Ypres Battlefield Tour - Running Until End September

RPT Moto specialises in motorcycle tours to historic WW1 & WW2 battlefield and Commonwealth War Grave Cemeteries in Europe.  You can choose between a Guided or Self-Guided Tour where we book the ferry and accommodation for you, provide detailed maps and routes and points of interest - the rest is up to you! There’s lots to see in this historic location which was known to hundreds of thousands of “Tommies” as ”Wipers”. With plenty of good roads to ride and a social atmosphere this tour is ideal for solos, couples and the novice or experienced rider.

Itinerary - Guided Tour

Friday  We meet at Dover Docks and board the ferry for Boulogne or Calais (for those wishing to cross the channel by Eurostar rather than ferry we will meet you at Calais but there will be a surcharge unless booked privately) . Once on board the Tour Leader will give a safety brief and outline the weekend's activities. Riders are free to either 'free run' or travel in the tour group. If doing the latter, we employ a simple but very effective system that allows for riders to travel at their own pace and ensures that we all get to the same destination without losing riders along the way.

Once on mainland Europe we will make our way to Ypres on A and B roads. This presents a great opportunity to get used to riding on the “wrong” side of the road and also allows plenty of opportunity to see the French and Belgian countryside.

Upon arrival in Ypres around midday, riders are free to either discover the town on foot or ride out to areas not covered by the tour or just relax in the hotel - there really is a lot to see including the In Flanders Fields Museum in the Cloth Hall and the Dugout Experience at the Passchendale Memorial Museum.  Whatever you decide a guidebook and maps will be issued to help you make the right decision.  In the evening we will gather in the hotel restaurant for the Tour Dinner which is included in the costs.

Saturday  On Saturday morning we meet with our locally based Battlefield Tour Guide for a briefing on the day's tour which will take us around the outside of the town following areas that were devastated and heavily fought over. We will be accompanied throughout the day by our Battlefield Tour Guide who not only knows his stuff inside out but also delivers his tour in a sympathetic manner. The areas we will visit include but are not limited to; Essex Farm where Rifleman Valentine Joe Strudwick, a boy from Dorking in Surrey who at 15 years is one of the two youngest verifiable British casualties in WW1. The other is Robert Barnett, also 15 years, who is buried in Rifle House cemetery.  'In Flanders Fields' (see above) was penned here by Major John McCrae, Canadian Army Medical Corps, Langemarcke German Military Cemetery (the only German cemetery in the Ypres salient), the Canadian War Memorial at St Julien and Hill 62 also known as Sanctuary Wood before finally arriving at the largest Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery in the world at Tyne Cot.

For those who wish to, at 7.30 pm we will attend the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate which is just a short walk from our hotel. If you have not been before please be assured that this is a very moving and poignant affair carried out every day of the year by members of the Last Post Association and is always well attended and well organised. The ceremony finishes at 8.30 and riders are free to do as they please.

Sunday  On Sunday, once we have vacated the accommodation we will ride to Popperinge stopping on the way to visit the small cemetery where Captain Noel Chavasse, Royal Army Medical Corps is buried. Captain Chavasse was a double Victoria Cross winner - one of only 3 ever awarded and his headstone is unique in that it is engraved with two VC's. In Popperinge we will spend the morning discovering the town and visiting the world-famous Talbot House before heading back to Calais to catch the early afternoon ferry home.

• These tours can be taken at any time but please leave enough time for us to book the travel and accommodation (usually 7 days notice to ensure that your preferred travel timings can be catered for).

Suitable For

• Novice & Experienced Riders - particularly suited if you have never ridden abroad before
• Anyone with an interest in WW1 especially the Flanders region of Belgium
• Solo
• Couples

What's Included - Guided Tour

• Ferries
• Hotel or B&B Accommodation
• Tour Dinner
• Tour Leader
• Battlefield Tour Guide
• Printed Maps/Routes/historical points of Interest around the area
• Garmin Waypoints

What's Included - Self-Guided Tour

• Ferries
• Hotel or B&B Accommodation
• Printed Maps/Routes/historical points of Interest around the area
• Garmin Waypoints

What's Not Included

• Petrol & Lubricants
• Insurances
• Meals other than those specified
• Entry Fees

To Book any tour please email sales@rptmoto.co.uk

Guided Tours can be arranged for any weekend during the period end April to end of September