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battlefield, including a tour inside Fort Douaumont, a 3 kilometer walk across the most fought-over part of the battlefield (Thiaumont-Fleury-Froidterre), and the museum at Fleury. After lunch we travel 50 minutes south to the St Mihiel area for a unique 2- to 3-km walk amongst the trench systems preserved in the woods - German concrete structures, and complete systems of parallel trenches with communication trenches linking them.
Wednesday 9th:
back to Lille via Hindenburg Line (St Quentin area), Vimy Ridge; back to Canterbury
Leaving the hotel at 08.45, we drive two hours north to the St Quentin area to explore traces of the Hindenburg Line - the line that the Germans pulled back to in February 1917. We will see the monuments to the most important fighting here - the breaking of the Hindenburg Line by the British, Australians and U.S. in late September 1918. We will stop also at the Canadian Vimy Ridge memorial 45 minutes further north. A 45 minute drive to Lille will get us there around 17.30 hrs - time for a snack before check-in for the 19.35 Eurostar to St Pancras (arriving 19.56 BST). We will return to Canterbury in the minibus at around 21.00 BST.
TO BOOK: email us to secure your place, and then post your deposit to us. Include all of the folowing information with the deposit, or print out and complete the form (printer-friendly version available here):
Sunday 6th July 2008:
from Canterbury to Lille; Chemin des Dames; Reims for 1 night
The tour leaves Canterbury by minibus at 07.30, taking the 08.50 Shuttle through the Tunnel. We go via Lille (1 hour) to pick up those travelling by Eurostar. We will be meeting the 08.53 BST Eurostar from London St Pancras which arrives at 11.24 (10.24 BST). It is then a 90 minute drive to the Chemin des Dames area, plus a snack lunch break (arrive around 14.00). We explore the ridge itself - most famous for the huge battle of April 1917 - and have a guided tour of the Caverne des Dragons, a set of underground caves where French and German troops lived remarkably close to each other, even sharing water supplies. A 45 minute drive takes us to the cathedral city of Reims for an overnight stay.
Further down the Western Front:
Verdun, Chemin des Dames and
the Hindenburg Line:
the most extensive (& least visited) World War I remains
start/finish Canterbury or Lille
Provisional schedule (incl. Eurostar timetable), subject to change.
Minimum number for a tour 14, maximum 16.
For information on our other group tours in 2008 click here.
Above: Chemin des Dames - trench lines from the April 1917 battlefield
Monday 7th:
to Verdun area: Argonne, Butte de Vauquois, Verdun battlefield
We leave at 08.45 for a one hour drive to the Argonne Forest, just west of the Verdun battlefield. Here we will walk amongst the vast overlapping craters of the Butte de Vauquois where a hilltop village was destroyed by underground mining carried out by both the French and Germans as they tried to push each other’s trenches off the crest; trenches survive. Then we see the
£ 335 ($667) per head for the on-ground arrangements in France: transport by minibus, guiding, 3 nights accommodation in 3-star hotel in Reims & 2-star hotel in Vacherauville near Verdun (sharing Double/Twin, with private shower & w.c. - Single supplement £50/$99), 3 breakfasts, and group meals on the second and third evenings.
NOT INCLUDED: Eurostar (currently costs from £54 return from London), other meals, private insurance.
Above left: German trench works (entry to a deep shelter) survive in the woods south of Verdun
IMPORTANT NOTE RE. EUROSTAR BOOKINGS: if you are joining us at Lille, your price does not include your Eurostar ticket. With prices starting from £54 return, these only open for booking (at www.eurostar.com or 08705 186 186) approximately 90 days before the date of your return leg - viz. around 10 April. Before you book you MUST wait for our confirmation that we have the required numbers for the tour - we will be in contact as soon as we know that, and certainly before Eurostar booking opens.
The deposit is £ 75 per person (payable by cheque to "Dr Thomson's Tours" - I regret that we do not take credit cards). Payment of the balance will be due 8 weeks prior to the date of the tour. All payments go into our Trustee Account - no funds are released to us until after completion of the tour (as per the consumer protection measures under the EU Package Travel Regulations 1992).
Cancellation conditions (our full Booking Conditions will be sent with your Confirmation - if you are not happy with them then you have the option to cancel without charge within 7 days): on cancellation we will refund your purchase as follows: up to 8 weeks prior to the tour: 100%, less £ 5 p.p. admin charge 4 to 8 weeks prior: 67% 2 to 4 weeks: 34% 1- 14 days: 20% on the day: no refund.
VERDUN ETC. - July 2008
Booking Form:
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Outside the UK or US? BANK TRANSFER details available on request
Dr Thomson's Tours, Bethany, 37 The Crescent, Canterbury CT2 7AW
Above right: walking amongst the overlapping craters at the Butte de Vauquois
Hindenburg Line - German bunkers stand up in the fields today
site of the ‘Lost Battalion’ and the location of the Sgt. York story - both U.S. stories from the October 1918 Meuse-Argonne battle here - followed by the largest U.S. war cemetery in Europe. A 45-minute drive takes us to the 1916 Verdun battlefield, where we will have an introductory tour to see the main features before checking-in to our hotel in the nearby village of Vacherauville for two nights. A group meal is included in the price on both nights here.
Tuesday 8th:
Verdun 1916 battlefield; St Mihiel area
A morning tour of the principal Verdun
July 2008