A classic road trip to the WWI battlefields and Ypres

A leisurely weekend drive in your classic car is always a huge pleasure. Sometimes, however, you might long for some more adventurous classic motoring.

A tour of the WW1 battlefields of France and Belgium ticks a lot of boxes. For one thing, it makes for a fascinating and incredibly moving experience. You will learn so much about the long and arduous campaign of attrition fought by Britain and her Allies against Germany across the Western Front. You will also pay your own tribute to the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who gave up their lives during the conflict.

You can make an enjoyable trip of it, too, spending four or five nights in the region. French and Belgian cuisine and hospitality is generally of a high standard, and the route takes you through some beautiful and lively modern towns such as Arras, Amiens and Ypres.

And the best part? Your insurance for your classic car with Lancaster will cover you for up to 90 days travel in the EU.

Getting to the battlefields

Your best bet for reaching the WWI battlefields is to take your classic car and board either a cross-channel ferry from Dover to Calais, or the Eurotunnel train shuttle service from Folkestone to Calais.

From Calais, you can head south down the A26 toll road towards the city of Arras. This drive will take just over an hour.

Canadian National Vimy Memorial

A little before you reach Arras, you’ll pass the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. Commemorating all Canadian service personnel killed between 1914 and 1918, the Memorial is built on the Vimy Ridge, scene of one of the most successful (although costly) Canadian offensives of the war. Consisting of two huge white limestone columns, engraved with the names of those still missing, it’s a powerful place to visit.

Top tip

As you drive through France, look for the road signs with a poppy logo. These direct you off the main road towards interesting or important World War sites – towns, graveyards, battlefields, memorials and museums.

Arras

Arras and its hinterland was the scene for various WWI battles – most famously the 1917 Battle of Arras, which lasted just over a month and claimed the lives of some 285,000 soldiers. On the front line of the conflict, Arras was largely destroyed – however, it was sensitively and successfully rebuilt after the war. You’ll find plenty of restaurants and cafes grouped around and between Arras’ two main squares, the Place des Heroes and the Grand'Place.

While you’re in Arras it’s worth visiting the Carrière Wellington (Wellington Tunnels), a short drive across town from the centre. The warren of tunnels underneath the town date from Medieval times, and were later used to hide some 24,000 troops before the Battle of Arras.

They can be visited on a guided tour, which you’ll need to book ahead.

Thiepval Memorial and Beamount-Hamel: the Somme remembered

South west of Arras, you’ll be entering the area that witnessed some of the deadliest fighting of the whole war: the Battle of the Somme, from July to November 1916.

For the British in particular, the Somme has come to represent the huge and tragic losses, the heroism and yet the apparent futility of the First World War. More than three million men fought in the battle, of whom one million were wounded or killed, making it one of the deadliest battles in human history. The result was indecisive, although the Allies did win back some seven miles’ worth of territory.

The best way to experience something of the battle is to take a walk through the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial Park, just 30 minutes’ drive from Arras. This place commemorates the Newfoundland Regiment, the Canadian regiment that was almost entirely wiped out in fighting at the village of Beaumont-Hamel on 1st July 1916, the battle’s very first day. Tragically, some 80% of the Newfoundlands were injured or killed in an attack on German lines.

Today, the scene of that assault is the largest section of naturally preserved battlefields throughout the Somme region. There’s no place like it for getting a feel for the battle – including how frighteningly close the two sides were to each other.

Some 15 minutes’ drive further on you will come to the village of Thiepval, site of the justly famous Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme. This awesome monument, designed by the celebrated British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, commemorates the roughly 72,000 British and South African soldiers who died in the various Battles of the Somme between 1915 and 1918.

Amiens and beyond

Continuing south from Thiepval you’ll come to the handsome city of Amiens, which saw – in the war’s final year – one of its most ferocious battles. The 100-day Battle of Amiens changed the course of the war and also hastened its end.

Today’s city, however, is a relaxing and beautifully maintained place, home to a wonderful Gothic cathedral (miraculously unscathed from the battle) and many elegant streets and riverside restaurants.

The route from Amiens to another hallowed destination, Verdun, is likely to be the longest single day’s journey you’ll take on your trip. But it’s well worth it as, on the way, you can take in the Clairière de l'Armistice (Glade of the Armistice), a national memorial built around a forest clearing where Germany and the Allies sat down and agreed to stop fighting. Beside the monument itself you’ll find a museum telling the story of the armistice, and including a replica of the very train carriage where the signing took place.

Top tip

The city of Reims makes a great pit stop as you travel from Amiens to Verdun, as – being a large, historic city with tourism centred on another stunning cathedral – it is packed with great places to stop and eat. There is affordable on-street parking, or some larger car parks if spaces are hard to find. We know that your classic car, protected with insurance for a classic car, is your pride and joy – and you may prefer a large, spacious car park to a tight city-centre space.

