The only Self-Drive WW1 tour company to be recommended in the Independent’s ‘Complete Guide to Great War Travel’

Testimonials

2023 Email from Cris Dayfollowing a Self-Drive drive tour of the Ypres & Somme battlefields April 2023. Dear James, I have recently returned from four days in Belgium and France visiting the places where two of my uncles, my mothers brothers; served, were killed, and are now remembered on the Menin Gate and Thiepval Memorials. Your battlefield Guides for Ypres and the Somme were excellent, and although I was driving on my own, I was able to navigate with little difficulty. I would particularly like to thank you for all the research you did on my behalf and especially for the numerous maps you provided as we sought to locate trench B13 in the Ypres area. Nothing was too much trouble and I am grateful. The Ambrosia hotel in Ypres was just what I wanted and the owners most helpful. I would also mention the Ypres Research Department which was able to provide me with a map showing B13, and then marked it on one of the maps you had provided. They are located behind the Cloth Hall; tel +32 (0) 57 239 450, and are brilliant. With thanks, Chris Day. Trust   Pilot   5-Star   review ! from Penelope Smart following a Self-Drive drive tour of the Ypres battlefields April 2023. What a memorable trip this turned into. Having discussed with my husband the possibility of visiting the WW1 battlefields we decided against a coach trip which would have meant rushing from one place to another which is not what we wanted. We thought of 'doing it alone' but then found this company organising a self-drive trip which left one able to spend as much time at any one place as one wished. What a joy this was and how well it worked. We spent 3 days dedicated to James's suggested route around the Ypres area and the detailed itinerary he supplied was brilliant. Using What-3-Words was a great advantage. The information pack was so explicit and left nothing to the imagination. A very powerful educational experience. James also suggested having a private guide for a day as I wanted to see the final resting place of my Great Uncle who was killed on the first day of the Battle of Loos. We took up this advice and he arranged contact with Jacques in Ypres who was a fountain of knowledge and provided me with extensive personal documents about the last journey my relative took. Extraordinary attention to detail and worth every penny. This company goes above and beyond to offer an exceptional service. The hotel Ariane in Ypres was extremely comfortable, friendly and ideally located for our trip. Well done, James! Email from Steve & Jackie Eggleton following a Self-Drive drive tour of the Ypres battlefields February 2023. Hi James, Returned home a couple of days ago from our Battlefield tour and thought we would give you some feedback ! Absolutely brilliant! The trip there and back was excellent with no problems either end of the tunnel. The directions you included were spot on and we found what we were looking for and more! We only intended to visit 3 or 4 cemeteries to visit past relatives but the extra information in your books meant we could learn more about the whys and when’s as well. The Ariane Hotel was excellent with the staff really helpful and the food was first class. We also dined at De Heerlyckheid which was lovely. All in all James, your help and information were spot on for what we wanted and we thank you for everything you did. Best wishes Steve & Jackie 2022 Email from Christopher Stephenson following a Self-Drive drive tour of the Somme and Ypres battlefields November 2022 Sorry it’s taken me so long to contact you. I never complete testimonials but in this instance I was so impressed with the service. I contacted you just over 1 week before we wanted to do the WW1 Battlefields Tour by e- mail. You telephoned me the following day and it was all provisionally booked, brilliant. You advised the Tunnel which we had never done before and it was so easy (apart from the Oil Bridge protesters making our journey from Warrington twice the time it should have taken). We booked the Holiday Inn Express Folkestone Channel Tunnel Hotel overnight because of the early train start and would recommend it to anyone. The comprehensive map, directions, hotels and detailed route were amazing and extremely simple to follow. We followed the routes precisely and only got slightly lost once which was my fault! Your details and explanations sections were superb and we followed everything you set out and suggested. Your guidance as to how best to see the Armistice Day at the Menin Gate was spot on and with your timings we had best positions on 3 occasions. The Ariane was top class in Ypres, and we understand why the Macassar B&B is one of TripAdvisor’s top 10 in Europe! It is an amazing place (pity it doesn't have TV and kettle in the bedroom). You couldn't have better hosts and the Art Deco and Art Nouveau interiors need to be seen and enjoyed to be fully appreciated, Wonderful! Thanks very much again and recommended for anyone. Chris Email from Sarah McLeod following a Self-Drive drive tour of the Somme and Ypres battlefields October 2022 Dear James Just a note to say thank you for organising such a great trip for us to the Somme & Ypres. The hotels were fabulous, the French one so friendly with amazing food and the second so luxurious (and again great food). We were slightly undone by roadworks through the centre of Ypres but we managed to find the hotel. We added in a trip to Vimy Ridge on our way from Albert to Ypres, that was lovely and may be a good suggestion for your clients? Your information was amazing and gave us lots of insights. All in all a super trip - thank you Kind regards Sarah Email from Donald Wilkinson following a Self-Drive drive tour of the Somme and Ypres battlefields October 2022 Dear James Just a quick note to thank you very much for all you did to make our trip to France and Belgium so smooth and enjoyable. Everything worked brilliantly. The recommendation to go by Eurotunnel was a revelation (although it's a bit of a trail back to the north of England on the way home). The hotels were excellent. The Ariane is clearly one of Ypres' best, but we were very impressed with the cuisine and the ambience of the de la Paix in Bapaume. Your