A chance to visit some of the major memorials to the WW1 battles, ride some fantastic roads in the Ardennes region of Belgium and see some fabulous castles in Luxembourg.

Following your early morning arrival at Calais we’ll ride into the Picardie region of France where we’ll visit the Somme 1916 Museum at Albert where you can descend into the underground passages to discover what life was like in the trenches. We visit the Newfoundland Memorial Park, one of the few areas on the Western Front where the ground has been left untouched since the end of the War. We continue to the Canadian Memorial at Vimy Ridge, taken in 1917, and then ride up to Ypres in Belgium where we visit the Menin Gate, the Memorial to the British and Commonwealth troops, where close on 55,000 names are engraved.  Staying overnight in the town centre allows us to attend the Last Post ceremony, held every evening at 8.00pm, before dinner in our hotel. 

Day two we continue into the Ardennes region of Belgium, riding fast sweepers and twisty forest roads before arriving at La Roche en Ardennes for our second night. The energetic amongst you can climb up to the castle; make sure you also catch a glimpse of this lit up by night. Our hotel is situated in the lovely town centre where there are many local restaurants and you’ll have a choice of over 700 Belgian beers to choose from!

The next day we ride into Luxembourg along some fabulous roads, with a photo shoot at yet another castle at Viandan. Riding through Petite Suisse Luxembourg we then cross back into France heading to Verdun, the scene of the longest single battle in World War 1. The fighting lasted over 300 days and resulted in over 700,000 casualties. A primary reason for the British starting the Battle of the Somme in 1916 was to take the German pressure off the French at Verdun.  The Mausoleum holds the remains of 130,000 unknown French and German soldiers. There will be time to visit the Memorial Centre, Douaumont Fort and the Mausoleum before continuing on to Sedan, the site of Europe’s largest medieval castle. Our hotel is directly opposite the castle and dinner is served in its’ superb restaurant – wild boar is the house speciality and is highly recommended!

The last day we ride some more fantastic roads, criss-crossing the France / Belgium border, stopping for coffee in a town with a “Star Shaped Fortification”, riding the starting grid of the “Circuit Chimay” racetrack and taking in lunch before heading back to the port of Calais (or other agreed departure point) for your early evening return crossing to the UK.

This will be a fully escorted bike trip from the moment you arrive at the port of Calais (or tunnel). It will be run at a moderate pace and with a maximum of fourteen bikes. The routes have been extensively researched and as we always stop every hour & a half for coffee, lunch or fuel any pillions will not be too long in the saddle. As we use a tried & tested “drop-off” marker system with a tail-end rider there is no need for you to refer to road books or maps.

We will stay in small, independent hotels, all with plenty of character, biker friendly and all centrally located.

Price £445 per person – this includes:-

• Four day fully escorted tour led by experienced British guides – who speak French.
• Hotel accommodation with breakfasts for 3 nights in a shared room with en-suite facilities*
• Evening meals with wine on 2 nights
• Transportation of luggage
• Tour Information Pack (to include itinerary, hotels, explanation of marker system, contact details etc.)

* Single room supplement £125

Your ferry crossing, any entry fees and meals / drinks other than as stated above are not included.

A deposit of £95 per person is payable upon booking with the balance payable 8 weeks before departure.

We’ll need a minimum of 10 guests to run this Tour.

All Terms & Conditions relating to Bike Normandy Tours apply to all bookings.