Ypres Belgium info/help required

[team duvet]

Planning a trip to Ypres Belgium in "04" WW1 battlefields, Menim Gate etc on the GS.

Any help appreciated re ……

Accommodation? (seen Old Tom hotel, thanks Invicta Moto)
Restaurants
Miles/time travelling from Calais to Ypres?
Museums
Ferry price vs Tunnel price?

Seen the “04” tour in World of BMW but cannot make date.

 

[Davey B]

For accomm try Talbot House, Poperinge, about 7 miles from Ypres. It was an oasis of calm in the area during the war that is still exactly as it was then, it is basically a museum that you can stay in as a sort of hostel. Basic but cheap BUT the real thing. The curate there is a Belgian called Jacques who knows everything there is to know about the local ww1 'theme and can direct you to the big cemetaries or small affairs in the middle of woods that very few know of. He will happiuly show you route either by cycle (as we did) foot or motorbike. A fountain of knowledge.
Its is on the web and is undergoing a transformation with money being spent on conference facilities etc.
It is the original TOC H whichyou may have heard of. The place was known as Toc H in the war as this was the signals code for the place. They have a lamplighting ceremony (dim as a Toc H lamp) in the chapel up the rickety stairs on the top floor of 4/5. Very moving.
Been twice and hooked on the place/area etc. We tried Bruges but it was too commercial etc. Ypres is marvellous, try the interactive museum at Ypres where you get a barcoded ticket on entry and put it in machines around the place. It tells you who youare.i.e a nurse/soldier/french/german etc and charts 'your' war.
Its called In Flander Fields Museum.
If you want more info, PM me
Dave Boulder

 

[Dave Hall]

The cemeteries at Langemark and Tyne cot are must see places. There is a private museum that has some preserved trenches just south of the Menin road near Zillebeke as I recall.
Very moving experiences to be had there.

 

[Banjaxed]

Agree with previous posts.

It's about 60 miles from Calais to Ypres (now called Ieper) - you can blast along the motorway to Dunquerque and down the N8, or come aff a little earlier and go through some of the villages (such as Poperinge). The countryside and villages are nothing much actually - although once you're in Ypres all that changes. When you look at the Cloth Hall and church in the centre of town, it's almost impossible to believe they were razed to the ground by German shelling and completely rebuilt after the war. Tell you something - the Belgians NEVER forget that war - unlike this country. Kids at school still learn about it and it's taken very seriously indeed.
The museum in the Cloth Hall is an absolute must-see - probably have you in tears...
When we were there, we met an elderly British couple sat outside one of the cafes on the main square. Turns out this old Geordie guy's grandad was billeted in Ypres in WWI. He and two mates sold an artillery horse to a local innkeeper for four bottles of rum. Went back to their tent, drank one bottle, buried the other three and that night went into town and stole the horse back!!
Getting there? Check the prices on the internet - we ended up with a fantastic deal with Eurotunnel, which get's my vote every time for cross-Channel (if the price is right).
Have fun and bring lots of tissues - it's an emotional rollercoaster.

 

[Jon]

We went to Ypres in October on the way to Arnhem.

Less than an hour from the Eurotunnel.

Stayed in the "Hotel Albion", about 300yds from the Menin Gate/town square & secure parking for the bikes. Hotel was good, 'bout £32 for B&B. Booked there as couldn't get into Old Tom, but would still recommend it.

We're going back in Feb for a weekend as we only stopped for the night/morning - the Menin Gate has to be seen to be be believed.

Lots of restaurants in the square & good beer - slept like a baby & no hangover

Nice one in the RH corner by the Cloth Hall when looking from the Menin Gate end - can't remember the name, see above for why.

Eurostar was about £80 return - beats the ferry every time for convenience - 35mins and literally you're straight out of the train onto a motorway at both ends, no faffing about in a ferry terminal - all passport/customs done at Folkestone & Calais on the way back

 

[Invicta Moto]

The cemeteries at Langemark and Tyne cot are must see places. There is a private museum that has some preserved trenches just south of the Menin road near Zillebeke as I recall.
Very moving experiences to be had there.

All true.

The trenches are at Hill 62. Heading down the Menin Road towards er.. Menin! hey are on the right and are signposted. They are in "sold as seen condition" and very little has been done to keep them open. The most eerie sights are the blasted trees that they have kept! There's a small museum and cafe at the entrance.

Langemarck and Tyne Cot are not too far apart and are two extreme examples of the German and British cemetaries. When you see the German one and read the number of bodies they have mass buried under a rose garden you can't begin to imagine how they got them in that small area. I'll not tel you how many, see for yourself.

For some help it's worth getting hold of Major & Mrs Holts Guide to the Ypres Salient. It covers every nook and cranny! If you can't find it in the shops try here and buy it from Amazon. Buying it here helps my local bike club as they are an Amazon associate and get a small commission!!!!

I ran a tour last Easter for the aforementioned club and 12 of us had a weekend in the Old Tom. See
here for some pics.

The restaurant at the Old Tom is very good too!

P.S. Rodenbach in CANS! What next?

 

[Dave Hall]

When you see the German one and read the number of bodies they have mass buried under a rose garden you can't begin to imagine how they got them in that small area. I'll not tel you how many, see for yourself.

I had a good look through the visitors books at Langemark going back nearly two years and saw the comments visitors had made in them and where they were from.
People from all over the world had visited the cemetary and left comments with the exception of.......Germany. Not a one that I could find.

 

[GSPeP]

Have a look at the map behind this link: http://www.ieper.be/nl/stadsplan/index.html

All points of interest. (also in english)

 

[Invicta Moto]

Here is also a reasonable site for the Salient - http://www.greatwar.co.uk/westfront/ypsalient/


Mr Duvet, when you fix a date, post it in the local events section, you never know how many other GS's you might attract.

 

[richie]

Good idea from Invicta, I've been in Belgium since 1990 and have never visited a cemetry or trench site. I don't actually know many people who have.

 

[jimbo]

I've wanted to visit Ypres Belgium for some time.
Sounds like a gathering could be forming already...

 

[Dave Hall]

If you go then be at the Menin gate for the sounding of the last post, 8pm as I remember, very moving

 

[MIKE R]

Love Ypres. Always seem to finish there for my last night abroad when I am touring Europe.

For a fair priced hotel try Hotel Sultan which is directly opposite the Cloth Hall. The owner, Hank, used to be a motorcyclist and if you ask will let you park your bike in his secure backyard/stable area.

I have been on many battlefield trips in this area. If you are new to the area contact Salient Tours (they have a web page). They will take you on a guided tour of all the important areas in a mini bus for a reasonable fee. Very interesting, without too many people. If you are gong at a popular time, I recommend you book before leaving the UK. They do a longer tour in the morning, and a shorter version in the afternoon. Both are excellent although I prefer the longer.

If you later drift down towards the Somme, they also provide guided tours there as well.

Mike R