London To Loos and back in a day?

[At Home Dad]

Hallo, all!

I wonder if you can help me - I want to visit the British Cemetary at Loos

towards the end of April and I'm unsure as to the quickest way to get there.

Bear with me, I'm quite dense. I also dont drive.

Would it be possible to get there from London and back again in a day?

I can Eurostar over, that's not a problem, but after that is it a cab ride

or several more trains, etc?

If I did have/wish to stay over night, is it fairly easy to find a

room or has the area become swamped with battlefield tourers?

Any advice or pointers to relevant posts greatly appreciated!

kind regards

[angelab]

THere was a post not long ago on getting to Loos from Lille without a car, which was not, I am afraid, very encouraging.

Paul Reed suggested going from Lille (probably Lille-Flandres station, a 10 minute walk from Lille-Europe, where the Eurostar arrives) to Lens by train, and then there might be buses to Loos.

Angela

[stevem49]

I have seen buses on the Lens -Loos road but have no idea how often they run.

sm

[truthergw]

Hi. I have had experience of some of your journey as a non-driver. The nearest Euro-Star Stop is Lille and is not far, distance wise but is awkward, from a public transport point of view. You are, as it were, travelling across country. As has been said, You will have to go from the Euro station in Lille to the local station, about 10-15 minutes walk. Train to Lens and then probably a taxi to Dud Corner which is the largest cemetery and holds the monument to those with no known graves. It is also within walking distance of another small cemetery across the fields. Loos battlefield is several miles long from the canal to Lens so you will not be able to cover much of it before it is time to get your way back to Lens then retrace your train journey. Obviously, it would make a big difference if you travelled to Lens the evening before and got a full day before returning. There are lots of villages and these will all have buses to and from Lens so a bit of homework, contact with the Mairie of Lens etc. would pay dividends.

Edit: One small point. There is another Loos quite near Lille. The Loos we are interested in is Loos en Gohelle.

[59165]

Dad,

Tom's made a good point but also,how is your French?

If your asking a taxi bloke to take you to Loos,remember to call it 'loss'.

ps.For Lens,say it like it was the 1st 4 letters in Lonsdale with a soft 'n'.

You really need to stay over a night,I think.

Good luck,

Dave.

[montbrehain]

OR put a call out on the forum and ask if you could perhaps tag along with somebody else who is going over and make a long weekend of it . Obviously you would have to share the costs , but it would be worth it. you may be surprised by the result . "MO"

[angelab]

Well, if you brush up your French you could find this website useful about the bus services in the Nord and Pas de Calais.

I fed in a request for bus services from Lens to Loos en Gohelle on an arbitrary day, and there seem to be quite a few here.

Angela

[gilles]

Bonjour

it is possible ( i do it )

i am going to london in a one day but:

** in train "eurostar London/ lille europe

** in lille take a other train in lille flandres to go LENS

in Lens it is possible for me to meet you i go in loos en gohelle ....

Eurostar is very expensive for a french tourist one day in one day in london perhaps for you it is less expensive ....

gilles loos

see a website

[angelab]

Also, Dad, you might want to take in the interesting WW1 museum in Loos-en-Gohelle (behind the town hall). It's called the "Musee 1914-1918 Alexandre Villedieu"; here is its website. You need to call in advance, as the visits are always guided I think; there is at least one guide who speaks English, so you can ask for a visit in English if necessary.

Angela

[truthergw]

I think Gilles is connected with the Museum.

[At Home Dad]

Hallo, all!

Thanks for the various information, very helpful.

I'll be looking into all your suggestions

Many thanks!

Kind regards

[Tom A McCluskey]

Hi AHD,

Like several others that have posted, I reckon that Loos is not one of the easiest places to see without some form of organised transport. It may be the case that some local members of the Western Front Association would be willing to take you along, if they have an organised trip. Additionally, I have noticed the London Regiments (TA) seem to have organised trips to Loos, so they may have a bus with spare capacity (about September time). The nearest big town to Loos [en-Gohelle] is Lens, which I have never stayed in...nor fancied staying in. I would usually stay in Arras, if in this area. It is a difficult one as tourism has never really hit this old industrial mining area of France. I think it may be the case that an organised bus trip could be on; or possibly even a car journey could be arranged with family/associates/neighbours/other interested parties.

Anyway, good luck, all the best, and I hope you manage to get across to Loos.

Aye

Tom McC

[Cliff Rumsey]

Hi Ahd

I am planning a day trip to Loos on 16 April. I cannot Im afraid offer you transport on this occasion as I have a full vehicle.

But I am researching how to make the most of the visit and Paul Reed has an excellent 'Loos in a day' tour on this website. We travel from Sevenoaks Kent using Eurotunnel and a car and for us it is going to be a very full day.

I think the main problem is not so much getting to Loos en Gohelle but then taking in all the sites which are spread primarily North and West of Loos en Gohelle. Having spent 3 hours already preparing my route using a car (website/maps/google etc) I cannot but think it will be difficult and expensive using a french taxi.

Once I have undertaken this trip I will know more but I may be able to offer you transport (no promises) at some later date. To keep the costs per person down its best to fill the car. Eurotunnel and fuel is about £100 a trip total cost.

Perhaps you can pm me if you want to know more.

[At Home Dad]

Thanks for that kind offer, Cliff!

I have however found a sure fire way to do the trip now!

I dont know why I didn't think of it before.

I happened, in an unrelated conversation with Working Mum

(who is thoroughly uninterested in War and related 'man' things),

to slip in the fact about the supposed good shopping at Lille......

I teased her with a vocal "le bon cho-ping" and a reminder

of how much she actually enjoys a croq m'sieur .......

It has a timer delay fuse, this one.

Next day, managed to 'get caught' looking at hotels for my stay.

And pointed out the nice looking restaurants.

Mother Nature did the rest tonight.

We'll be driving over on the 26th,

I'll be wreath laying on the 27th

Women! Dont ya jus' LOVE EM!

Kind regards, all!

[n cherry]

Good luck...Gilles does work at the Museum and if you get the time see if someone from there will drive you up the Double Crassier for the panoramic views it does cost a few euros however but well worth it.....the area is not really as you ask 'overrun with tourists!'

[At Home Dad]

Thank you.

Depending on time allowances, I may get to see Gilles and the Museum

and seeing as this is the area my GGF was killed, I'd like to have a

peaceful wander.

Just one other question to throw out. Is iot ok if I place and leave

a wreath on the grave/headstone? Just a simple British Legion poppy

wreath with a small photo of the gentleman himself.

I dont know if that is acceptable or what in France and with the War Graves.

I'm coming from an English point of view where it would not surprise me to read

that some local council has banned the placing of anything remotely offensive

to others or maybe a fire hazard with health & safety!

Thanks again for all the advice.

Kind regards

Good luck...

[truthergw]

When you get there you will see that leaving a wreath is common. I would just warn you, the Loos battlefield is very big and apart from the cemeteries in and around, is an enormous flat expanse of farmland. Do your homework and take a map with areas of interest marked on it.