of the Wellington Quarry, after which we’ll set off and cover some of the Arras battlefield, the Hindenburg Line and cemeteries and memorials in the vicinity. We conclude the day at the Arras Memorial and Faubourg d’Amiens Cemetery where over 37,000 casualties are commemorated 5pm - Return to hotel for a rest and refreshments. 8pm – Meet near the centre of Arras and head out again after dark to a small remote cemetery, accessibile only by 4x4’s where we’ll participate in a evening vigil ceremony and light up the headstones with candles. 9.30pm - Return to Arras Day 4 5.30am - Attend the annual Dawn Ceremony at the Wellington Quarry to commemorate the 102nd anniversary of the battle of Arras 6:30am – Coffee and croissants 7:00am - Tour ends. (Non-contractual Tour example, subject to alteration when necessary as timing of local commemorations are yet to be confirmed – All times are local)