Battlefields Forum / Tour Discussion / Battle of the Bulge / Going in September / Latest Posts

RE: Going in September

phil — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 19:57:58 GMT

Cheers for that Harmat.

Sounds good, and yes Bill is very good, he was the guide when i did Arnhem and the Rhine crossings tour.

Will probably go early next summer.

Cheers Phil...

RE: Going in September

harmat — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 08:19:27 GMT

I have been on the Fortress Europe tour as well, probably about 3 or 4 years ago.

We stayed at a little village called Lo, which is just inside Belgium. From memory the hotel was family run and used to be an old monastery. The food was lovely and is set meal for a very reasonable price. The grounds of the hotel are also stunning. The bar is well stocked with local beers/wines, they even a library full of mainly war related books.

There is a church next door to the hotel, but to be quite honest not much else. As I have mentioned it is very scenic and a good village to stroll around at night although you are limited to hotel as to where you eat (which is not a bad thing).

The trips you will take are also very good indeed, visiting Dunkirk and V1/V2 sites, the Atlantic wall museum near Oostende and the Museum Todt (plus many others). I hope you enjoy the trips as much as I did there is certainly plenty to see. As it is so close to Calais (about 30 minutes drive) it is also a good place to visit at your own leisure, should you have the opportunity.

On our trip we had Bill McQuade as our guide who is 1st class.

Have a great time.

RE: Going in September

phil — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 21:26:16 GMT

Hi Harmat, no we were too tired at the end of the day to go walk about, although Liege did look a very nice city.

The guide, Jim Rutter arranged with the restaurant next door to the hotel to provide the Leger guests with a three course set menu for 20 euro a head. Most of us took advantage of this.

I am looking at the Dunkirk and Fortress Europe tour as my next one. If anyone has been on this, any tips or comments would be very useful.

Cheers Phil...

RE: Going in September

harmat — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 07:42:26 GMT

Many thanks for the write up Phil.

Did you manage to venture into Liege at all for a meal ? I hope the traveling was not too bad.

RE: Going in September

Pegasus — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 18:50:39 GMT

Nice report Phil.THANKS.

Ed.

RE: Going in September

phil — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 21:27:40 GMT

Hi all, had a great trip on the bulge tour just recently.

Jim Rutter was the guide, and many thanks to him for his in depth knowledge.

The Hotel used on this tour is of a very good standard, Holiday Inn Liege. Jim arranged a "Leger special" dinner on the second night for 20 euro a head at the adjoining Congress Hall restaurant, very nice and good value.

The rooms at this hotel are extra large, similar to those one would get in a hotel in the states. Breakfast also very good, extended continental style, with bacon, sausage and scrambled egg. Early breakfast from 6.30 onwards. Hotel bar does happy hour 5pm till 7pm!

First day of outings covers the northern section of the German offensive, and the second day covers the southern section.

Loads of interesting stops on the way, both days we set off at 8.30am and we were out till 5.30pm on day one and 6.30pm on day two. Although not open yet, there will be a new exhibition hall opening December 17th at Baugnez, right next to the actual site of the Malmedy massacre. It was in its final stages of completion only last week. There is in my opinion a rather eerie feeling about this meadow for obvious reasons, when you visit there you may feel it as well.

Lunch stops at Stavelot on day one, and Bastogne on day two. Some basic school day french is needed at the eateries on the lunch stops so as to get the right order!

Jim was on hand to advise on the best ones, best value etc.

Very helpful Leger drivers, good info videos on the journey, all in all a great trip!

Thanks again to the drivers for stopping at PJs on the way back, i recouped half of my tour cost in the savings made on "duty frees"!

Return ferry was delayed at Calais, no fault of Legers. PO ferry fault, ship needed re fueling and the Calais staff were late in arranging it, or so the captain said!

Having done now two tours by executive coach and two by silver service, i can only say that silver service wins hands down, and is worth the extra.

Cheers Leger, and will be looking to book my next one soon!

Cheers Phil...

RE: Going in September

harmat — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 14:15:22 GMT

HI Chris

Leger tend to use the same ferry crossing times coming back. You should arrive back in blighty for about 2.30pm if memory serves me correctly. I could be wrong on this though. I will check for you tonight.

Regards

Matt

RE: Going in September

Chris Barton — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 10:36:11 GMT

Hi Harmat - you mentioned on the last day of your Bulge Tour you had an early (8am?) start? Was that so you got back to Calais for around lunchtime and back to the UK fairly early?

The only reason I ask is that once at Dover (going on the Bulge tour at the end of October) I have a 6 hour trip back to my pickup point (Lake District) ... but if I leave the coach at the pickup point prior to the one I should take I can then get a train home - so working out the times etc...if you can remember when you got back to the UK that would be a great help.

Cheers.

