Know I have asked before but am setting off early Monday morning for Dover/Dunkirk ferry. Staying in Ypres for 2 nights may extend to 3.
Trip to Ypres what would be the best places to visit enroute? Will be going to the Menin Gate that evening .
Obviously Tyne Cot on the list but Canadian Memorial too, going over. Tuesday I was going down to the Lochnager Crater/Somme memorial etc
Ferry is early evening Wednesday or Thurs(have open ticket) so places to visit going back.
So many to choose from so highlights like Tyne Cot and the odd hidden gem would be appreciated.
Have Northern France and Belgium Michelin Maps and will plot a route later on Google Maps with points of interest
Thanks
"The trails of the world be countless, and most of the trails be tried.
You tread on the heels of many, till you come where the ways divide.
And one lies safe in the sunlight, and the other is dreary and wan, Yet you look aslant at the Lone Trail, and the Lone Trail lures you on....
....Bid good-bye to sweetheart, bid goodbye to friend, The Lone Trail, the Lone Trail, follow to the end.
Tarry not, and fear not, chosen of the true;
Lover of the Lone Trail, The Lone Trail waits for you"
Enjoy your trip. I'll be in Ypres with a few other in just over 3 weeks, then doing a short round trip to the Andler Hillclimb for the weekend. Can't wait tbh!
Hill 61/the caterpillar is worth seeing if you like craters. Very peaceful place.
From the Gate if you head along the wall, sort of left as you look at the gate, you come to another smaller cemetery. Can't remember the name but someone will. Nice walk, pleasant way to waste an hour or so.
The museum in Ypres is well worth a visit too.
Hotel or camping? I've just spent a week there, it wasn't the plan but a sister being taken ill meant I couldn't go too far from the tunnel in case I had to come home, which I did!!
Cheers
Mick.
helmik wrote: ↑Sun Aug 06, 2017 1:23 am
Hill 61/the caterpillar is worth seeing if you like craters. Very peaceful place.
From the Gate if you head along the wall, sort of left as you look at the gate, you come to another smaller cemetery. Can't remember the name but someone will. Nice walk, pleasant way to waste an hour or so.
The museum in Ypres is well worth a visit too.
Hotel or camping? I've just spent a week there, it wasn't the plan but a sister being taken ill meant I couldn't go too far from the tunnel in case I had to come home, which I did!!
Cheers
Mick.
Thank you, will add Hill 61 to the list.
Hotel in Ypres as base.
"The trails of the world be countless, and most of the trails be tried.
You tread on the heels of many, till you come where the ways divide.
And one lies safe in the sunlight, and the other is dreary and wan, Yet you look aslant at the Lone Trail, and the Lone Trail lures you on....
....Bid good-bye to sweetheart, bid goodbye to friend, The Lone Trail, the Lone Trail, follow to the end.
Tarry not, and fear not, chosen of the true;
Lover of the Lone Trail, The Lone Trail waits for you"
There's a good pub, go left after going through the gate, The Bill, something like that. Excellent place, friendly.
There's the Hoooge crater and museum too, plus the graveyard opposite.
Around Ypres pretty much anywhere you go you will find 1st WW stuff.
Have a good trip,
Mick.
I was in the same area last year and loved it.
Don't forget the Passchendaele new British cemetery just outside of Ypes.
GPS CO-Ordinates: Longitude: 3.0109 Latitude: 50.90433
On your way back to Dunkirk how about calling into the barn at Wormhout where soldiers holding the line as the beaches were evacuated, we're herded into the barn and machine-gunned by the SS. Two managed to get out through a window and swim across the pond: one was immediately shot in the head but the other one made it to a neighbouring farm house where his arm was amputatated on the kitchen table. He only died a few years ago.
Very topical seeing as the new 'Dunkirk' film is out.
The soldiers holding the bridgehead to slow the German advance were told that they wouldn't be making it to the beaches, incredibly brave action and often ignored in the Dunkirk story.
The barn at Esquelbec Farm is probably the most moving place I have ever visited.
To be honest as you heading there, I`d concentrate on the Ypres Salient area and leave visiting the Somme battlefield area for another date. this will enable you to allow more time to soak in the scale of the area and grand scheme of things, rather than skim the surface dashing around trying to cover it all.
I was fortunate enough to attend the centenary event last year at the Thiepval memorial, but even though I`ve visited the areas before I struggled to cram visiting the highlights of the Somme in 3 days.
On my previous visit to Tyne Cot I discovered that there`s someone bearing my family name, buried in the battlefield graves area of Tyne Cot (the randomly scattered graves next to the cross), iirc these are the original graves of Tyne cot.
If you have a strong interest in visiting WW1 & WW2 sites, the CWGC (in conjunction with Michelin maps) published a guidebook called " Cemeteries & Memorials in Belgium & northern France" ISBN 978-2-06-714046-2 this contains maps with the sites marked on, stats of the number of graves etc
Thanks Pierre.
Did as much as I could in the time I had.
Will write a report later.
I did ride down to Vimy ridge before the ferry, so glad I did. Incredible
Screenshot_20170810-111356.png (669.87 KiB) Viewed 3588 times
"The trails of the world be countless, and most of the trails be tried.
You tread on the heels of many, till you come where the ways divide.
And one lies safe in the sunlight, and the other is dreary and wan, Yet you look aslant at the Lone Trail, and the Lone Trail lures you on....
....Bid good-bye to sweetheart, bid goodbye to friend, The Lone Trail, the Lone Trail, follow to the end.
Tarry not, and fear not, chosen of the true;
Lover of the Lone Trail, The Lone Trail waits for you"
