Battlefield-tours Reviews

The Making of an Extraordinary Trip

The Making of an Extraordinary Trip - 7th -14th May 2024With other WW1 battlefield guided and self guided tours available we were initially unsure who or what we should go with but exploring more closely the detail on James website persuaded us to go with Battlefield Tours and it was outstandingly the right decision His prompt and helpful e-mail and phone responses to our initial enquiries with positive suggestions to enhance the trip gave us great confidence of his extraordinary and detailed knowledge of WW1 After spending 6 days touring the battle sites in Belgium and northern France we cannot praise Battlefield Tours package highly enough - immense detail but easy to follow and customise - superb little photo illustrations for the navigators assistance for example helping ensure the driver gets the correct turns then on arrival at a location added to the detailed maps and explanations for how the battles evolved all brought the tragic events of the front line to reality We noticed several guided minibus tours at different locations but they always seemed in a hurry and the visitors didn t have the time to absorb the reality of what happened at each location But with a self-guided tour we could linger or move on at our own pace and when we wanted try to absorb the story of what transpired there under James package guidance The package James provides is truly outstanding and beyond what we could have expectedfor its detail but practical guidance - we have never encountered anything nearly as professional or subtle in it s understanding of the needs of the traveller in any other tour guide - indeed we went on to Normandy for a 7 day tour of D Day locations so had the perfect comparison immediately after Incidentally we encountered several folk who know James e g hotel staff and cafe owners and they were universally flattering about him So a really nice chap providing a brilliant service - what more could you ask for

Somme and Ypres Battlefield Tours

From the moment of contact to booking our Battlefield tour we experienced marvellous service the guides provided were interesting detailed and easy to use The accommodation recommended was excellent The tour was made easy and was a very fascinating and so moving and a marvellous memorable experience so well supported by the Somme and Ypres Battlefield tour team Thank you

Fantastic self-drive WW1 battlefield tour

Just completed an excellent 5 day 4 night tour of the Somme and Ypres battlefields arranged by James at Somme and Ypres Battlefield Tours From start to finish the organisation and information provided for our self-drive tour was superb The guidebooks that James had written and accompany the detailed itinerary gave us a unique insight into this terrible period of history James has managed to provide directions to many locations that were not on the tourist trail and the history he has written gives a real insight behind the many examples of heroism and places that we visited The guidebooks provided also gave an insight into the atrocities of these battlefields and provided a background to the countless thousands that perished in such awful conditions The whole visit was a very moving experience and I would whole heartily recommend James s company for providing all and more a visitor needs on this unique self-drive tour of the WW1 battlefields of the Somme and Ypres

Visited the Somme Ypres battlefields with Somme Battlefields Tours Ltd

Visited the Somme Ypres battlefields with my mother during September 2018 the tour itinerary provided extraordinary detail that gave a real insight into the terrible history of the conflict We also enjoyed both hotels that we stayed especially the Ariane in Ypres - and the cafe s restaurants that were recommended including the Hotel de Basilique and the Ocean Villas Tea rooms

My two grandsons and myself thoroughly

My two grandsons and myself thoroughly enjoyed the trip organised by James for us to the Somme and Ypres Transport arrangements and accommodation worked without a hitch and the detailed guides provided were an excellent base for understanding both the broader scope of the campaigns and the personal experiences of the trenches It was very reassuring to be able to rely on James extensive knowledge and experience which were key ingredients in a very successful trip

Everything worked like clockwork

Everything worked like clockwork Jan and I want to thank you for the detailed and comprehensive planning which went into the whole trip The Ariane Hotel was excellent including the upgrade and we were blessed with superb weather which no doubt you also arranged We couldn t help thinking that a steady downpour would have been more appropriate to tour the Salient We spent Tuesday and Wednesday touring the Ypres area and on Thursday drove down to the site of the Battle of Loos taking in Messines Ploegstreet and the Irish Peace memorial on the way The former Hohenzollern Redoubt is unmistakeable and overgrown but firmly entr e interdite We were not tempted but were mightily impressed with the Quarry cemetery nearby - we believe the quarry was the Battalion HQ during the battle It also has the grave of Captain Bowes-Lyon the Queen s uncle The Battlefield guides were superb giving just the right amount of information we much appreciated retaining control of our own timing and activity As a former naval person I am now more aware of the importance of the terrain than I was the aspect of the slight slope up to the Hohenzollern looked frightening Again many thanks for the attention to detail and comprehensive information We shall certainly recommend Somme Battlefield Tours to our friends

Battlefields Simplified

Easily followed directions from the tunnel terminal to our accommodation and major battle sites Avril Williams guest house is to be recommended for friendliness value comfort and a very knowledgeable hostess The Ariane Hotel inYpers is very comfortable with excellent food The battlefields are staggering and bought to life by James excellent guides throughout

Somme Tour October 2018

My son and I spent a long weekend following James Powers guides and maps on a self-guided self-driven car tour of the Somme battlefields Both of us were surprised at how moving an experience it was We knew the history the fatal military judgements and huge number of losses but history books don t give any sense of the magnitude of the casualties in the terrain that exposed so many troops to slaughter Being there does Seeing all those cemeteries does And the Somme Battlefield Tour maps and guides with their detail and meticulous and compassionate explanations brought the Somme battles to life What made our experience all the more poignant was that the beauty of the gentle rolling Picardie countryside its fields copses and steepled villages today belied what took place there 102 years ago on what is now essentially sacred ground We were especially moved by Sheffield Park and the PALS memorials and thought There but for time place and the Grace of God we could have been among those dead young men I cannot over state the high quality of James Powers careful planning of the tour for our specific needs We could linger at a site as long as we wished our time not driven by the needs of a scheduled crowded coach tour My son and I continue to talk about the tour and the images of memorials battlegrounds and cemeteries that remain indelible in our minds

Wonderful experience - above and beyond expectations

What a memorable trip this turned into Having discussed with my husband the possibility of visiting the WW1 battlefields we decided against a coach trip which would have meant rushing from one place to another which is not what we wanted We thought of doing it alone but then found this company organising a self-drive trip which left one able to spend as much time at any one place as one wished What a joy this was and how well it worked We spent 3 days dedicated to James s suggested route around the Ypres area and the detailed itinerary he supplied was brilliant Using What-3-Words was a great advantage The information pack was so explicit and left nothing to the imagination A very powerful educational experience James also suggested having a private guide for a day as I wanted to see the final resting place of my Great Uncle who was killed on the first day of the Battle of Loos We took up this advice and he arranged contact with Jacques in Ypres who was a fountain of knowledge and provided me with extensive personal documents about the last journey my relative took Extraordinary attention to detail and worth every penny This company goes above and beyond to offer an exceptional service The hotel Ariane in Ypres was extremely comfortable friendly and ideally located for our trip Well done James