WW1 France & Flanders
We have a very clear bespoke philosophy, explained here which fully outlines our commitment to you when planning your pilgrimage to the battlefields of France & Flanders.
Prospective guests ask us to create their bespoke World War 1 tours for many different reasons, the most common is not knowing the area they are visiting, a fear of driving abroad or of the different language, the challenge of arranging travel and accommodation abroad or simply to utilise our years of knowledge and experience to maximise the time available, these are very common challenges whether a seasoned Great War tourist or just starting out on your journey of discovery.
You can rest assured that we will make your tour a trip to remember.
So, if you want to -
- Pay your respects to a relative.
- Retrace the footsteps of a local regiment or battalion.
- Attend an anniversary service of remembrance
- Or just create your very own bespoke tour
This tour was for a family of 6 who wished to visit the grave of a relative, the first from their family to visit the grave.
Whilst the main focus was to visit their relative they wanted to include other aspects to their trip, following discussions with all members of the party they decided on the following itinerary -
We had conducted full research of the relative prior to the visit as part of the all inclusive tour price.
Day 1 Friday
Early afternoon collection, from Eurostar at Lille Europe station.
Visit to Vimy Ridge preserved trenches and memorial.
We moved onto Bancourt Cemetery near Bapaume, a member of the party had a distant relative buried here; a wreath was laid by the family.
We finished day 1 with dinner at Freeman Farm.
Day 2 Saturday
After breakfast we visited the Market in the beautiful city of Arras, the architecture in the 2 squares offers the perfect backdrop to this very French experience.
We sat in the largest of the squares "the Grand Place" and had lunch as the world passed by.
The afternoon started with a visit to the Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Arras and finished the afternoon at The Carri�re Wellington tunnels and museum.
We returned to Freeman Farm to prepare for dinner.
To continue the French experience we dined at a local Auberge.
Day 3 Sunday
Following the research prior to the tour, we were able to retrace the relative's movements prior to being killed in action.
We spent the morning in the villages in which he was billeted and fought before visiting Assevillers new British cemetery, his place of rest.
The family conducted a small and poignant service at the graveside.
We finished our visits for the day in Amiens with a boat trip on the Hortillonnages and a visit to the cathedral, a world heritage site.
We returned to Freeman Farm for dinner.
Day 4 Monday
We started our day with a visit to the Thiepval Memorial to the missing and visitor centre, this imposing memorial was unveiled on the 1st August 1932 and commemorates the names of over 72,000 of those who have no known grave.
We finished the tour with a visit to the preserved trenches at Newfoundland Park / Beaumont Hamel before taking lunch at the Old Blighty tea room in La Boisselle.
After lunch we returned to Lille for the Eurostar via a local retail park.
This was the families bespoke tour, their chosen combination of visits, activities and events.
Northern France and Belgium offers a wide variety of places to visit and activities tom participate in, our bespoke service gives you all of the guidance and information you need to create your perfect break, whatever the reason.
Feel free to contact us with your bespoke WW1 France & Flanders tour needs
2nd Lt Donald Simpson Bell is the only professional footballer to win the VC, Bell played as an amateur for Newcastle United.
