small group tours of Great War Battlefields, The Somme, Thiepval, Ypres Salient, Vimy Ridge, Anzac sites, Somme, Passchendaele, Arras, Last Post Ceremony, Flanders Fields, Belgium Battlefields, France Battlefields

WEEKEND AND DAY TOURS OF THE WESTERN FRONT BATTLEFIELDS
Saturdays, Sundays & Mondays

DAY TOUR - SATURDAY

THE SOMME, France

Meet London St Pancras station 06.15 for departure at 07.00
Return London St Pancras approximatley 21.50

You board Eurostar's service at London's St Pancras Station. You have to be at the self-tiketing machines by 06.15. On arrival at Lille you're met by your specialist battlefields guide.

To most people the Somme signifies one day - July 1st 1916. It was the day that the British Army suffered its greatest ever losses in a single day with nearly 60,000 casualties. But the actual battle for the Somme raged until November of that year, and saw massive fighting again in 1918.

What remains is truly awesome. There are sites seen today that will be etched into your consciousness forever. We tour the Somme battlefield covering major sites from the calamitous first day through the whole five months of the battle. You'll see Delville Wood, the Welsh memorial at Mametz Wood, the huge Lochnagar mine crater, the sunken road where the Accrington Pals were virtually wiped out, Sausage Valley, the Poziere battlefield and Windmill Hill (both important site for Australians), Courcellette, site of the first major use of tanks supporting Canadian troops, and the nearby the tank memorial. We include Albert, the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing and the Ulster Tower. An undoubted highlight, however, will be our guided walk around the incredible preserved Beaumont Hamel battlefield site. Other sites will be added according to the interest of the tour participants.

The return to London is on the 21.06 train from Lille, arriving at St Pancras at 21.56 from where you make your way independently.

Those staying on for the weekend have the option of remaining in Ypres to attend the moving Menen Gate ceremony while those on the one-day tour are returned to the Lille rail station where you'll have time for a meal before returning to London.

DAY TOUR - SUNDAY

YPRES SALIENT, Belgium

Meet London St Pancras at 08.05 for departure at 08.53
Return London St Pancras 21.56

You board Eurostar's service at London's St Pancras Station. You have to be at the self -ticketing machine 08.05. On arrival at Lille you're met by your specialist battlefields guide. Those who have been on the day's prior's Ypres Salient tour will be collected from our hotel base.

'The Salient' struck fear into the Great War Tommy for being the hottest spot on the 70 mile front held by Imperial and Empire troops. Over a quarter of a million men gave their lives to hold this last bit of Belgium from the Germans. Although history records three great battles fought at Ypres, it was in fact a constant battle against shell, bullet, bomb, gas, water and rats.

On our day touring the Salient you'll see, in the company of a first class guide, some of the most important sites that remain; the German trenches at Kemmel, 'Shot at Dawn' execution sites, sites of the first gas attack and where flame thrower were introduced into modern warfare, John McRae's Essex Farm site, the grave of double VC winner, Noel Chavasse, Hoogt crater and museum, the Passendaele dug-out and Tyne Cot cemetery. You'll walk the moonscape of the Hill 60 battlefield and see literally dozens of memorials to British, Australian and Canadian regiments. We'll also spend time in Ypres itself with the opportunity to visit St George's Chapel, the Menen (Menin) Gate Memorial. Those who have stayed overnight on the Saturday will have the opportunity to take an optional tour of the 'In Flanders Field' Museum to do so.

If you're returning to London tonight, you'll be catching the 21.06 Eurostar from Lille, arriving in London St Pancras station at 21.56 from where you travel independently.

DAY TOUR - MONDAY

TRIUMPH AND DISASTER: Loos, Arras and Vimy Ridge

Meet London St Pancras station 06.15 for departure at 07.60
Return London St Pancras approximatley 22.00

This, the final day in our series of one-day Western Front battlefield visits, takes us to the line between Armentieres and Arras. It's a much neglected region but with a huge amount to see. You can either join for just this one day or make it part of a longer tour. If you're taking this as a one-day tour, you'll catch the 06.26 Eurostar from London's Waterloo station, and be met on arrival in Lille by your Back-Roads Touring Co. Ltd guide. If you've been with us for the two prior days, touring the Ypres Salient and The Somme, you'll be collected from our Lille tour base hotel.

On this day we'll visit sites connected with the 1915 battles of Aubers Ridge, Festubert, and Neuve Chapelle, where the Indian Army gave a magnificent account of itself. You'll see where Adolf Hitler served and the bunker he is reputed to have used as a billet. Australian's will enjoy seeing the Fromelles memorial. We'll tour the Loos battlefield, site of the disastrous battle of 1915, and Vimy Ridge where we take a tunnel tour. Canadians will find this of special interest during the 90th anniversary commemorations. We'll also see sites in and around the pretty city of Arras including (subject to opening) the recently discovered underground hospital and the French National memorial at Lorrette de Notre Dame.

We return to Lille in time for the late evening Eurostar return at 21.06, arriving in London at approximately 22.00.

