Guest biscuitmonster Posted 17 September , 2004 Share Posted 17 September , 2004 hi, there are six of us (newbies) visiting ypres in october for 3 days, can anyone advise the best places to visit to get a feel of the war in that area. i.e. trenches, museums, war cemetries etc. any recommendations would be most appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salientpoints Posted 18 September , 2004 Share Posted 18 September , 2004 Have a search on this site for hints & tips. You will find plenty of sites from the Yorkshire Trench, Hill 60, Hill 62, Zonnebeke Museum, Tyne Cot, Ramparts Museum, Yser Tower, Trenches of Death, Essex Farm etc etc etc Bag yourself Major & Mrs Holts Guide to Ypres Salient and Before Endeavours Fade and you will be sorted. You can see some links & pics on my website, sorry its not bang up to date but I just dont have enough hours in the day. Hopefully as the nights draw in I will get my 2004 visits & images posted. Cheers Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Brummy Posted 18 September , 2004 Share Posted 18 September , 2004 You will have no problem in finding things to see and do, I think your problem will be which to choose. How long is your visit? If people here know how long your in town you have a better chance of getting suggetions for prority sites for a first visit. Brum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest biscuitmonster Posted 25 September , 2004 Share Posted 25 September , 2004 we arrive on a monday afternoon and return thursday mid-day, giving us two full days. any advice on the best places to go would be most welcome. many thanks in advance mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Mackenzie Posted 25 September , 2004 Share Posted 25 September , 2004 Mark. As the others have said the problem is deciding which of the many options to take. You could have a day covering:- Tyne Cot - largest British military cemetery in the world Zonnebeke museum - not been there myself but supposed to be good (but only open weekend and Wednesday afternoons I think) Polygon Wood - cemeteries and Australian and New Zeland memorials Hooge Crater museum - small but good Then head up to Langemark to see the contrast of the German cemetery. Day 2 could be spent largely in Ieper itself. I would always recommend the 'In Flanders Fields' museum, the Last Post ceremony (obviously), St George's Memorial Church and a walk around the ramparts. This would include the Ramparts Cemetery near the Lille Gate and, I think, one of the most beautiful cemeteries around - especially early morning. I always like walking through Plugstreet Wood and find the cemeteries there very atmospheric. Or, as Ryan suggested get one of the good guides and just follow one or more of the routes. You cannot really go wrong using one or more of the following:- Walking the Salient (Paul Reed) Ypres Salient (Major & Mrs Holt) Before Endeavours Fade (Rose Coombs) Of course don't forget to leave some time for simply sitting outside one of the bars in the Gross Markt (weather permitting of course) and just watching the world go by. Have a great trip. Neil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlotte cardoen-descamps Posted 25 September , 2004 Share Posted 25 September , 2004 Hello Neil, The opening hours of the Passchendaele Memorial Museum are : - every day from 10 a.m. till 6p.m. - Saturday and Sunday from 2 p.m. till 6 p.m. The opening times you mentioned were the ones of the old Streekmuseum. I have picked up many comments on the new museum and I can say that all of them are very positive. The big bonus of the museum is the reconstructed dug-out in the cellar. Best wishes, Charlotte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Mackenzie Posted 25 September , 2004 Share Posted 25 September , 2004 Charlotte. I am hoping to visit the museum in early October so many thanks for the advice. Neil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 25 September , 2004 Share Posted 25 September , 2004 Zonnebeke museum - not been there myself but supposed to be good It is. I'm not that very often impressed by war museums, especially new or re-vamped ones, but this is excellent. The main part of the museum is pretty much "old hat", (and the one at Hooge is best for a traditional style), but the "Dugout Experience" is fantastic. Well worth the entrance price (5 Euros?) just to see this. Dave. PS. Here's a photo from the museum... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Brummy Posted 26 September , 2004 Share Posted 26 September , 2004 All of the above are well recomended. You may also consider Yorkshire Trench (you can see all of this in 10 minutes but it is close to Ieper and worth a nose round) And Essex Farm cemetary, where you can also see The site John Macrae and the other bunkers that have been recently restored. Brum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest biscuitmonster Posted 5 November , 2004 Share Posted 5 November , 2004 well, we've been back a few weeks now and still can't believe what a fantastic time we had. Thanks for all the advice on places to visit, we managed to get to see quite a few. Definitely reccommend the Yorkshire Trenches. Wish i'd done more research before i went, but hopefully i'll go back again. I must give a special mention to our hostess. Annette, at Camalou, was an absolute star. Very knowledgable, a fantastic help and had great character.And what a lovely place to stay. God knows how she put up with six hairy-a***ed firemen for 4 days lol. We fully enjoyed our stay with her and Christian. Think we might try the Somme next. Best wishes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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