notes were superb. While my wife and I have been to both theatres before - my wife more frequently than I - the friends we went with were hugely impressed by your knowledge and the coherence of your route. We stuck to it pretty much to the letter on the Somme, very much enjoying making the acquaintance of Avril Williams (clearly one of your greatest fans!) and her son and three grandchildren. In Belgium, we went a bit more off piste. One of my wife's relatives - a great uncle - is buried at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery. He died in the Canadian Casualty Hospital there on 8 June 1917, having been wounded at Messines Ridge the day before. We then went to Talbot House in Poperinge and later to the German Cemetery at Vladslo (which I had visited before) to see the Kathe Kollwitz sculptures - although they were enclosed in a mesh cage as they were being restored! [….] Thank you once again for your outstanding work on our behalf. Best wishes Donald Wilkinson Email from Sarah McLeod following a Self-Drive drive tour of the Somme and Ypres battlefields September 2022 Dear James Just a note to say thank you for organising such a great trip for us to the Somme & Ypres. The hotels were fabulous, the French one so friendly with amazing food and the second so luxurious (and again great food). We were slightly undone by roadworks through the centre of Ypres but we managed to find the hotel. We added in a trip to Vimy Ridge on our way from Albert to Ypres, that was lovely and may be a good suggestion for your clients? Your information was amazing and gave us lots of insights. All in all a super trip - thank you Kind regards Sarah Email from Liz Humphreys following a Self-Drive drive tour of the Somme and Ypres battlefields August 2022 Hello James, We returned from our trip Friday. I just wanted to say a huge thank you. The trip was for my dad’s 60th and he/we all throughly enjoyed it! The directions are super accurate and the information in the packs really helps to bring the battlefields alive, as looking over the beautiful landscape as it is now, it is hard to imagine the horror. The war photos really do help. Ocean Villas, or Avrils was perfect! So peaceful, welcoming and on the battlefield - I chose this accommodation for the history behind it rather than a hotel. We were accommodated in the apartments which were just perfect! We were well looked after! In Ypres we stayed in the Ariane which again was perfect! The hotel will also give free presentations about Elise and Mairi, the British ladies who went over to Belgium to do their bit during the Great War. There’s also a nice memorial to them in the gardens. Not sure if it was because we were booked in via you, but the hotel also gave us a voucher book which got us into most museums and attractions around Ypres free or half price. One thing that doesn’t seem to be well known by tourists is there are free tours provided at Thiepval, Newfoundland and Tyne cot. These are well worth doing too. Overall an excellent holiday thank you, I’ll definitely be going back! Sent from Liz Taylor Humphreys Email from Christopher Blencowe following a Self-Drive drive tour of the Somme and Ypres battlefields July 2022 Dear James Just a quick note to say how much we enjoyed the trip you organised for us to the Somme and Ypres. Transport arrangements and accommodation worked very well and the detailed guides you provided were an excellent base for understanding both the broader scope of the campaigns and the personal experiences of the trenches. Thank you for lending us your knowledge and experience for what was a very successful trip. Best wishes Chris and grandsons Toma and Sam Email from Dr Sarah Warlker-Bircham following a Self-Drive drive tour of the Somme and Ypres battlefields July 2022 Dear James I hope you are well and managing to keep cool! I just wanted to say a big thank you for organising our fabulous holiday. We had such a fabulous time and such fun. It was like being on a huge treasure hunt! Jack and dad navigated, I drove (and managed it fine!) and we just loved the sights and info we gleaned. We thoroughly enjoyed it all. We had 2 full days doing the Somme, with a day with Jacques to find Uncle Harry’s grave. Jacques was absolutely fabulous, honestly they gleaned so much more info than we could ever have imagined or dreamed of! And Jacques brought the history alive so well! We thoroughly enjoyed it. It was so ironic that the whole of the Somme area was so very peaceful when so much blood has been shed, so many souls lost. We met Avril, what a fabulous collection she has. And the trench in her garden?! Amazing! My son, Jack, belongs to the 2nd Devonshire’s re-enactment group, ww2 so he was particularly interested in the Devon’s cemetery. […] We did get to visit Menin Gate on both nights, which was a fabulous experience for us all!! […] Both hotels were absolutely amazing. The Ibis [Somme] staff were so friendly, helpful and tolerant of our attempts at speaking French! The disabled facilities were fabulous (shower with seat and non-slip surfaces plus grab rails), and we were so lucky to be just opposite sides of the corridor. Such a great location, fabulous food. Loved Albert, seemed so quiet and as typically French as I had imagined. The Ariane [Ypres] is a stunning hotel, fabulously helpful staff, felt so embarrassed to be only able to speak ‘good day’ and ‘thank you’ in Flemish! The staff’s English and more widely, was amazing! The rooms were so luxurious. Just to mention that although Dad’s room was accessible, it was not suitable for someone with his mobility issues. Although he could easily step up into the shower, it was slippy when wet and he couldn’t get his footing. Sadly, there were no grab rails and our portable rails wouldn’t stick to the tiles as they were too luxurious! It was fine in the end as a member of staff managed to get hold of a shower stool which we used in the bathroom and Dad just washed with my assistance, instead of showering. You have to get round these things and you often don’t know until you try. Great location and easy to get into town! And the food was amazing - Jack couldn’t believe his eyes when doughnuts were available at breakfast! We had such a fabulous time, we’re so grateful to you for everything you’ve done. I’m wondering