WW1 tours
- Thread starter gbs
- Start date
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HobbesOnTour
Guru
- Location
- España
Not trying to be obtuse but there are a whole lot of options.
I know that there are guided & self guided tours (Google is your friend) that can be booked as a "tour" or as a day ride but it's also very easy to pick out the places that speak to you and plan something around them. Far cheaper too!
At various times I've toured around the area and some rough thoughts off the top of my head are:
Try to avoid peak tourist time.
Allow lots of time and perhaps some diversions. It can be heavy mentally and emotionally.
If camping 't hof Bellewaerde is a campsite a bit away from Ieper/Ypres that I liked. There's a great locals bar/restaurant just down the road.
Every cemetery is worth a visit, not just the big ones. Oftentimes a small, rural cemetery will have one or two graves, very well kept.
Even the German graveyard is worth a visit - I found it a very powerful place.
I can't quite remember where it was but there was a very interesting museum made from some of the preserved trenches. I found it fascinating.
I found the cycling in and around the main areas to be very pleasant. Everyone, it seems, goes slowly.
Travelling solo I did find it hard at times to deal with the immensity of the history.
I never felt perturbed leaving my loaded bike to explore in a cemetery but was more cagey for some of the museum's. Off season, or at least not peak, staff are more helpful and flexible.
Diversions can include visits to breweries and the fabulous Belgian food!
Good luck!
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
Did some of it self-guided a few years ago. I heartily recommend 't Moerlogie near Adinkerk (bikes in garage), Hotel Palace in Poperinge (high-gated courtyard) and Snuffel Hostel in Bruges (bike storeroom).