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COSTS
The tours run from March 22nd to November 15th. Other dates by request.
You can take either a one day tour
Cost: £115 inclusive of Eurostar, mini-coach tour and all entrance fees (£65 if joining at Lille);
Combine Saturday and Sunday to make it a two-day weekend visit
Cost: £229 per person (inc. 1 night B&B accommodation in a twin share). Cost for a single person is £245 or
Combine Saturday, Sunday and Monday to have a three-day package
Cost: £299 per person (inc. 2 nights B&B accommodation in a twin share). Cost for a single person is £329.

JOINING THE TOUR FROM LONDON
When using Eurostar, you are given a self-ticketing reference number that you use to get your ticket at the station of departure. We advise all tour participants to call us a day or two prior to departure to ensure they have the correct ticket reference as we do not have a representative at the station on the morning of departure. Please note: on occasion, when there is no availability on Eurostar, we transfer to Calais using a mini-coach. Tour participants are collected at 06.00 from central London locations.

JOINING THE TOUR FROM PARIS
If you are staying in Paris and want to join any of the days, you can do so by catching the TGV from Paris to Lille. You have to book these tickets yourself. Trains leave from Gard du Nord at 07.58 for Saturday's tour, 09.58 for Sundays and for Monday at 08.58. (please check these for any changes). Return times should not be booked before 20.00. Costs depend on days and how much in advance your book. Please note: you arrive at Lille's Flanders Station which is a 10 minute walk from our meeting point at Lille Euro Station. The cost of the day tour with independent travel to Lille is £65.00 per person.

TOUR EXTENSIONS

On certain dates this tour can be extended by combining a Saturday and Sunday to our 4-day tour to Verdun and to the American battlefields near Rheims.

It can also be combined with our 5 day D-Day and Battlefield France WW2 tour.

SHOPPING AND SHOOTING!

- Here's a great idea for couples -
the lady enjoys a day's shopping in Lille (it has fantastic shops and flea markets), while the man enjoys a day on the Battlefields.

Combined price for a couple: £185.
This includes a return ticket on the Eurostar for two and a Somme day tour for one. This is available for Saturdays only.

Here are just a few of the emails we received from 2006 & 2007 tours. We hope you'll be joining us in 2008 (tours re-start mid March when the weather improves and day light hours lengthen). We can't be beaten for enthusiasm, knowledge and commitment to making these tours work for YOU.

"We have recently returned from a tour of the battlefields. We were thirteen friends who met your Guide Mark, instantly we were fourteen friends. Mark was courteous, friendly and very knowledgable...if he did not know he made a point of finding out the answers to our questions. We felt that he 'honed the tour' to our requirements. Especially with one of our friends who had a specific request to visit a certain cemetary. This he did...even providing a cross! He was always punctual and was always very cheerful, even at 5.30am. He is a credit to your company. Your coach was very comfortable and very clean. Please pass on to Mark with all our best wishes… I wish I had the brain to soak up all that knowledge and facts.." Michael Forrest, April 2008 (British)

"This is to thank you and the company staff who facilitated this tour. It was absolutely magnificent and the high point of our trip from Australia to UK so far as Val and I are concerned. Our group of seven were unanimous in our observations we could not have selected a better company to visit the Western Front with. Of course, as the representative of the company and our guide, Nora must take the lion's share of the credit. We found her attitude, knowledge, enthusiasm and thoughtfulness to be first class. Her ability to convey reality and atmosphere, her descriptive skills and uncanny sense of keeping quiet to alllow us to absorb the enormity of the historical events and locations and her encyclopaedic knowledge kept us all enthralled (and at times deeply moved) from start to finish. Thank you for providing such an excellent tour opportunity." Mick & Val Richardson, 2007 (Australians)

"Just thanking you for a fantastic Somme Tour. It was one of the highlights of our trip and we will never forget it. It was exactly what we wanted. We loved the hotel and the tour guide was so amazing. She had so much knowledge and stories to tell. We all learnt so much! She was amazing and we all enjoyed her company! All the best and hope to be back soon." Natasha and Trevor Carr, 2007 (Australians)

"Some feed back from us on our recent tour with your company. It was my father who served four years with first Cdn Division WW 1. He was seriously wounded at Ypres, slightly a year later at the Somme and on a list "not expected to live" after Vimy. I was the first of his siblings to have the opportunity to visit the region where the actions took place. Upon meeting your guide Jon Halperin at Harwich you can imagine our surprise and pleasure to be handed a large sheaf of papers documenting my fathers regiment's struggle, attacks, counter attacks and losses during this war. Jon had in his own personal time gathered all this information for us It was not, however, until we returned home that we had the time to thoroughly read all the material. It described in detail comments and incidents mentioned in my fathers journal which he wrote from memory when in his eighties. It was only then we fully realized Jon's effort on our behalf and are very grateful to him and from this came to more fully appreciate his knowledge,, dedication, humor and even his much needed assistance in handling the luggage." Dave and Jean (Marion) McGowan, 2007 (Canadians)