if you organise any self-drive holidays for WW2, although I imagine that the Somme and Iepers tours probably keep you very busy. I hope our paths cross again in the future, and thank you once again. Please give my best wishes to your wife. With best wishes to you both Sarah WB Trust Pilot 5-Star review! submitted by Amanda Hornsbury following a Self-Drive tour of the Ypres battlefields June 2022: Excellent-faultless This is the third trip we have done with James and I cannot begin to express the emotion that is experienced. I don’t want to sound crass, but it is the most wonderful trip, evocative, and meaningful! The details are organised down to the minutiae and everything works like clockwork! The hotel Ariane is fabulous, one of the very nicest hotels I’ve stayed in anywhere. Nothing is too much trouble for the staff and after a good old weep, the garden is a soothing spot with a large g & t! The food is great and very reasonably priced for great quality. We travelled as a group of 6 and not one of us could find fault with anything! Well done again Mr Power, we shall travel again with you soon! Email from Lisa Whiston following a Self-Drive drive of the Somme and Ypres battlefields May-June 2022 Hi James, I just wanted to say what a wonderful time we had exploring the Somme and the Ypres region, the tour worked perfectly for us, en route to the Somme we stopped at Vimy Ridge too, which was a good addition to the trip and on the the way home we stopped at Dunkirk [also helpful guide updates]. All the best Lisa. Trust Pilot 5-Star review submitted by Nigel Parsons following a Self-Drive tour of the Somme and Ypres battlefields April 2022: Brilliantly organised and highly memorable As many of the previous reviewers have noted, James' tour materials are quite simply superb. The three-layer system of route map, directions guide plus overview, and finally the detailed narrative pack allows easy planning and navigation. Plus detailed, informative and insightful details of what happened during those dark days. This is not an emotionally easy trip, nor should it be. Ours coincided with the terrible and sadly continuing events in Ukraine, making them seem even more incomprehensible. Beyond the 'standard' excellent materials, James also helped us find locations that were of huge personal interest to each member of our party. We all had direct relatives who were involved. Some survived, others didn't. We were able to follow their footsteps on what became a very moving pilgrimage. To leaven the emotional impact, it was brilliant to stay is the wonderful hotels that James had organised. All in all this was a hugely memorable trip which I cannot recommend highly enough. Email from Mrs J Middleton (4 x couples) following a Self-Drive tour of the Somme and Ypres battlefields April 2022: Dear James, Many thanks for the packs for our recent, much anticipated and postponed, trip to Belgium and France. The information pack was absolutely excellent. Without all the directions, maps, hints and information we would not have seen anywhere near as much as we did. It was invaluable, beautifully researched and detailed. We were able to access the history of the battlefields before turning up. From museum recommendations to places for refreshments we would not have managed to see nearly as much. Avril WIlliams Tea Rooms were brilliant (many restaurants and cafes were closed so finding a place for a coffee was not easy) Nice to meet someone who knew you and showed us your photograph! For your information for future tourists, the Ibis Hotel was basic but the food was very good - I appreciate this was not on the original itinerary. The other two hotels [hotel De la Paix and the Ariane Hotel] were excellent, particularly the Ariane. We had a wonderful reception from the couple running the Ulster Memorial Tower who gave us an added tour of the trenches in Thiepval Wood. Good coffee and cake we returned for refreshments. WIth the pack's help we found the spot where my great uncle fought with the Sheffield Pals for the Yorks and Lancs and two other members of our party found family members' graves. Unfortunately the Thiepval Monument is undergoing restoration and we could not get close enough to see the inscriptions but the monument itself was imposing, impressive and humbling. We were all completely overawed by the work of the War Graves Commission whose employees were also very helpful in locating family plots. […] Should you need any further reviews we would be delighted to assist. Many thanks The Middletons, Lowes, Parsons and Tomlinsons. Email from Nick Hornby following a Self-Drive and private conducted tour of the Ypres battlefield April 2022: Good afternoon James, Thought I would let you know that the visit to Ypres went well without any problems or hitches. We met Jacques [tour guide] OK and he took us down into the Sailley Sur La Leys area and we saw everything we wanted to. We were very happy with the Ariane Hotel and they made us very comfortable. Thanks for arranging it all, you made it all very easy for us. Thanks, Nick Hornby. Trust Pilot review from Dr Katrina Swale April 2021 following a self-drive tour of the Ypres and Somme battlefields: “Fantastic experience all round, cannot fault James and his team one bit.” Email from Carl Laidler following a self-drive and private conducted tour February 2022 Hello James. Our weekend was superb. Thank you. Both hotels were excellent and made it a holiday as well as a tour. Jacques [private tour guide] was of course superb. Flanders Museum in Ypres and the Paschendale one book ending Jacques trips to venues such as Hill 60 and 62 really brought it to life. 2020 - 2021 Tours cancelled due to Covid-19 pandemic. . . Dear James, If I can echo what Andrew said (below) regarding the battlefield tour. I have done many in my time as a serving military officer, including visiting the Somme before. But despite having used to military historians and tour guides in the past, and on occasion done it myself alone, your maps and guides were genuinely outstanding and allowed us to go at our own pace. I will be recommending you most strongly. Colonel G Deacon (Somme and Ypres Self-Drive tour October 2019) Dear James, The three members of the Dorset contingent got back here late last night, having dropped off our