Mike Hodgson
Battlefield Tours

The Tours

The touring days will usually open with an introductory talk, describing the battles in the area to be visited. We shall then set off to visit such things as preserved trenches, craters, pill-boxes and other remnants of the fighting, cemeteries and memorials with a commentary by the guide at each stop. An important part of each tour will be finding the exact locations of the trenches and 'walking the battlefields' nearby, often finding souvenirs of the fighting.

Long walks are not obligatory; you can stroll near the coach or even stay inside it and rest if you wish. Visits will also be made to museums. None of our plans are rigid. Every effort is made to visit individual cemeteries or battle sites you would like to see within the tour area, but please give plenty of notice of your wishes.

We are able to assist you with the location of individual graves, and advise you whether the cemetery is within the tour area or directly alongside routes from ports to hotels.

Hotels and Meals

The tours are normally based at family run hotels in small towns in the heart of the battlefield areas, providing easy access to the places we want to visit and with a minimum of drving during the touring days. All hotels have private facilities. The fare for the tour will include breakfast each morning and dinner each evening. Unless otherwise indicated mid-day meals, wine, coffee and other extras in the hotel or at coffee stops are not included in the fare, neither are meals and snacks taken on the coach/ferry route on the two transit days.

Coach Transport

We travel in a comfortable Mercedes coach. From past experience the relatively small group of visitors rapidly becomes one party of friends; you will meet people from many backgrounds but all united by their interest in the battlefields. Because the coach starts from Boston (Lincolnshire) some visitors will be able to join the tour at Boston or at other places well north of London at a considerable saving in travel and hotel expenses.

Reasonably priced overnight accommodation and car parking at Boston can be arranged for those who travel from the North, and advice on car parking at other pickup points is available.

Deposits, Final Payments and Cancellations

You will be asked to pay a deposit of £60 when you book your tour; this secures your place on the tour but is non-returnable in the event of your deciding to cancel the tour. The balance of the tour charge will be payable six weeks before the tour departs. If you have to cancel after making your final payment, the following refund will be made:

We reserve the right to cancel any tour in the unlikely event that it does not become booked to 60 per cent of its capacity by three weeks before departure; you will be advised of any cancellation and all your payments will be returned.

Customer Protection

In accordance with EU regulations for the protection of package tour customers' payments, both your deposit and final payment will be lodged in a Trust Account at Lloyds Bank, Boston and cannot be touched by me until the tour is concluded.

Insurance and Passports

Medical insurance is NOT included in the price of the tour. After you book, we will give you advice on how to obtain EU or private cover. The most common claim on private insurance policies is for cancellation by customers and you are recommended to purchase this cover if you have any doubts about your health or demands by work or family which may cause you to cancel at a later date. Passports will be required on all tours.

Smoking Policy

Our tours are 'non-smoking' and customers are expected not to smoke in the coach, at meals, or at any time while they are in close contact with other members of the tour party.