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About the tour: The Old Contemptibles at War
More than a century after some of the first shots of the Great War were fired, join us as we travel through Belgium and France following the Old Contemptibles – the regular army who fought some of the first battles of the war at Mons, Le Cateau and Ypres. We see battle sites, cemeteries and memorials connected with the soldiers of 1914 who served with the BEF.
Tour Includes
- 4 nights hotel with continental breakfast
- Specialist Battlefield Guide
- Convenient local joining points
5 days from £579 pp
We offer flexible payment options
Once you have booked your tour either online, or by telephone ( 01709 787 463 ), you have the flexibility of how you pay off the remainder of your balance. You can:
- Use our balance payment facility online to make and track your card payments. You can pay as much as you want up until your final due date or pay it all, the choice is yours.
- Send payments via online banking.
- Send payments via cheque.
- Call us and make a card payment, either a small amount or as lump sum until your final due date.
Our contact and online banking payment details will be on your confirmation invoice to remind you of your choices.
Tour Itinerary
Certain excursions are included in the price of your holiday. If you choose not to go on an included excursion, for whatever reason, no refunds will be made.
Yes, you will receive one with your Travel Documents, which are sent 7-10 days before departure.
We believe that our holidays may not be suitable for children under 8 years old (except for Disneyland Paris bookings) however, we will
consider individual requests on application. Customers aged 18 and under at the time of travel must be accompanied by an adult, parent or
guardian aged over 18 years old.
You can check weather averages here.
Day 1
Local departure by coach then to Belgium for a four-night stay.
Day 2 - Mons: First Shots – War Horses at Audregnies
This morning we start with the Battle of Mons and travel to Casteau to see were the first shots were fired in August 1914. We continue on to Nimy Bridge looking at the story of the first Victoria Crosses awarded to British troops. Following lunch in Mons we then travel to St. Symphorien Cemetery where some of the first and last Commonwealth casualties of WWI are buried. We end the day at Audregnies examining the largest use of cavalry; when two regiments of war horses charged the Germans in 1914.
- Included meals: Breakfast
Included Highlights
- St. Symphorien Cemetery
- Nimy Bridge
- First Shots Memorial, Casteau
- Audregnies
Day 3 - Retreat From Mons – Battle of Le Cateau
We start the day at the excellent Mons War Museum and then follow the retreat south from the Belgian border and drive down near the Mormal Forest to the Le Cateau area. We look at the Guards at Landrecies, seeing their memorial, and then see where the Suffolk Regiment fought in August 1914, seeing their battlefield memorial site. Later we visit the Le Cateau Cemetery and follow the positions held on 26th August to the left flank at Esnes where General Snow’s men held these vital positions.
- Included meals: Breakfast
Mons Military Museum
More Photos
Included Highlights
- Le Cateau Cemetery
- Landrecies
- Esnes
- Mons Military Museum
- Suffolk Memorial, Le Cateau
Day 4 - Ypres: Death of an Army – In Flanders Fields Museum
The remnants of the Old Contemptibles fought their largest battle in 1914 at Ypres. We start just outside the Menin Gate and walk through Ypres Town Cemetery, seeing the 1914 burials. We then visit the In Flanders Fields Museum, one of the most important WWI museums in Europe. Following lunch at Hooge, we travel to Zillebeke Churchyard seeing the Aristocrats Cemetery, where many officers who fell in 1914 are buried. In Messines, we see the Visitor's Centre and visit the church crypt where Adolf Hitler sheltered from British shells in 1914. We end with the story of the Christmas Truce at St. Yvon, seeing the new Christmas Truce Memorial at Prowse Point.
- Included meals: Breakfast
Messines Visitor's Centre
More Photos
Included Highlights
- Menin Gate
- Messines Museum
- In Flanders Fields Museum
- Ypres Town Cemetery
- Zillebeke Churchyard
- Messines Church
- Prowse Point Cemetery
- Messines Visitor's Centre
Day 5
Return home.
- Included meals: Breakfast
Travel Insurance from £30.00 (5 days) (includes insurance premium tax, prices per person). Single Room Supplement from £159.00 (5 days).
The Old Contemptibles at War 5 days from £579pp
Book online OR call our friendly travel advisers on:
01709 787 463
Accommodation
If you prefer, then you can join the tour at the hotel. To do this, we will require a copy of your passport for identification purposes and you must advise us at the time of booking.
No reduction will be given if you should choose to do this.
All hotel rooms benefit from private bathroom facilities.
Some hotels have tea and coffee making facilities. Please check the tour pages for more
information or call our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333.
Most hotels have a lift, please call our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333 for more information.
Some hotels have ground floor rooms. Please email for information on individual hotels or call our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333.
Your hotels will supply towels in your room.
We are unable to guarantee that the hotel will be able to meet your dietary requirements. We find that the majority of European countries do not generally cater for vegetarians and that the meal supplied may well be what everyone else is having minus the meat.
We will of course endeavour to arrange for a vegetarian meal at the hotel. We do however suggest that you advise us of your dietary requests at the time of booking and recommend that you speak to the receptionist on arrival with regard to your request.
You will stay for four nights at the 3-star Novotel Ypres Centrum, in the centre of Ypres.
Please Note: Due to demand, we may use other hotels of a similar standard. Your exact hotel details will be provided with your travel documents.