London resident en route. . . . I just wanted to thank you for helping to organise our visit and, in particular, for the massive contribution your fabulous guides and maps made to our trip. For us, the self-guided option was undoubtedly the right one - we were able to pick how deeply we wanted to go into each of the potential sites (in some cases we went into them in great detail, in others less so) with the result that we felt that we absolutely crammed the perfect amount of information and viewing into time available. Highlights (amongst some many outstanding spots) were unexpectedly coming upon and being very moved by Warlencourt Cemetery, just as we arrived in the area early on Monday morning, Newfoundland Park, Thiepval Memorial, the cemetery at Ovillers-les Boisselle, Lochnagar Crater (we nearly left this out - what a gem it is), the German cemetery at Fricourt, the even more unexpected cemetery at Flatiron Copse, Ypres generally (and the Ariane was excellent - perfect for us), all of the Third Battle sites but the one that moved (and shocked) us the most was sitting by the stream at Ravebeek reading your description of the advance up that slope towards Crest Farm. Wow! Thank you again. It was a very special experience for us and you helped make it so. Best wishes, Andrew Spink (Somme and Ypres Self-Drive tour October 2019) Trust Pilot review submitted by Dr Adam Gajdatsy: “I started my planning for this tour with no more than a nebulous idea of visiting the battlefields of WW1, and gaining an adequate insight into the events of that time. I also wanted to self drive. James brought my wishes to fruition with his excellent and comprehensive itinerary and information books, and with the travel and accommodation bookings. Coming from Australia, and travelling with a UK hire car, nevertheless I found the trip to be seamlessly easy and straightforward. James is easy to contact, including via Messenger, making the organisation in advance of the trip straightforward. Highly recommended.” Dr Adam Gajdatsy - Somme and Ypres Self-Drive tour August 2019 Trust Pilot review submitted by Mike Chatterton: “A friend and I have recently returned from a self-drive battlefield tour of the Ypres area using the guidance material and itinerary provided by James Power of Somme Battlefield Tours Ltd. The great advantage of such a tour is the ability to progress at your own pace whilst viewing battlefield locations. These are informed by a high degree of well expressed understanding of the actions which took place and at what human cost. Using the maps and guide provided it was straightforward to relate the modern ground to the contours and views of a century ago, albeit without the desolation. The itinerary was faultless and the descriptions of events comprehensive and always written with an appropriate degree of respect and reverence for the gravity of the events and reminding us that much of the ground over which we travelled was the final resting place of so many soldiers.It is also worth mentioning that the recommended hotel which we chose, the Ariane, was excellent in all respects and ideally located. Thank you for facilitating such a memorable experience, James”. (Ypres Self-Drive tour May 2019) Hi James, We wanted to write to you to let you know how pleased we were with our visit last week to the Somme and Ypres battlefields. Everything was superbly arranged and we really appreciated all the notes and information that you provided for the self-drive tour. It all made for a very moving and interesting experience for us both helped by the extensive historical detail and information that you provided in your guidebooks. Both hotels were excellent with The Ariane our favourite of the two, although The Royal Picardie was very comfortable as well. Receptionists in both hotels commented on how much they liked you and your clients! We also had a very interesting chat with Avril Williams who was also very complimentary about you. We had lunch at her tea rooms and as it wasn't busy she stayed and chatted with us for some time. We also noticed a picture on her wall of Andy Robertshaw, the archaeologist, doing a trench reconstruction/dig in her garden. [. . .]. We did have a couple of issues following the Ypres tour, as the Belgians, in their wisdom, decided to dig up and close the centre of two towns, Zillebeke and Langemark and the diversion signs were non-existent and resulted in us wasting a lot of time trying to find an alternative route to get back on your tour. In Langemark we couldn't even see any obvious signs to the German military cemetery, so had to give that a miss. Not your problem I know but it was quite frustrating to say the least! it also meant we were not able to fit everything in on our final day and had to miss out on the final two locations of the tour which was a bit annoying but we had to get back to Calais to catch the Eurotunnel home. I would also suggest that it might be a good idea if you add kilometres to all your distances in the guidebooks as we set the odometer and car setting to kilometres and all the road signs etc are in kms on the continent. We did find in France that most things were closed on the Monday of our visit and it was also a public holiday (Ascension Day) on Thursday in Belgium and a lot of things were also closed, The Hooge Crater Museum, a number of restaurants in Ypres. It might be worth letting future clients know when public holidays are as this does mean that certain things might not be available. The most bizarre was when we visited the cafe at Hill 60 for lunch and they told us that they were not serving snacks at lunchtime but they did have their full a la carte menu available! We were also distracted by about 150 Lotus cars that gathered outside the Cloth Hall on Thursday for the Ypres Lotus Rally 2019. A number of the Lotus Owners were staying in the Ariane and it made for quite an occasion. Overall, we had a fantastic holiday that was quite an experience and your tours showed us many places that other visitors would not get to see, so thank you very much for putting all your knowledge and careful thought into the tour that we did, it was wonderful with a few tears shed on the way round because of the background stories that made it all the more relevant and real. Many thanks again. With best