UK Connection

Day One: London

On arrival at your London Airport, you will be met by your UK Connection Representative and transferred to your London accommodation. Depending upon arrival times there may be time for a self-guided, walking orientation tour of the area around your accommodation (see Accommodation Choices) followed by dinner at a choice of centrally located restaurants.

Day Two: London Sightseeing

A full day Guided Sightseeing Tour by Coach.

Your tour of England's capital city will take you past many of London's most famous monuments - the Houses of Parliament with Big Ben, Downing Street, Trafalgar Square with the statue of Lord Nelson, Pall Mall and much more. Extended stops are made at: the magnificent Gothic Westminster Abbey which has been the site of every coronation since 1066; Buckingham Palace and Changing of the Guard to witness the Queen's Foot Guard in their red tunics and bearskins marching to the accompaniment of a military band; you will enjoy a walk around bustling Covent Garden the former fruit market now a piazza lined with shops, street entertainers; City of London to earn about the Great Fire of 1666 the Bank of England and the home of the Lord Mayor, The Mansion House and on to Sir Christopher Wren's masterpiece, St Paul's Cathedral.

Dinner this evening in a central London restaurant or at your accommodation.

Day Three: The Imperial War Museum

To support your studies about the World War One Battlefields, this morning we visit the Imperial War Museum. The Imperial War Museum is unique in its coverage of conflicts, especially those involving Britain and the Commonwealth, from the First World War to the present day. It seeks to provide for, and to encourage, the study and understanding of the history of modern war and 'war-time experience'. It founded in 1917 to record the story of the Great War and the contributions made to it by the peoples of the Empire but now covers all aspects of international conflict up to the present day.

This afternoon we visit the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms. In 1984 the Cabinet War Rooms were opened to the public as a branch of the War Museum. The War Rooms are an underground complex that had been used as a command centre by the British government throughout the Second World War. Located beneath the Treasury building in the Whitehall area of Westminster, the facilities were constructed before the war in anticipation of extremely destructive aerial bombing of London. They became operational in 1939 and were in constant operation for the duration of the war. All visitors are provided with a free personal Acoustiguide sound guide, available in English (adult, family and visually impaired versions), French, German, Italian, Spanish, Hebrew, Dutch and Mandarin.

Tonight, after dinner, you have a seat for one of London's top a West End plays such as The Lion King, Oliver, or Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat.

NB You have total flexibility on the excursions and entrances you include in your London stay. See London Tours for further suggestions and ideas. We will be pleased to quote for any 'tailor-made' tour.

Day Four: London to The WW1 Battlefields

Leave London this morning for a short 2 hours drive to Folkestone to catch the Eurotunnel train to Calais. Onward drive to Ypres.

Begin your study this afternoon with a visit to the excellent Flanders Field Exhibition located in the reconstructed Cloth Hall in the centre of Ypres. The Museum provides an imaginative and often interactive insight into the strategic position Ypres occupied throughout several major battles at the commencement of World War One.

This evening, after dinner, you will witness the extremely moving Last Post Ceremony performed even evening without fail by the fire service of Ypres at the Menin Gate to honour the fallen of the GreatWar.

Dinner and overnight in or around Ypres.

Day Five: The Somme

Begin your explorations this morning with a visit to the awesome crater at Lochnager and on to Delville Wood, sometimes known as Devil's Wood, and scene of some of the most ferocious fighting of thewar. On to the Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and their allies. On, via the Ulster Tower, to the Newfoundland Memorial Park and one of the best preserved battlefield sites at Beaumont Hamel, a memorial site dedicated to the commemoration of Dominion of Newfoundland forces members who were killed during World War I. The Battle of the Somme was the regiment's first major engagement and during an assault that lasted approximately 30 minutes was all but wiped out.

Dinner and overnight in or around Ypres

Day Six:

Today's studies begin at Sanctuary Wood and the museum at Zillebeke, two of the best places to see re-constructed trenches. On to the awesomely moving Tyne Cot Cemetery and Memorial. The largest cemetery in Belgium with the names of over 35,000 soldiers, many identified and many hundreds more "Known only to God". On to the much more austere German Cemetery at Langemarck.

Dinner and overnight in or around Ypres.

Day Seven: Ypres and home

For those returning to London, the possibility to visit Vimy Ridge, still officially Canadian soil, with wonderfully preserved trenches and underground tunnel system.

For those returning from France, a short transfer to Charles de Gaulle Airport and your return flight home.

Highlights:

• Buckingham Palace and the Changing of the Guards
• St James Park and Whitehall
• London Sightseeing Tour
• Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament
• Hampton Court Palace
• Windsor Castle
• A West End Show
• London Shopping
• In Flanders Field Museum
• Last Post Ceremony at The Menin Gate
• Thiepval and Tyne Cot Cemeteries and Memorials
• The Battlefields of Ypres and the Somme

Your Programme Includes:

• 7 days Travel by Executive Coach
• 6 nights Full Board accommodation (see Accommodation Choices) with continental breakfast, packed lunch and evening meal.
• Students in multi-bedded rooms. Adults in twins.
• Excursions and entrances as set out in the Itinerary.

And what is extra?

• Single rooms. Prices vary with accommodation and will be quoted on request.
• Drinks with meals other than breakfast. NB a drink is provided in packed lunches and tap water will be provided with evening meals.
• Any excursions or entrances not included in the itinerary.
• Tips to Drivers and Guide/Couriers.
• Personal spending money.

Accommodation choices

HOSTELS AND STUDENT RESIDENCES
The cheapest option, our hostels are chosen for their safety and cleanliness and to offer simple, no-frills accommodation. They vary in design and style but basically offer multi-bedded, single gender dormitories for students almost invariably in bunk beds for between 4 and 12 students. Adults are usually accommodated in separate twins and triple rooms. Single rooms are limited and strictly subject to availability. Some hostels offer rooms with en-suite WC's and/or showers but not all. In others there are always sufficient shared single-gender communal facilities. Meals are served, usually self-service or buffet style in their own dining rooms. Packed lunches are provided every day. Most hostels have space in the evening suitable for study purposes.

HOTELS
We work with a range of Tourist Class 2 and 3 Star standard hotels. They invariably offer simple, clean rooms for 2-4 students, all rooms with private bathrooms and TV. Adults are accommodated in Twin Rooms with limited singles available at a supplement. All Hotels provide a continental breakfast but many do not provide evening meals, which are therefore booked in private restaurants. Packed lunches, provided by the hotel or a professional service, are collected from the hotel every morning. Study space is often limited and may only be available at a charge, quoted on request.

Château du Baffy
In the main Château there is an attractive dining room overlooking the gardens, and a comfortable teachers' lounge with bar service. The Villa Mathilde, 50m away, has its own dining room, which can be used as a classroom, a games room and a sun terrace. The Château is set in attractive grounds. There is a playing field nearby in the village. The beach resort of Courseulles is 6km away.

The two premises each accommodate one full coach party. The main Château building has 17 rooms divided over 2 floors. The Villa Mathilde has 16 rooms divided over 2 floors in two sections. Students are usually accommodated in 2-4 bedded rooms with some larger rooms sleeping 4-8. Bedrooms are decorated to a high standard and have private facilities.