Verdun

The town of Verdun will make a good overnight stay after your long drive. While there you can visit the Verdun Memorial, which is dedicated to the memory of those who fought in the Battle of Verdun. The longest battle of the whole war, Verdun probably saw the deaths of around 300,000 people, with a further 600,000 wounded. The French Army finally managed to defend their town, but sustained huge losses in the process. The battle had a huge effect on the direction the war would take, as France had been so depleted that Britain had to take a leading role from then on.

Top tip

Attached to the Memorial is an excellent museum, which tells you all you need to know about the battle and other key locations in the area. A virtual tour takes you through the battlefields and the day-to-day lives of soldiers in the trenches.

Into Belgium

Mons

From Verdun, head over the border into Belgium (all you’ll see at the border is a road sign) and make for the city of Mons, some 10 miles beyond the border. Apart from being a delightful city to visit, with an elegant Grand Place centred on an ornate Hotel de Ville (Town Hall), the city is also home to the Mons Memorial Museum. This museum provides a very thorough story of how Mons found itself at the centre of events during WWI, including the Battle of Mons – the British Army’s first major military action of the war. The museum then reveals what life was like for its natives under German occupation until the end of the War, when it was liberated by Canadian forces.

Near the city, you’ll want to take in the cemetery of Saint-Symphorien, which is rather unique among the many war cemeteries in this part of the world. For one thing, Saint-Symphorien contains graves of both British and German soldiers killed in the Battle of Mons, in almost equal numbers. Extending this all-embracing atmosphere, the cemetery also places soldiers of all ranks together, so that an undecorated private will be found next to a Victoria Cross holder.

Notable graves include those of John Parr, believed to be the war’s first British military casualty, killed in August 1914. Just opposite Parr lies George Ellison, believed to be the last British soldier killed, dying just 90 minutes before the Armistice. Nearby are the remains of George Price, the last Commonwealth soldier to die, a tragic two minutes before the Armistice.

Mons to Ypres

The next city on the tour will be a familiar name to anyone with even a passing knowledge of WWI history. The beautiful city of Ypres was the location for a series of key engagements between the Germans and the Allies, during which casualties may well have passed the one million mark.

Unsurprisingly given its pivotal role in the story of the war, the modern city of Ypres has dedicated itself to remembering the conflict and those who died in it. It’s home, for example, to the evocatively named In Flanders Fields Museum, housed in the city’s beautiful Medieval Cloth Hall. This museum tells an exhaustive story of what war was like in this region of Flanders.

Ypres would also make a good place to spend a few hours kicking back, relaxing and giving your mind a break from the war. Yes, Great War history is all around you – but Ypres also has some wonderful architecture, moreish chocolate shops, cosy cafes and picturesque riverside walks.

Top tip

It’s worth staying overnight in Ypres, so you can witness The Last Post. This takes place at 8pm every evening at the city’s Menin Gate, a great stone archway that honours British and Commonwealth soldiers killed in action in the trenches around Ypres. Volunteer buglers stand underneath the Gate and sound the Last Post in memory of all those lives lost. It’s a simple yet hugely moving ceremony.

Tyne Cot Cemetery

You may feel you’ve got the measure of the World War I cemeteries by now but, trust us, when you reach the extraordinary cemetery known as Tyne Cot, you will be taken aback.

What will strike you is the sheer scale of the place: Tyne Cot features almost 12,000 pure white headstones all laid out in beautiful symmetry, while its Memorial to the Missing wall lists a further 35,000 names. Many of the graves commemorate those who fell at the notorious First Battle of Passchendaele in 1917, one of the most devastating individual battles of the entire conflict.

As well as taking in the quiet, solemn majesty of the ranks of tombstones, we would recommend looking in at the visitor centre. This small but effective display introduces the Tyne Cot cemetery and how it came about (it gets its name from the Northumberland Fusiliers, many of whom are buried here, and who likened the nearby German pill boxes to Tyneside workers' cottages, or ‘Tyne cots’). The visitor centre also features some very moving letters from loved ones to the soldiers fighting on the Western Front.

Top tip

Tyne Cot is a busy tourist attraction so, if you can, time your visit for the late afternoon or early morning. As with most sites run by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, parking is free.

Advice on driving in France and Belgium

When driving in France and Belgium, as in any foreign country, you’ll need a valid Great Britain or Northern Ireland driving licence with you at all times. You’ll also need your vehicle log book (V5C) and your classic car insurance certificate. You won’t need a green card for EU travel.

Be aware, though, that British motorists heading for Continental Europe must now cover or remove their GB sticker, and either replace it with a UK sticker or display a new-style number plate with ‘UK’ and the Union flag displayed.

It’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with the laws around driving in both France and Belgium.

Classic car insurance for the road ahead

Wherever you and your classic decide to go together, whether in the UK or abroad, we can find you the specialist classic car cover you require.

Contact us today to find out more.

Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may very between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. Information contained within this article is accurate at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.