wishes, Jonathan & Debra King (Somme and Ypres tour May 2019) Dear James I just wanted to say a huge thank you for the amazing tour we have just returned from to the Somme and Ypres Battlefields. As you know my wife Rachel bought this for me as a surprise Christmas present and from receiving the incredibly detailed information pack outlining our tour, to getting home, we were not disappointed. As others have said, your attention to detail is amazing, The only time we made any mistakes in navigating was when we chose to ignore your directions! We were soon put right by referring to the incredibly detailed and well-illustrated route plans. It was fantastic to be pointed in the right direction for so many things that I am sure an organised guided tour/coach trip would miss (and, for what it is worth, such a “coach” trip would not appeal to myself and I am sure many other people, compared to a self-drive tour of the quality that you organised where we can manage our own time). Locations like the Welsh Memorial with the amazing references and views over the battle ground of Mametz Wood is something that I am sure 90% of visitors to the area just do not get to see. Similarly, in the Ypres Salient, I wondered how many people have had the opportunity to spend time considering the events that took place at the Ravebeek Stream with the more well-known and well-visited sites being so close. The recommended hotels were excellent. The Hotel de la Basilique Albert was wonderful – classically French, with a superb restaurant and located in the heart of the historic town and with ample parking right outside the door. As you know, we did have a glitch with the New Regina hotel booking in Ypres, which was absolutely no fault of yours whatsoever (we realised very quickly the hotel had overbooked!), and amazingly - and thank you – within less than five minutes you had arranged alternative, and dare I say superior, accommodation with an upgrade at the excellent Ariane Hotel, still within a stones’ throw of Cloth Hall and the Menin Gate. I would not hesitate to recommend your services to anyone – whether a WW1 battlefield novice like myself, or an veteran of many visits – to use your services. I have to say, and very honestly so, it was a fantastically organised trip with every attention to detail catered for. Thank you again Best regards Laurence and Rachel (Somme & Ypres tour May 2019) Dear James We arrived back yesterday after a really great trip. Your instructions were first class and we had no trouble in following your directions to various place on the tour. Our first stay with Avril Williams was wonderful, we were made to feel very welcome and like part of the family. We were lucky to be one of the first to stay in her new apartments which was spacious and comfortable having a bedroom, shower room, sitting room and fully equipped kitchen with a dishwasher! We had our evening meals there as well and these were exceptionally good and good value. Avril was very informative and helpful and we could have spent hours in her museum. The Ariane in Ypres was excellent and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there going to the Last Post twice. It was very busy both times. Thank you once again for an excellent trip Sue and Trevor Goldsworthhy (Somme & Ypres tour May 2019) Hello James I just wanted to write to you to say what a great self drive trip that you set up for us was. It covered everything that we needed to see and through good timing we missed most of the coach tours. The advantage of doing it yourself was that we could explore on our own time. It was also good to refresh my memory with your excellent notes and pictures that went with the maps. The hotels were top quality and their locations were outstanding. Well done and thanks again Mark (Somme & Ypres tour April 2019) Dear James, We have just come back from three amazing days and feel so lucky that Darjie chose you, as your magic pack was perfect. Wonderful, moving days that gave us all so much food for thought. The beauty of the cemeteries was a fitting tribute to all those who were lost to many nations. The hotels were great, food super and perfect for the tour. Will recommend you highly. Thank you so much. Yours, Bridget. (Somme & Ypres tour - April 2019) Dear James I cannot thank you enough for giving us really wonderful comprehensive information for our Battlefields Trip. It was such an amazing visit, so poignant and seeing all those graves of the thousands of fallen men was so very moving and how generous they were to put their lives on the line for all of us so that we could live in freedom. Your information packs were incredible and perfect to the last arrow and descriptions and superbly produced. Both of our hotels were immaculate and just great, so clean and food excellent. The location of the New Regina Hotel was wonderfully placed, especially for getting to the Menin Gate. Again, thank you so very much for all your help and guidance, most kind of you With very best wishes Sheila Bednall (Somme & Ypres tour - April 2019) James. I would just like to add our thanks for your excellent guide books and hotel recommendations. As the chief Navigator I can say that we never missed a spot we wanted to see. We learned a lot. Best regards Mike Champion (Somme & Ypres tour - April 2019) Dear James, I would just like to say many thanks for the marvellous Battlefields trip you organised for Darjie Armstrong and her relatives. Your information pack was quite superb, giving us not only the detailed background and information, but also really good driving and visiting instructions. The only times we went wrong were when we did not pay attention to your spot-on instructions! Also, the hotels you booked for us were first class; the dinner in the Picardie in Albert was excellent. Well done - I won't hesitate to recommend you to any friends of mine who wish to do their own Battlefields tour. Kind regards, Michael Bednall (Somme & Ypres tour - April 2019) Hi James Tucked up at The Regina hotel for our last night. What an incredible three days we have had - interesting, fascinating and very moving. A million thanks from us all for the truly fantastic itinerary you did for us- we are so grateful and deeply impressed at the amount of work you put in and all the details and extra snippets