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INTRODUCTION
We've written
this section to help anyone thinking of visiting the battlefields.
Background As our name suggests, we organise guided tours to the battlefields of Ypres and the Somme. We are a specialist company and as such only organise tours to these battlefields, though for private/personal tours we can take you to just about any battlefield. We do not employ tour guides and we deliberately restrict the number of tours each year to no more than a dozen or so as we have no wish to grow in to a large tour company (quite the opposite!). We enjoy arranging everything ourselves, thereby keeping our tours very small and very much on a personal footing. Our tours are quite distinct from the more commercially driven options offered by larger companies.
Many who study the Great War somehow feel a strong sense of empathy towards those from all sides who suffered such terrible losses in this so-called ‘war to end all wars’. The Great War continues to cast a long, deep shadow on future generations - like a messenger who having delivered his message somehow refuses to leave the room. It is difficult to explain. The more one tries to understand the suffering experienced by those who were consumed by this war, the more one feels drawn to visiting the battlefields of 1914-1918. A mental imagery forms in our minds of how these battlefields must have looked all those years ago - and how they may look today. Back to top The first battlefield tours Almost as soon as the Great War came to an end in November 1918 visitors flocked to the battlefields; either out of curiosity or to visit the grave of a loved one, or even sadder, to visit the general area where a loved one fell and whose remains had not been found. Some even made the journey whilst the war was still being fought. The Michelin Tyre Company was one of the first commercial companies offering guided tours to the battlefields of France (Somme) and Belgium (Ypres). They published a guide to the battlefields in 1919 (yes – 1919!) with fascinating pictures of the recently abandoned battlefields with all the material of warfare still littering the battered shell pocked landscapes such as shown below - have a look at the landscape, not to mention the editor's car!
Visiting the battlefields today
It’s best for the moment to stay focused on these two hugely significant battlefields and perhaps venture further afield later in your travels. The closest English Channel crossing route for both the Somme and Ypres (Ieper) is Dover/Folkestone–Calais. Visitors to the battlefields today are basically faced with one of two choices, namely: Self-Drive Tours Take advantage of a personal conducted tour such as those that
can easily be arranged by us. Let's look at these two options in more detail in the following sections. Option 1 - Making your own arrangements
By far and away the biggest drawback to visiting the battlefields under one's own steam is that it can be very difficult to relate the battlefield today to the battlefield of 1914-18, unless you have a detailed guide book accompanied by equally detailed trench maps (i.e. maps produced by the military cartographers during the war showing the battlefield in detail, especially the position of trenches etc). The battlefields of today look pretty much the same as any other part of rural France or Belgium – with the exception of the hundreds of Commonwealth War Grave cemeteries that punctuate the landscape. The problem with the many excellent books that have been written on the subject of the Great War is that they invariably lack adequate maps and plans to the detail that the battlefield visitor needs. This is the biggest problem and one we have strived to overcome with our unique Self-Drive option. Self-Drive tours A variation on the 'DIY theme' is taking a self-drive tour where all the Channel crossing and hotel bookings are made on your behalf by a specialist in tours to the Somme and Ypres battlefields such as our small company. This way you combine the benefits of touring at your own pace, together having the all-important detailed battlefield guide material such as detailed maps and plans and descriptive narrative at your fingertips, crucial information so lacking in other publications. This material includes all the maps, plans and directions you will need – so much so that you will be able to trace the exact course of the Front Line, even if it means following it across public car parks, housing estates or wherever! We are the only company offering these unique Somme and Ypres battlefield guides. You can now combine the flexibility of a Self-Drive tour with the added appeal of having a personal conducted tour. We have teamed up with the few properly accredited and respected English-speaking guides living on or near the battlefields you wish to visit. We can easily arrange for a British guide to pick you up at your hotel to take you on a tour of most battlefields of the Great War, as an additional service to your written self-drive guide. You will not be expected to join a group as our experienced, independent guides specialise in providing a personal service, and focusing on areas of specific interest to you (such as Australian/Canadian/New Zealand battlefields). A personal tour with pick-up at your hotel costs a lot more when compared with joining a fixed-itinerary ‘public’ tour, but is by far and away the best way to see the battlefield, especially bearing in mind this may be your one occasion to make the visit you are have in mind. A personal tour is also better suited for the quiet exploration and reflection of past events, without the possible distraction of others making up your group - and the need for the tour leader to stick to a fixed time schedule! This service will be included in the total cost you will pay, thus making your battlefield visit a seamless experience with everything arranged by us in advance. For more details on self-drive tours to the Somme (including Villers Bretonneux) and Ypres click here.
Click below to download a PDF
O ption 2 - Personal 'bespoke' Conducted ToursOur conducted tours for the remainder of this year are now fully booked. We are currently reviewing our tours and will most likely discontinue conducted tours starting from the UK with effect from 2010 in order that we may put all our efforts in to providing our increasingly popular Self-Drive tours. People who wish to visit the battlefields of the Great War understandably first think of a conducted tour. However, for those truly seeking to reveal the legacy of the Great War, nothing can beat the freedom of exploring the battlefields without the constraints of a coach/minibus group dictating the pace. Please have a look at our Self-Drive tours page as you can now combine a Self-Drive tour with the luxury of a personal guide to meet you at your hotel to take you (and just you...) where you wish to visit.
If
you have your heart set on a conducted tour starting from the UK
then there are many companies to choose from (as you may have seen
when searching the internet!), some better than others....
We will be happy to recommend a company we have known and
respected
over the years we have been organising tours - just
email us and we'll let you have details.
‘Birdsong’ by Sebastian Faulks
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SOMME BATTLEFIELD
TOURS LTD
