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
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)