you included. We are all delighted at choosing the best tour operator ! Thank you. Best wishes and good night. Darjie x PS. The hotels have been perfect . (April 2019) 2018 Dear James We just wanted to write and tell you that we had a most interesting and poignant visiting the 1WW battlefields, cemeteries and museums in the Somme and Ypres Salient over the last week. Your detailed itinerary and notes helped us to appreciate the terrible conditions and sacrifices made on both sides during the battles, taking us to places we would have certainly otherwise missed. We thought we should mention one cemetery that was very easy to visit on our return from Ypres to Calais, namely the Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery which was just a small diversion from our route. It contained a really interesting and informative visitor centre (unlike the one at Tynecot) with many insights into the workings of the field hospital based there. You may wish to add it to your itinerary for the return route. Both hotels were excellent with upgraded rooms given to us at both the Ariane and Le Macassar. The new owners at the latter were most welcoming and the Art Deco nature of the rooms very interesting. They provided a lovely Table d’hôte meal on the Sunday evening and are very keen to maintain the level of hospitality provided by the previous owners. We would definitely recommend that you keep it as one of your hotel options for the Somme region. Thank you again for the efficient and comprehensive service that you provided in arranging our trip. Yours sincerely David and Alison Levy (October 2018) Dear Mr. Power It’s been a month since we returned from Europe and the Somme and its effect upon my son and I have been long lasting. Both of us were surprised at how moving an experience it was. We knew the history, the fatal military judgements and huge number of losses, but history books don’t give any sense of the magnitude of the casualties in the terrain that exposed so many troops to slaughter. Being there does. Seeing all those cemeteries does. And your guide with it’s detail and meticulous and compassionate explanations brought the Somme battles to life. What made our experience all the more poignant was that the beauty of the gentle rolling Picardie countryside, its fields, copses and steepled villages today belied what took place there 102 years ago. We were especially moved by Sheffield Park and the PALS memorials, and thought, "There, but for time, place and the Grace of God” we could have been among those young men. I might add, the hotel was comfortable and pleasant, its food surprisingly good. Coincidentally, staying at the Royal Picardie were graphic novels artist, publishers and editors attending a book fair in Albert. Some of them had been involved with the publication for the centennial of a graphic novel, “Traces of the Great War”; just one more experience to enrich a great trip. Thanks and my best, Robert B Kohn, USA (October 2018) Dear James, We have had such an interesting if emotional week with your self drive tours of the Somme and Ypres areas and would like to thank you for the meticulous detail in both the route directions and battle details with the maps and photographs. We had many of the Somme areas to ourselves with such peace in the surrounding areas contrasting to what must have been unimaginable horror. It was busier in the Ypres area at the more well- known sites but always manageable. October was a good time to go and the weather was amazing too - just like summer! You asked to mention any errors that might be found - just one very small one on page 49a of the Somme guide Private J Sweeney’s grave is Row B - the arrow does point to this although A is written in brackets. Good to see he was given a graveyard burial and now there is a memorial to those Shot at Dawn at the National Memorial Arboretum. How very difficult it was in so many ways for all those in the Great War and how powerful hindsight is. There were many very moving and emotional moments for both of us including the German cemetery at Langemark. Thank you again for such a comprehensive tour which will not be forgotten. Yours sincerely, Janice and Tony Elvidge (October 2018) Hi James Just a quick note on behalf of my mum and myself to say how much we enjoyed the Somme and Ypres itinerary that you provided. Extraordinary detail that gave a real insight into the terrible history of the conflict. We enjoyed both hotels, especially the Ariane in Ypres - and the cafe's & restaurants that you recommended including the Hotel de Basilique and the Ocean Villas Tea rooms where we met Avril. All best wishes and thanks once again Richard Steeden (October 2018) Dear James, Got back on Friday. Everything worked like clockwork; Jan and I want to thank you for the detailed and comprehensive planning which went into the whole trip. The Ariane Hotel was excellent, including the upgrade, and we were blessed with superb weather which no doubt you also arranged. (We couldn't help thinking that a steady downpour would have been more appropriate to tour the Salient!). We spent Tuesday and Wednesday touring the Ypres area, and on Thursday drove down to the site of the Battle of Loos, taking in Messines, Ploegstreet and the Irish Peace memorial on the way. The former Hohenzollern Redoubt is unmistakeable and overgrown but firmly entrée interdite. We were not tempted, but were mightily impressed with the Quarry cemetery nearby - we believe the quarry was the Battalion HQ during the battle. It also has the grave of Captain Bowes-Lyon, the Queen's uncle. The Battlefield guides were superb, giving just the right amount of information; we much appreciated retaining control of our own timing and activity. As a former naval person, I am now more aware of the importance of the terrain than I was; the aspect of the slight slope up to the Hohenzollern looked frightening! [guide update suggestion]. Again, many thanks for the attention to detail and comprehensive information. We shall certainly recommend Somme Battlefield Tours to our friends. Yours sincerely, Mike Forbes (September 2018) Hi James Just wanted you to know that we had a fabulous time touring the Somme and Ypres last week. The hotels were wonderful especially the Hotel De La Paix, this was such a friendly hotel