Novotel Ypres Centrum
- English Speaking Staff
- Guest Lounge
- Bar
- Restaurant
- Lift
- WiFi Available
- TV
- Tea and Coffee Making Facilities
- Hairdryer
- Bath and/or Shower
- Telephone
Travel Options
Departure times given for each region are approximate. Please check your travel documents to confirm the actual timings.
Front row seats can be reserved for £15pp (up to 6 days duration), £25pp (7 and 8 days duration), £30pp (9 to 11 days) or £35pp (12 days or more) on all European tours. This offer is only available for bookings of two or four persons on our Executive and Silver Service coaches and for one or two persons on our Luxuria coaches and is subject to availability. In addition to this, seats on the second row can be reserved for a supplement of £8pp (up to 6 days duration), £15pp (7 and 8 days duration), £18pp (9 to 11 days) or £22pp (12 days or more).
Guaranteed front or second row seats cannot be reserved on transfer journeys to/from the UK port. Occasionally, front and second row seats may be on a request only basis.
Please note: children under 15 years of age are not permitted to sit in the front seats of any coach.
On some coaches the legroom on front seats, central view seats and seats directly in front of the washroom may be slightly less than that available on other seats due to the presence of a modesty board in front.
If your tour is cancelled or merged for any reason and front or second row seats or central view seats or table seats are not available on your tour, you will be refunded any supplement paid. No other compensation will be payable.
Alternatively, we can take seating requests on your booking. However, requests are not guaranteed. All seat numbers are confirmed on travel documents approximately 7-10 days prior to departure.
Central View Seats are available to pre-book free of charge.
Table Seats are available to pre-book free of charge on our Luxuria coaches.
We guarantee that all passengers on the same booking will be seated together on the main tour coach.
Seats on the transfer coaches to and from the interchange are not allocated.
Hot and cold drinks are served on your main tour coach. Prices are approximately £1 or €1.25 Euro per drink. Prices will be confirmed by your driver.
Transfer coaches are routed approximately 2-3 weeks before departure. The route taken depends on where paassengers are booked to travel from on any particular date as to which route is taken. If you require further detailed information regarding the route to the port you can contact our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333 two weeks before you are due to travel.
With regard to the route taken by the main tour coach, this is determined by the driver.
All main tour coaches have on-board toilets. Transfer vehicles to and from the interchange may not have on-board toilets. When non-British coaches are
used on transfers and tours (air holidays only) an on-board toilet may not be available. However, comfort stops will be made during long journeys.
All coaches feature air-conditioning. Should the air-conditioning system break down for a period exceeding 12 hours,
compensation will be awarded up to a maximum of £10 per fare-paying passenger per tour.
All our coaches and transfer vehicles operate a 'no smoking on board policy'. The use of electronic cigarettes is strictly forbidden.
In the interest of fellow guests, do not take hot food or ice cream on board.
Customers own alcohol cannot be consumed on board our vehicles.
Depending on the location of your pickup point, you may be picked up by coach (not necessarily the on you are touring on), minibus, taxi, National Express or Megabus service. You may then be taken to another centralised pickup location or service station. We operate a passenger interchange at Stop 24 Services, where you will meet the tour coach you are holidaying on and then continue on with your outbound journey. Similarly, on the way home, you may also change transfer vehicles at another location, to take you to your final drop off point.
Your allowance is one medium sized suitcase per person, which
should weigh no more than 20kg when full. We
may refuse to carry larger or heavier cases.
Hand luggage should be stored in the overhead
racks aboard the coach. Nothing should be stored under your seat.
When it comes to getting you to your destination, Leger Holidays make it easy, with a selection of travel options for you to choose from.
Silver Service Features
- Sit back and relax in specially-designed, deluxe reclining seats, with leather headrests, footrests and more legroom than standard coaches.
- Enjoy the perfect temperature onboard with climate control.
- Relax and have a chat in the spacious rear lounge.
- Servery on board offering a range of refreshments.
- Porterage* at most hotels, so you really don’t have to lift a finger.
- Time flies with our onboard entertainment system.
- With free personal headphones you can tune into the music channel, listen to the radio or watch DVDs.
- Onboard toilet
Silver Service Seating Plan
Silver Service Virtual Tour
Find your nearest joining point
We have hundreds of coach joining points throughout England, Scotland and Wales. To find your nearest joining point, search using your postcode below.
*Please note joining points are subject to availability.
Travel Extras
Why not go the night before your tour for a relaxing start?
You can park for FREE for up to nine days at the Holiday Inn Ashford North and enjoy an overnight stay with English breakfast from just £41.50 per person (Based on 2 sharing a twin/double room on a B&B basis, subject to availability. Single supplements and terms and conditions apply.) We’ll then collect you from the hotel on the day of departure and return you there at the end of your holiday.
To book this package, please call the hotel on 01233 713333, select option 1, quoting ‘Leger Holidays’ and your booking reference. If your holiday is longer than seven days you can pay for additional days’ parking. Ask one of our friendly reservations team for more details when you book your holiday
On most holidays if you’d prefer to join your tour coach at Stop 24 services, you can park your car in the car park which is accredited by the Park Mark safer parking scheme and is monitored 24 hours a day by CCTV. Payment for the parking is made on arrival using the self-service machines. Excludes holidays to Ireland and the U.K. and tours travelling via Brittany Ferries.
Customer Reviews
To book this tour, just give our friendly team a call on 01709 787 463 or book online at www.leger.co.uk