RE: Going in September

phil — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 20:43:46 GMT

Cheers Matt, Im really looking forward to the Bulge tour.

I think the standard of the hotels can sometimes play a plus point to the tour, or a minus occasionally.

I agree, the Clarine used on the Normandy tours isnt really anything special. The breakfast is fine, but evening meals leave a lot to be desired. But its ok room wise , as we dont spend too much time in them, due to a very busy itinerary.

For anyone due to take a Leger Normandy tour, and staying at the Clarine, i would strongly recommend the Buffalo Steakhouse that is right next door. Its always full of locals, and does superb Berni Inn type dinners at very reasonable cost. The Caen locals are very friendly towards Brit visitors, as Richard Bass told me, and true his words.

For the journeys home that travel through Belgium. As a part time smoker, i do appreciate the Leger drivers making a stop at the cheap ciggie , booze and chocolate outlet.

I can virtually save the price of my Leger trip, with British duty free savings!

Long may this practise continue! (Cheers Leger!)

Look forward to reading your next trip report.

Cheers Phil...

RE: Going in September

harmat — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 14:41:00 GMT

Hi Phil

No worries. From memory (not what it once was) the itineraries are not too taxing and you should be back in the hotel at around 6pm, so there should be time for a swim. The last day sees an alarm call at about 7am for a 8am start.

Many thanks for the link. I have been to most of the hotels except the Mouscron one. Generally the hotels that Leger use are of a good standard for the price of the holidays. I must admit I did not like the Hotel Clarine and I know that you were not over keen on the German hotel on the Rhine crossings tour.

Hope you enjoy the trip, the museums you will visit are really good. If you have any other questions then just let me know.

Regards

Matt

RE: Going in September

phil — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 18:42:09 GMT

Hi Matt, cheers for that. Must admit the hotel does get very good reports on www.tripadvisor.com and i notice it has an indoor swimming pool.

I would love to take a dip, but i know the battlefield itineraries in general , tend to start soon after breakfast , and end around evening meal time.

Is the bulge tour similiar in schedule? Eg, great days out, but could do with an early night at the end?

Also, on the return trip back, what approx time did your tour start the journey back to Calais?

The earliest start time i have had back so far , was on Arnhem and Rhine Crossings tour , when i think we were on the road back at 06.15hrs.

Your info is much appreciated, and if you go to the trip advisor website, you can read my opinions on the hotels that i have stayed in on my battlefield trips so far.

Hotel Clarine, Caen. Hotel Golden Tulip, Arnhem. Hotel Landhaus Westerwald,Ehlscheid. And just recently the Hotel Alize,Mouscron.

Winskill is my posting name on that site.

Cheers, Phil...

RE: Going in September

harmat — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 14:37:28 GMT

Hi Phil,

Time for me to return the favour ! I went on the tour about 2 years ago, and really enjoyed it.

The journey to the hotel is a bit of a treck, from what I recall we got to the hotel at about 10.30pm. I can not remember if we stopped off for dinner, but there will of course be 'comfort breaks'. I usually get a Burger at Dover which keeps me going until the end of the day.

The Hotel itself is lovely (it is a city style, tower block hotel) and overlooks the Meurse river. The Bar is wonderful with a wide selection of Belgian (proper) beer. Recommendation: ask for the beer called Kwak. When I was there they even had vending machines selling alcohol in the hotel.

I am not sure about the set 3 course Leger meal as myself and the good lady opted for walking into Leige city centre which is 10 minutes away. They have a wide range of eating establishments, and in my view is well worth the short walk. The breakfast was of the continental kind, the type that you must of experienced on other tours. They also serve bacon, sausage and beans and was of a good standard.

The guide we had was Jim Rutter who I believe does most of tours down to the Bulge.

Like yourself I seem to be addicted to the trips, I go on the 23rd of this month and it will be my 8th. I also went with Leger last month and am going again in August.

I hope you have a wonderful time.

Regards

Matt

Going in September

phil — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 19:21:53 GMT

Hi all, i am booked on this tour, executive coach with the front two seats option taken.

I note from the brochure, that this tour uses the Holiday Inn, Liege, Belgium.

If anyone has stayed there, any comments would be of help.

Also, i know its a fair way from Calais, what time would we (all going well) get to the hotel? Do we stop on the way for a snack?

Does the hotel lay on a good breakfast spread?

Does the hotel lay on a "Leger dinner special" eg, a set 3 course evening meal, or is the restaurant " a la carte" as such?

This will be the fourth Leger battlefields tour i have done in less than a year. I think they are the best thing since sliced bread!

I have found all of the Leger drivers superb, and the guides likewise. Richard Bass, Bill McQuade and Paul Reed all amazing.

Any idea, who the guide may be for this trip?

Any help, most welcome, cheers Phil...