The Ieper (Ypres) Salient was a constant focus of activity throughout the course of the Great War - "The war to end all wars".
When one hears tales of trenches feet deep in water, and of soldiers struggling uphill through muddy quagmires, with enemy fire raining down upon them, Belgian Flanders epitomises the struggle. Here, muddy patches of barren treeless land were fought over, backwards and forwards for 4 years, with hardly any change in the line of the Western Front, but at massive human cost.
On these tours you will see what remains even after 90 years; trenches, craters, bunkers and of course cemeteries, which by nature of the decision made not to repatriate the dead, lie silently and peacefully at the then epicentre of the fighting.
For anyone who has thought about visiting the Western Front to find out more, or needs to put what they know into perspective, these tours are a rare opportunity to do so and see for yourself, at your own pace.
| | Title | Description | Talk time/Tour time/distance m/km | Price £ | Download |
| | Town walking Tour of Ieper | The sample Ieper Walking Tour examines the mediaeval town at the centre of the Salient (a bulge in the line which had to be defended on all sides) and introduces the visitor to the major sites, and discusses the role of the town in the war.(15 mins talk time) | 15 mins/3 hrs | *ALMOST free £0.01 | download |
| | Ieper Salient Driving Tour Part 1 | Part 1 of the driving tour visits many iconic sites which names may be familiar such as Hooge, Hellfire Corner, Polygon Wood, Essex Farm (where John McCrae wrote “In Flanders Fields”) and of course Passchaendale, but also investigates their history – in some cases little known. | 1 hr/5 hrs/25m/40km | £5.00 | download |
| | Ieper Salient Driving Tour Part 2 | Part 2 will continue the journey around the Messine Ridge where mine craters remain to bear silent witness to the terrible fighting in the area, visiting places such as Messine, Ploegsteert and the infamous Hill 60. It also visits the Staff Headquarters town of Poperinge (“Pop” in tommy parlance) and Talbot House – the original Toc H. | 40mins/5 hrs/39m/63km | £5.00 | download |
* Payment is by PayPal and can't cope with zero pounds! If you don't want to use PayPal for this, request the free sample by email and we will email one back to you.