with wonderful amenities and staff. We found virtually all the sites in your guides and more, we never stopped to be honest and covered hundreds of miles, we even visited Dunkirk Beach on the way home. Everything went to plan with the euro tunnel and it was a great experience, one we will do again. Thank you for planning this tour for us James it was a lifetime wish of my Brother and I and one I will now do again because there are still more places I want to visit like Amiens, it was to busy to go there because of the celebrations going on whilst we was there. Once again Thank you James Kindest Regards Ian J Blakey. (August 2018) James We got back from our tour late on Friday and wanted to thank you for the tour that you prepared for us. It was so informative and detailed and even though we did not manage to cover the whole itinerary because of time, we now feel that we have a much better understanding of the horrors and the awful mistakes made resulting in the huge sacrifices of men in this dreadful war. The directions and road information was clear and precise on your routes. The hotel Ariane was lovely and we ate there on their terrace and the Hotel de la Paix was very welcoming, clean and homely and the evening meals were good. Thank you for making our trip so worthwhile. Best wishes Sue (July 2918) Hi James Myself and dad just wanted to send you a massive thank you for making our battlefields tour so unbelievably perfect. Such a moving experience and very important to both of us. Made even better by the stress free arrangements and fabulous accommodation. Truly thank you we loved it. Naomi Walsby Dear James We are just home (we had a few extra days in Antwerp) after the most absorbing and interesting visit to the Somme and to Passchendaele. Your itinerary and information contributed of course to a large degree and I’m writing to let you know on behalf of all three of us how much this was appreciated. We have learned so much on this trip- at times it was almost overwhelming! In addition, the overall arrangements worked perfectly- the hotels were great, restaurant recommendations proved really helpful and the driving instructions were clear and informative. We had a good team - driver, navigator and educator, the latter reminding us of specific information at each stop (we had done a lot of preparatory reading but it was difficult to retain all the information form those extensive dossiers!). Our days were very full and it was excellent having slightly more than two days for each centre overall. It was interesting how the different museums/visitor centres each had sufficient information and display to merit some real time and we were fortunate to be able to linger as we wished. We thought the private museum at Hooge was very impressive (that at Hill 62 possibly rather less so).. We located some family graves which was particularly special for us - at Bonnay, Peronne and Ieper, plus a name on the Menin Gate. We also visited the Australian cemetery and memorial at Villers-Brettoneux (between Amiens and Albert), and the trenches and wonderful memorial at Vimy Ridge. I know you could not possibly cover everything but it might be worth mentioning this for those doing both areas of the ‘tour’ - we went from Albert to Arras, explored the latter quite briefly and then went to Vimy en route to Ieper, which worked well. I would be more than happy to add the gist of this to Trip Advisor or similar if that is helpful. With thanks again and best wishes from us all Deborah (May 2018) Hi James, We are on our last night in Ypres and the entire trip has been FANTASTIC! Our only hiccup was being unable to reach the hotel due to several road closures. Our sat/nav was also stumped, but nothing that going the wrong way on a one way street couldn’t fix! We told the front receptionist that we had to go the wrong way on the street and her response was “Oh that’s ok, it’s Sunday”. This made me and Peter laugh so hard! We followed your excellent guide to the letter and we even had enough time to visit Calais and Dunkirk before we began the Ypres part of the trip! Yes I know, we went back and forth, but that’s the beauty of having your own transportation! We noticed that there were no tour buses on the routes you gave us and very often, we were the only ones at the sites. The staff at Hotel Ariane were great and the breakfast was superb! We are looking forward to it again in the morning before we leave for France. I’ll give you another update after the second part of the tour. Thank you again for the incredible experience! I think I may have won the Wife of the Year Award for booking this :) Connie (April 2018) Dear James I just wanted to convey our sincerest thanks for arranging a really wonderful Battlefields trip recently. From the Euro-tunnel check-in through to the Hotels recommended by you, we were extremely impressed. Everything was just as you described and the food and service in both hotels exemplary. Most of all Jacques made the sites visited come alive. He has a style of his own and captivated us for a full two days with stories and anecdotes. He really went the extra mile in making it a truly memorable experience. One which we will all remember for a long time to come. Thank you again Best regards Ben Ben Penniston (April 1918) 2017 Dear James, This is a rather belated note to say a very big ‘thank you’ for all your detailed help in setting up our trip last month. You could not have gone to more trouble for us. We were lucky with perfect sunny dry weather, and it all went very well. Jacques was excellent, and so nice, and went out of his way to show us where our great uncle spent his last few days. We also happened to meet Genevra during the day as well. Your guides were amazing, including meeting the tricky farmer at Serre, who while we were walking along the track not only drove up to check on us 2 or 3 times, but also forced bumper to bumper a mini van to reverse back down! . We reckoned he did not have much spare time to do any farming! I must say that the impact of the trip stayed with me for some time after we got back. I will certainly recommend you to friends in the future, and many thanks again, Jo Blake (October 2017) Dear James We thought you might be interested to have some feedback on our short trip. The travel plans worked