Great Retreat - Mons, the Aisne and First Ypres

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A special tour to mark the 110th anniversary of the outbreak of WW1, tracing the first battle of the British Expeditionary Force at Mons, their subsequent retirement and the redeployment of the BEF at Ypres in October 1914. This fascinating tour visits many places off the tourist tracks and many of the very important but seldom visited places of the period, giving an excellent insight into the events of 110 years ago. Highlights include:

The bridge at Mons and the first VC's won in the Great War on the 110th anniversary
Le Cateau
Cambrai
The Chemin des Dames and the British advance in September 1914
The Somme and the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing
Vimy Ridge
Fromelles
Ypres
Ypres Salient with special emphasis on 1914
Battlefield guide / historian throughout

Your Next Adventure Awaits

What you need to know...

Start Location
Mons, Belgium

Finish Location
Ypres, Belgium

Country/Region
Battlefields by Bike

Grading
Moderate

Shortest Day
35 miles / 56 km

Longest Day
60 miles / 96 km

Total Days
10 days (8 days riding)

Total Miles
420 miles

Departure Dates & Prices

There are no available dates at this moment.
Please choose an alternative Tour or check back soon.

Itinerary

Day 1

Arrival in Mons and explore the famous square before a welcome dinner with other riders. (Dinner included)

Day 2

We set off north to the bridge over the canal where it all began, before tracking back towards Cambrai, seeing many interesting places on the way where many rearguard actions were fought including the famous battle of Le Cateau. Overnight in Cambrai. (Breakfast and dinner included)

Day 3

From Cambria we ride south, stopping at the wonderful American Somme cemetery at Bony and the Riqueval canal tunnel, used by the Germans for shelter during the war. St Quentin is an impressive city with a story to tell in the early stages of the war, and after lunch here we press on south to hilltop Laon for the night. (Breakfast and dinner included).

Day 4

South of Laon lies the Chemon des Dames which is best known for the French positions held here and the failed Nivelle offensive of 1917. However it was also the site of extreme British bravery in capturing and not surrendering the position in September 1914 as the BEF advanced from the low water mark at the Marne, and retook ground from the retreating German armies, before handing over to the French. There are many evocative places here, and it is rarely visited by the British battlefield tourist, so a great opportunity to increase your knowledge of the battlefields. We then ride along the ridge to Soissons via Belleu - famous for the US action in 1918 but also passd through ind quartered by the British in 1914. (Breakfast included)

Day 5

From Soissons we visit several iconic places today, including Nery where the famous Affair was fought on 1 September 1914 during the darkest days of the Great Retreat from Mons, before turning north and visiting the Armistice Clearing at Compiegne where the ceasefire was signed over four years later. Continuing north we stay at Peronne on the eastern edge of the Somme battlefields. (Breakfast and dinner included)

Day 6

Peronne to Albert is a shorter day in terms of distance but full of sites to see in the heart of the Somme battlefields; plenty to take in and a key part of any first world war battlefield tour! The sites come thick and fast and cover the whole range of regiments and nations that fought in WW1. (Breakfast included)

Day 7

Visiting the sobering Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme first thing avoids the crowds, giving you a chance to take it all in in relative solitude, before seeing the northern half of the Somme sector including the Newfoundland Memorial Park, Beaumont Hamel and the northern diversionary attacks that all played out on 1 July 1916. Arras is our overnight stop with the beautiful town hall and the two squares being fabulous places to spend the evening and it is now hard to believe the town was heavily damaged in 1914-1918. (Breakfast included)

Day 8

The first stop is the awe-inspiring, breathtakingly beautiful Vimy Memorial, Canada's national monument in France; words simply cannot do it justice. Then after the important Australian site at Fromelles we shortly pass back into Belgium and see the important Plug Street Wood, Messines, the Pool of Peace (Spambroekmolen) and the Bayernwald before arriving in winderful Ypres for two nights. (Breakfast included)

Day 9

Our tour of the Ypres salient concentrates on 1914 but also covers many other important actions and sites; the battlefields here did not move much so it is hard to ignore the other war years! We start by riding along the Menin road to see the actions of late October 1914 and tracking back towards Ypres and then visit Tyne Cot cemetery (the largest in Europe) and back to Ypres via the German cemetery at Langemark and the place where John MacCrae wrote 'In Flanders Fields' using the poppy as an evocative symbol of the struggle for the first time. We finish with a celebratory meal after the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate. (Breakfast and dinner included)

Day 10

Depart after breakfast.

Travel Information

Option 1: drive to Ypres and leave a car there ready for your return journey. We can transfer you and your bike from Ypres to Mons (£50 supplement per person paid on booking, non-refundable) on 22 August, departing 2pm. Limited availability booked on a first come first served basis.

Option 2: Outward Eurostar to Lille or Brussels then local train to Mons (both about 1h20 to Mons, both 1 change), Return Eurostar Lille to London (transfer Ypres to Lille provided leaving 9am on 31 August, approx 45 minutes).

Brussels is the nearest airport with a good range of flights.

Click here for our Travel Information page.