b'JOURNEYS ENDScan here A SWEEPING TOUR OF THE WESTERN FRONT for the full FROM VERDUN TO YPRES itinerary1324 August 2026 Historical Background12 days The battlefields of the Western Front saw the deaths of almost one million Expert Historian: British and Commonwealth soldiers during the First World War. From Dr Bruce Cherry the firing of the first shots by the British near Mons in August 1914 to the signing of the Armistice at Compigne four years later the bloodletting Activity Level: 2 continued as attested to by countless cemeteries and monuments along the Front, most notably Douaumont, Thiepval, the Menin Gate and Tyne Cot. Starting as a war of manoeuvre, the fast-moving German armies Like two huge, blood-soaked tectonicswept through Belgium taking all before them until brought to a halt. The plates, the grinding Western Front was astagnation of trench warfare ensued with the Allies attempting to break battle fought by a rollcall of nations whothe deadlock through a succession of costly and indecisive battles. made the supreme sacrifice. This sweepingBut during those years both sides significantly developed their armies, tour traverses the trenches, saps, sangarsweaponry and tactics to such an extent that the final months of the and fortifications of the Front visiting awar saw troops once more on the move, employing tactics that would range of places sacred in our memory ofdevelop into the German Blitzkrieg of the Second World War.the conflict. From the shattered landscape of Verdun in the east to the fields of Flanders in the west the tour traverses many of the most iconic battlefields of the war in Europe: the Aisne, Meuse-Argonne, Marne, Arras, Mons, Somme and Ypres, a town synonymous with the entire First World War. This far-reaching tour is an excellent way of appreciating the dramatic narrative of the Western Front set in the context of the wars last witness, the landscape itself. Day 1 Eurostar London St Pancras to Brussels (or join tour at Brussels South/MidiStation) Drive to Namur - overview of 1914 siege Hotel in Verdun - 2 nights (D)Day 2Battle of Verdun incl Les parges, Hermville Canon, Spinacourt, Douzey, Mangiennes German Cemetery, Douaumont Ossuary, Fort Douaumont (B, D)Day 3Explore Meuse-Argonne offensive incl Montfaucon, American Cemetery and Memorial, Butte de Vaquois, Navarin Monument Hotel in Chteau-Thierry 2 nights (B,D)Day 4Explore Battle of the Marne and Belleau Wood (B,D)Day 5Chteau-Thierry Monument, Compigne Armistice Glade, Saint Quentin(Kaiser offensive), Manchester Hill Hotel in Saint Quentin3 nights (B,D)Day 6 Casteau, Mons, MonsCond Canal, Le Quesnoy, Ors Foresters Cottage,Wilfred Owen grave, discussion of Hindenburg Line, Riqueval bridge (B,D)Day 7 The Somme incl Villers-Bretonneux, Le Hamel, Mont St Quentin, Pronne (B,D)Day 8 The Somme incl Delville Wood, Mametz, Lochnagar Crater, Pozieres, ThiepvalHotel in Arras - 2 nights (B,D)Day 9 Arras, Carrire Wellington, Vimy Ridge, Canadian National Memorial (B,D)Day 10 Ypres Salient (north) incl Menin Road, Hooghte, Polygon Wood, Pilkelm Ridge, Passchendaele, Langemark German Cemetery and Tyne Cot Cemetery and ESSENTIALS Memorial Hotel in Ypres -2 nights (B,D)Day 11 Ypres Salient (south) incl Poperinge, Toc H, Lijssenthoek, Messines Ridge, 4-star hotels, meals as indicated,Ploegsteert, Menin Gate Last Post Ceremony (B,D)drinks with dinner, all entrance fees,Day 12 Free time in Ypres Eurostar Brussels to London St Pancras (or perhaps extendtour manager and expert historianyour stay in Belgium) (B)throughout, all internal travel, optional travel from UK.515926 TCE BROCHURE 2025-26_Aug25.indd 51 22/08/2025 13:35'