well and we were lucky not to have any delays or hold ups. On the return journey we arrived early at Calais and were able to join an earlier departure which was a bonus. The hotels were fine with the one in Ypres being clearly superior although their evening menu was very restricted and we ate there for one night only. We had a job finding somewhere to eat on Sunday evening in Albert and settled on Hotel de la Paix which was not a huge success and we were weak enough to allow them to serve freezing cold red wine! Thanks to your detailed guides and an efficient navigator and driver we did not get lost once! We saw everything we set out to see and more besides although after visiting about 5 museums we found it all a bit repetitive. Your guides are very detailed and give excellent background to each site visited - in our case perhaps a bit too much detail! These comments are not really intended as criticisms - more a reflection on the fact that we were on a "sentimental" journey and are not by any means connoisseurs. Overall one could not fail to to moved by what one saw, read and heard and it was good to see so many English children at the various sites. The interest in the Menin Gate ceremony in particular and WW1 in general after 100 years, was amazing to experience. With thanks for all your help and arrangements and kind regards from the Carver family (October 2017) James, I just want to say thank you for the great time that my family and I have had on our recent trip to the Somme and Ypres. Your guides and information were superb. They were easy to follow and very informative. The hotels were great and bar Avril’s tea rooms the food was out of this world. I am wholeheartedly recommending your company to any one I speak too. Now we have a taste of the battlefields next year will be the WW2 Normandy landings. Once again thank you so much Glen Lloyd (October 2017) Dear James, A belated “thank you” for sending the published material to my hotel in Cork – it was waiting for us on our arrival. The Hotel de la Paix was excellent – the rooms comfortable and well-appointed, the staff endlessly helpful and the food good. I was surprised by so modern an establishment in a small French rural town. Bapaume was also very close to Delville Wood, the most famous WW1 battle for South African forces. We headed there soon after arriving and it was, as you noted, an eerie place. I collected some of the many acorns scattered on the ground and will plant them here [South Africa]. The material you provided was highly informative and I had the sense it has been honed over the years – thank you for the care taken with this. We did drop into Avril Williams’ restaurant for lunch one day; it was a little disappointing although we did arrive on a bad day – the chip-fryer was broken, which removed a good proportion of her menu! Le Tommy in Pozières, despite the rather heavy-handed themeing, was better. I came away from the three days with a jumble of thoughts through which I’m still working. I read a while ago that Auschwitz has become almost like a theme-park and I wonder if the same isn’t happening to the WW1 Battlefields – the souvenir shop at Thiepval was jarring although I suppose they need every penny they can collect. Perhaps this is how they will have to survive in the modern age, as the generations affected by the world wars (mine is probably the last) die off. Regards, Dominic Rooney (September 2017) Dear James I am just writing to thank you very much for organising the excellent tour of the Somme and Ypres battlefields for Christopher and myself. I was very impressed from the outset that you could put together the arrangements for the tour so quickly and efficiently at such short notice and I thank you for putting yourself out just before you were going away yourself. We thought your choice of hotels in both Albert and Ypres was very good and the journey to and from from Calais went seamlessly. We ate very well with the exception of the Auberge de la Vallee Ancre where the main course was very disappointing.. but the wine list was exceptional! More importantly, however, was the excellent self-driving itinerary, which once we had done our homework on using it efficiently, was without fail accurate and enlightening. Your background work on the history, the battles, the armies, the living conditions of officers and men, the equipment and the horrifying statistics was thorough and very interesting and visiting various museums only served to confirm that which you had already written. I now feel much more au fait with that period of history and understand what is meant when people refer to the suffering endured by most of the world’s nations over the First World War. And the experience begs the question... When will we ever learn? Thank you very much for a memorable 5 days. With best wishes Antonia (September 2018) Dear James I just wanted to thank you providing us with such excellent material for our Battlefields trip. We returned last week and haven't stopped talking about it yet! The maps and accompanying booklets for both Somme and Ypres areas were superb and kept us right on track. The only time we overshot anything was in Hamel just outside Albert. where the maize had grown so tall by the time of our visit that it completely obscured the cemetery as we approached, so we had to turn back, park on the roadside and walk to discover what we were looking for. This was made possible by the clear description you gave of other landmarks in the village. In the Somme area, we managed to drive round everything on the route you suggested, visited the museum underneath the Basilica in Albert and also the one in Peronne - both very impressive. We were particularly moved by a temporary exhibition of art by Otto Dix which displayed the true horror of it all, both real and imagined. We called in on Avril for coffee and ate far too well at the Hotel de la Basilique! One of the most moving experiences was our visit to Delville Wood Museum, and Richard found the Mametz Wood area very foreboding. On our way to Ypres, we stopped at Messines for coffee and visited the Ireland Peace Park and the New Zealand memorial. We also had a mission to find a grave of a soldier local to us here and stopped at Wijkstaete to locate his resting place in the very peaceful cemetery