Transport & Accommodation

·      Return flights from Dublin to Brussels

·      4 nights’ accommodation in 4 star Novotel Ieper Centrum on a B&B basis

·      Luxury air-conditioned coach throughout the tour and assistance of Captain Donal Buckley on behalf of Joe Walsh Tours

Tours & Excursions

We will visit the Battlefields, the Cemeteries and the Museums associated with each battle.

This tour is guided by Colonel Dick Heaslip, the Irish authority on the Irish soldier in World War I. It is designed to facilitate those who wish to study the battles, to remember the fallen and to visit the graves and memorials, especially of relatives. Joe Walsh Tours Military & Heritage Tours cater both for the ‘first timers’ and experts. If you have a particular grave or memorial you wish to visit please  inform us in advance and we will do our best to facilitate you and to allow you to lay a personal wreath. If there is an individual soldier and you want to know where he fought please tell us in advance.

Detailed Itinerary

·      Day 1: On arrival in Belgium, en route to the hotel in Ieper, we tour the Mons area, where the first and last shots of the war were fired.

·      Day 2: Visit to the Messines battlefield, where the 16^th Irish Division & the 36^th Ulster Division engaged alongside each other. We visit the Island of Ireland Peace Park, Messines Church & Crypt, the 16^th Irish Division Memorial and the grave of Major Willie Redmond in Loker.

·      Day 3: Full day excursion to the Somme region, visiting the Somme 1916 Trench Museum in Albert, La Boisselle crater, Thiepval Memorial, Ulster Tower, Newfoundland Park and memorials.

·      Day 4: Visit to the Ypres Salient to include Tyne Cott Cemetery, John Condon’s grave, Francis Ledwidge memorial at Artillery Wood and Sanctuary Wood to see original trenches. We participate in the Last Post ceremony at Menin Gate to remember those who fought and fell.

·      Day 5: A guided walking tour of the medieval town of Bruges and free time for sightseeing or shopping en route to the airport.

Please note the programme may be adjusted to suit people who have a particular place or memorial to visit.

Optional

·      Travel insurance available on request

Notes

·      Prices are per person sharing twin/double rooms with facilities

·      Travel insurance is optional as per details above

·      Price includes entry fees to museums and historic sites as per itinerary

·      Prices are exclusive of taxes and charges

·      Single rooms are on request at a supplement of €43 per night

·      A non-refundable deposit of €200 is required for booking

·      Tour is subject to minimum of 20 passengers to operate