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Your
guide: Annette
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The
best way for me to guide is to listen to what people
want to see. There is a program, but it will always
be adjusted to meet visitor's expectations.
Battlefield tours are also a kind of pilgrimage. Very
often Australians & New Zealanders who come here
are the first of the family to visit the grave of
a grand father, an uncle etc..For each visitor, it
is a personal itinerary.
If our guests have ancestors who took part to The
Great War, they should provide information (regiment,
battalion, etc..),prior to their arrival in order
for us to have time to do some research .
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Anzac
Tour: 4 Days / 3 Nights
Battlefield Tour Ypres + Somme + Accommodation
Tour
starts any day of the week (upon availibility)
Package
Tours are structured around a three day visit to "Ypres,
The Somme and Fromelles" . Tours are dedicated to visitors
from Australia and New Zealand who wish to study history of
the battlefields in depth. Those tours are not just
overviews of a few key sites but endeavour to tell the story
of the battles by travelling the whole length of the front
lines at Ypres and on The Somme.
Day
1 : Pick-up at your arrival in Lille,
Calais, Brussels or Charleroi.(around noon)
Visit of the town of Ypres, the museum In Flanders Fields
museum, the ramparts with the cellars under the city walls
(used as dressing station during the battle of Passendaele),
and the ceremony of the Last Post at the Menin gate in Ypres.
Day
2 : Ypres
Battlefield Tour. During
this day tour we will give you a very comprehensive description
of the different major battles of the Ypres Salient and will
explain: What happened? why? Where was the front line? What
was the result? Was it worth the sacrifice?
We will take you to the different locations for each battle,
you will see how elaborate and well built the German trenches
used to be and the difference with the British trenches. We
will explain what was the outcome of the mines explosions
on the 7th June 1917? You will discover craters and British
and German's bunkers.
You will discover how was the daily life of soldiers, where
the wounded were taken care of, and why there are so many
Comenwealth cemeteries when there is only one French cemetery,
one German and one Belgium.
We
will visit in depth mainly the sites linked to Anzac:
•
Messines
Ridge
•
Ploegsteert
Wood
•
Hill
60 and Carterpillar
•
St
Eloi
•
Zonnebeke
with Broodseinde and Tyne Cot
•
Polygon
Wood and Glencorse Wood
•
Clapton
Junction
•
Menin
Road and Hooghe
•
Hell
Fire Corner
•
Langemark
German cemetery
•
Gheluvelt
where the first Australian was killed in 1914
•
Pilkem
Ridge
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Site
where the poem: Flanders Fields was written
Day
3 : Battlefields of the Somme..
On our way to the Somme we will pass along sites
where other troops from France, India, Portugual, Canada fought
against Germans, but we will concentrate our visit on the
Australian sites.
•
Bullecourt
•
Thiepval
memorial
•
Mouquet
Farm
•
Pozieres
•
Albert
•
Villers-Bretonneux
•
Le
Hamel
•
Mont
St Quentin
•
Le
Quesnoy
Day
4: Battlefields
of Fromelles.. Before going back
to Lille to take your train you will visit the battlefields
of Fromelles, Fleurbaix, Bois Grenier and Aubers ridge. We
will drive through the town of Armentieres, once famous for
the song: "Mademoiselle from Armentieres"
We
bring our tours alive by playng a DVD in our van, showing
maps of the Trench,extract of documentaries and playing some
old songs of that time.
PRICE:
Per person based on two sharing
2008: 4 day package : 1240 A$ (single
supplement 290 A$)
2009:
4 day package : 1320 A$ (single supplement 320 A$)
2009:
ANZAC DAY
SPECIAL: 1680 A$ (single supplement
450 A$)
Tour
starts any day of the week (upon availibility)
Departure:
13.00 pm from Lille railway stations (EuroLille or
Lille Flanders)
Return : Tour ends at 15.00 pm at Lille railway station.
Battlefield
Package
includes:
• Transfer from Lille railway station and back
• Bed and breakfast accommodation at Camalou guesthouse.
• Transportation to all sites
• 2 lunches
• Entry fees, refreshments drinks during the tours
• Chauffeur and guide through the entire tour (possibility
to visit other places on request.)
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Dinners are not included
| Transport:
Tours are designed for small groups. Guest are transported
in a comfortable air-conditioned van Mercedes Vito
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•
8 comfortable seats
• Easy to get in and out
• Automatic / air-conditioning
• Microphone system
• DVD and Audio all surround
• Refreshments available
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Battlefield Booking Form
What
clients have to say:
Dear Annette. Thank you very much for your and Christian's
expert help on the Tour. Your knowledge was excellent and
we also really appreciated the very generous way you looked
after us with meals and drinks. It's back to the books to
get all the information into context. We are looking forward
to our photos, as is Bernadette's friend, whose uncle is buried
at Peronne.
Bernadette really did appreciate the Tour, and now understands
what her father went through, and the effect it had on his
later life. Once again, very many thanks from us both, David
& Bernadette.(september 2007)
What
clients have to say:
Hi Antoine.
Just a note to let you know that we are back from France and
generally everything went smoothly and we had no major problems.
Our time at Camalou was great and Annette and Christian were
fantasic hosts and guides and we enjoyed the 3/4 days we spent
there immensely. We would recommend Cammalou to any of your
clients as they could not do enough to make our stay special.
Ron & Barbara (October 2007)
Battlefield
Tour
is an accredited company based in Ypres, specialized
since 1987 in guiding personal battlefield tours of
the Ypres Salient. Choosing Battlefield Tours is the
most time-efficient way to get the best from your visit
to the Ypres Battlefields from the Great War (1914-1918)
Annette, your very knowledgeable guide will drive you
around all famous sites..A specific tour is proposed
to visitors from Australia & New Zealand to visit
battlefields in depth. |
Camalou
Guesthouse
Camalou
at Ypres provides high standard accommodation and a good buffet-breakfast
with local delicacies.
One aisle of the house has been converted to provide accommodation
for guests who come from all over the world. Most of them
come to Ypres to visit the battlefields.
There are 3 guest bedrooms.. Each one is tastefully decorated
using a careful combination of colors, fabrics and furniture
of the highest quality. Each room is named after a flower
drawn from some of the most poignant poetry of the Great War.
All rooms have en-suite shower and toilet, as well as TV (including
English channels).
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We
provide more than just accommodation,
In the lounge we have:
- Microwave and fridge.
- Trench maps and books.
- Free internet access.
- Bike rental: 7euro per day.
- Restaurant "Tommies" within walking distance
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Battlefield
Booking Form
For
more information, visit:
Australians
on the Western front 1914 - 1918
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