holiday info required urgently

[andy 1]

as anybody been on a leger tours battlefield holiday.if so what was it like.

any horror storys,any catches.

the wife and myself are looking at there colditz dambusters and the great escape tour.

any info how they operate there feeder coaches any waiting or hanging about.

basically is it worth paying about 700 quid each for a 9 day tour.

thanks

andy

ps to the mods i did not know which topic to put this in,so i hope i've got the right one apologies if i'm wrong.

[Matt Dixon]

Nothing wrong with the placement, just wish I could offer you some advice!

I am sure many of the Pals will be able to help, try asking member Tom Morgan.

[Tom Morgan]

I've never been on a Leger tour, but there's no doubt that they are very popular and I know that lots of people re-book, which is always a sign that they were happy with the product.

A friend of mine has been on lots of Leger battlefield tours to all kinds of destinations and he thinks they are great value for money.

He says the feeder coach system works like this........ He lives in Walsall, West Midlands. This is not on the coach's direct route to Dover, so he is collected in Walsall by a taxi, or sometimes it's a minibus, and taken to Sutton Coldfield, about 5 miles away, and he meets the coach there. At the docks in Dover, all the feeder coaches arrive and everyone's luggage is taken to the right coach by Leger staff. Passengers often get time to go and have a cuppa while this is going on and then they get called to their coaches where they check in and are assigned a seat.

At the end, the same thing happens in reverse. He gets off the coach in Sutton Coldfield and a taxi takes him back to Walsall. He says the only waiting around happens when one passenger is missing because the feeder-coach which is bringing him is late. This has only ever caused him a problem once.

Of course, Leger's head guide, Paul Reed is a member of this forum. No doubt he's extremely busy at this time of year, but I'm sure he'll join this dicussion when he sees it and I hope he'll correct any errors I have made.

Tom

[Stuart Brown]

SWMBO and I have been on A Bridge too Far, Battle of the Bulge and earlier this year Sorrento & Rome (by air). Last one not a battlefield tour.

We had no complaints and enjoyed all of them.

[John S]

Andy

I have been on a Leger WW1 Tour and can cofirm Tom's description of the procedure. It works ok.

As regards my tour I thought it was good value, the guide (Paul in my case) was excellent and I know one of the other guides (Keith) who is also 1st class. From this I assume the rest of the guides are of a similar quality.

Tours like this have advantages of comfort, quality guides, low hassle in that all you need do is follow and listen, chance to talk to like minded folk etc. Perhaps the biggest disadvantage is that because of the numbers involved they give less chance to develop personal interests and tend to run to a timetable.

Based on my experience I would recommend the tour process and the company.

Regards

John

[Morval Ross]

Hi Andy,

I have also been on a Leger tour. I highly recommened them. We went on the In flanders Fields tour and the Beaches of Normandy tour. The guides are of a high qaulity, charming, polite and very very helpful. Our guide was Vic Puik for the great war tour, and we still meet him every year, either on the Salient or down on the Somme where he lives, our paths always seem to cross. If all the other guides are of the same qaulity and charachter then Legers tours and the memory of the fallen in the great war are safe.

As for the feeder service, I do not know, we flew over from Ireland and met up with the tour in France. But the Drivers were true gents i have to say.

What ever tour you decide on you will not be disappointed by the service. The only problems you will have if any, could be with other tour members being late and not getting up in time after to much beer the night before (Honestly constable it was not me).

Hope you have fun on that trip.

Regards

Ross,.

[Guest]

One advantage with Leger is that the hotels they use are always very good, the one's on the Dambusters & Great Escape are very good from first hand experience!!, you only have to look on the back of your hotel door to see how expensive they to stay in normally!!

Rod

[chrisharley9]

I can testify that quality of hotels with Leger is usually very high. The coach drivers in my experience have always been very good & the guides I have encountered (Paul Reed & Vic Puik) have changed me from someone being mildly interested in the Great War into a radid fanatic

All The Best

Chris

[andy 1]

thanks for the replies pals.

the wife and myself have taken your advice and booked for the dambusters colditz and the great escape tour in may.

we can't wait.

regards

andy

[Guest 85acoy]

Hello,

I thought about a Battlefield Tour for ages but never actually booked one until last year. I went on the 'Walking the Ypres Salient' Tour in August of this year. I had no idea what to expect except what I had read in the Leger brochure.

I live in Gloucestershire and had to go to Evesham to pick up the feeder coach which was not a problem and then we picked a few more people up along the way. We stopped at a service station and were put onto a large coach and then headed for Dover. The other people on the coach were going on different tours, not necessarily battlefield tours. We arrived at Dover and were told where to go (not literally) and waited for our tour coaches to arrive. Leger give you all the necessary information so you know exactly what you are doing and what to expect (even a plank like me). We boarded our coach and the guides introduced themselves and we headed for Ypres. The guides gave us all the information we required and answered any questions we had. We arrived at our hotel in Ypres (novotel) and were given our keys and itinerary for the trip. The hotel was superb and the staff there were very friendly and helpful.

The other people on my tour were great, I met some lovely people. We were a mixture of 30 something's to sixty something's and one teenager, so a mixed bag. The tour itself was super and I learnt a lot. Although it was warm, we did have a fair bit of rain and for someone who would normally whinge when soaked through, it didn't bother me one bit as the tour was so damn good. The brave soldiers who's footsteps we were tracing suffered far worse than the odd heavy downpour. The tour was five days but it was not nearly long enough for me, five weeks would have been better! )

I have recommended Leger Battlefield Tours to lots of friends as I don't believe they would be disappointed. Leger do various tours, not all walking. I thought they were value for money and I would not hesitate in booking another tour with them in the future. Hope this has helped.

Regards,

Donna )

[andy 1]

thanks for the reply donna.

looking forward to the tour in may.

regards

andy 1

[BIRDY]

hey

i have just come back form a tour with the war research soiety and a lady i sat next too had done that tour with them, and said it was amazing

kaz

[andy 1]

thanks kaz

it just sounds better and better

i can't wait.

cheers

andy

[Guest Rory]

Hi, i went on a Leger walking tour 2 years ago in Flanders. The guide was Clive Harris who was fantastic. The hotel was excellent and the drivers really good people. It was outstanding value for money and i have booked to walk the Somme this summer with them again. Thoroughly recommend it

Rory