"I am writing to thank you very much for organizing such a memorable trip for us. Geoff and Nora, our guides, took us on a journey of the battlefields which was very informative, sad and moving and re-evoked the history of the First World War very vividly. Both Geoff and Nora looked after us very well , and their knowledge of the historical details was quite amazing, -they are a real credit to your company!Please pass on our grateful thanks to them both. We are busy recommending the trip to our friends and hope to join you again in the New year." Zarina and Shaed, 2007 (British)

"Just a brief note to thank you and your wonderful team of Jeff and Norma for the great day we had in Flanders... it was everything we had hoped for. Having visited the area in which my Dad was wounded and heard the stories of the fighting in that area, and , I suppose, having visited the War Cemetries (which I found to be a quite emotional experience) I somehow or other feel that I know my dad better than at anytime in my life. As I may have already told you, he never talked of his experiences during the Great War, so there was always a part of his background missing. And, in addition, I now have an even greater understanding of the sheer futility of war - so many young lives lost for what? Maybe we should demand that if there is to be a war, the politicians who want to wage the war should be the first ones into the front lines. Anyway, thanks for a very memorable day and please convey our thanks to Jeff and Nora as well." Terry Cole, 2007

"Seeing the white cliffs of Dover was an unexpected extra added bonus of the trip. I have been reading about and watching film of the Great War for fifty years but seeing the ground where the fighting occurred, the towns destroyed by it (and the amazing rebuilding of these towns, theYpres Cathedral, etc.) and the many cemeteries gave me a feeling for the Great War that you just cannot get from books, film and photographs. I very highly recommend this tour to people who are seriously interested in learining about the war. Your highly informed and expxerienced tour guides and small group format are the only way to see these sites. Those taking such tours in the big touring buses cannot get the high quality experience that Backroads tours delivers. And my own experience as a Yellowstone Park driver and tour guide, I know that there are many places those big buses cannot go." Jeff Ward, 2007 (American)

"Barb and I have been home a week now and have been reflecting on our recent trip. We both agree that the trip, as a whole, was probably the best time away that we have ever had. While the Vimy Tour could not be described as "fun" it was certainly an enjoyable learning experience. From the very first day in Amsterdam till the final day in London we thoroughly enjoyed our interaction with Barrie and the other members of our group. The fact that Barrie was open to finding sites of special interest to each individual member of the group ( and was actually able to find the location of some out of the way spots) was very special." Dr David and Barbara Keating, 2007 (Canadians)

"The tour was everything I had hoped it would be. The remembrance celebration at Vimy Ridge was life changing. With the help of Back Roads' office in the UK, Barrie, our guide and driver located the cemetery where my uncle, a casualty of World War 1, was buried. The whole busload helped me commemorate his death. I was the first in our family to visit his grave. It was a memorable experience." Ken Reeves, 2007 (Canadian)

"Just wanted to say what a great tour we had with Jeff on the Ypres and Somme tours in September. I came on the tour with my son, 16, and we both learned a lot and enjoyed it. Jeff was very knowledgeable and gave a great idea of what it was like to be there in battle and di not bombard us with facts and figures. I am so glad we chose to do a tour as opposed to doing something self guided as we just covered so much in the two days that we would never have done on our own." Mairi and Alistair Simpson, 2007 (British)

"Just a short message to say how very much we enjoyed our tour on 3-5 June, and to say thanks very much to our very obliging and helpful guide Jeff." Mary, Sonia, Meghann Lilley and Pam Carleton 7 June 2006 (Australian)

"What a great weekend! Exhausting but worth every moment despite the weather. Thank you so much for giving us an insight into the Western Front, or a bit of it. I will certainly try to remember what you told us and now try and add to my knowledge. Once again many thanks!" Ros Barron, 3 June 2006 (British)

"Just wanted to say how much my father and I enjoyed yesterday. David was an excellent guide and really helped bringing everything to life. Being able to lay our wreath on my grandfather's grave was very special to us. It has now wetted our appetite and we are thinking about doing a similar trip with you to the Somme before we go back home …" Ivor Otley, 24 April 2006 (Australian)

"My son, Malcolm and I recently travelled through the WW1 battlefields with your guide Bob. We would like you to know how very much we enjoyed the trip and how knowledgeable we found Bob to be. He went out of his way to make the days appropriate for us as Australians and in particular sought out places mentioned by my father in his diary written during the war. With thanks," Elizabeth Adams 29 July 2006 (Australian)

"I'd swear you know where every bit of barbed wire on the Western Front is! Great couple of days. Unbelieveable knowledge you have. I was impressed by the way you managed to ensure both the Canadians and the English on board exactly what they wanted to see." Peter James, September 2006 (Canadian)

"I would just like to say a massive thank you to you for a fantastic weekend. Brad and I had the best time and it will be a weekend we will never forget. Thanks again." Caroline and Brad, August 2006 (British)

"Just wanted to say what a great tour we had with Jeff on the Ypres and Somme tours in September. I came on the tour with my son, 16, and we both learned a lot and enjoyed it. Jeff was very knowledgeable and gave a great idea of what it was like to be there in battle and did not just bombard us with facts and figures. I am so glad we chose to do a tour as opposed to doing something self guided as we just covered so much in the two days that we would never have done on our own. Please, thank Jeff very much." Mairi and Alistair Simpson, September 2006 (British)