Retreat from Mons
About the tour: Retreat from Mons
Tour Introduction
Mons witnessed the opening shots of the First World War: travel with us as we follow the story of the ‘Old Contemptibles’ including a visit to the key battlefield of Nery.
Tour Includes
- 4 nights hotel with continental breakfast
- Specialist Battlefields Guide
- Local joining points
We offer flexible payment options
Once you have booked your battlefield tour either online, or by telephone (), you have the flexibility of how you pay off the remainder of your balance. You can -
- Use our balance payment facility online to make and track your card payments. You can pay as much as you want up until your final due date or pay it all, the choice is yours.
- Send payments via online banking.
- Send payments via cheque.
- Call us and make a card payment, either a small amount or as lump sum until your final due date.
Our contact and online banking payment details will be on your confirmation invoice to remind you of your choices.
Tour Itinerary
For customers living outside of the UK, if you want to make a booking you will need to provide a UK postcode on our online booking system. If you are not able to provide a relevant UK postcode then you can enter the postcode for London Victoria Coach Station – SW1W 9TP. You should then be able to proceed to complete your booking.
If you do encounter a problem then you can speak to one of our friendly advisors who will be happy to help.
Please Note : After completing your booking, a member of our Customer Service team will be in touch to make sure everything is okay.
Either e-mail our Reservations Department or call on 01709 830 333 and they will check to see whether you can visit a particular cemetery on any of our Battlefield Tours, if we are not able to fit it into our itinerary then you could take some time out of the tour and do this independently by taxi or public transport.
Day 1
Local departure by coach, then to our hotel in Belgium for a two-night stay.
Day 2 - Casteau & Mons
We start on the battlefield at Mons where the very first British shots of the war were fired at Casteau in August 1914, when British and German cavalry clashed here. We then visit the superb Mons War Museum, and from here travel to the unique St Symphorien Cemetery, where British and German soldiers who fell at Mons lay side by side. Here, we also see the graves of the ‘First and Last’ British and Commonwealth casualties on the Western Front. After lunchtime in Mons, we travel along the battlefield where British units fought at Mons, seeing the Bridge at Nimy, where the first two Victoria Crosses were awarded, the station at Obourg defended by the Middlesex Regiment, and the 1914 graves in Mons Communal Cemetery.
Included meals: Breakfast
Nimy Bridge (6)
Key Visits
- St Symphorien Cemetery
- Nimy Bridge
- Mons War Museum
- First Shots Memorial
- Obourg Memorial
- Mons Communal Cemetery
Day 3 - Le Cateau Military Cemetery, Etreux & Nery
Leaving Mons, we follow the route of the ‘Retreat From Mons’ and see the battlefield at Le Cateau, where the British made a stand on 26th August 1914. We visit Le Cateau Cemetery, and the Memorial in the fields where the battle raged around positions held by the Suffolk Regiment. After lunch, we look at the story of the Royal Munster Fusiliers at Etreux, visiting their cemetery and memorial. We continue to follow the route of the Old Contemptibles as they marched towards Paris, and end our day on the battlefield at Nery – one of the classic actions of 1914. Here, British Cavalry and Gunners fought a rear-guard action – one of the guns from the battle is still preserved in the Imperial War Museum. From here we continue to our hotel in Compiegne for a two-night stay.
Included meals: Breakfast
Etreux (3)
Key Visits
- Le Cateau Cemetery
- Etreux
- British Memorial, Le Cateau
- Nery Battlefield
Day 4 - Villers-Cotterets & Vailly sur Aisne
After the Retreat From Mons, the British Army went on to fight in the Battle of the Marne and then the Aisne in September 1914. We begin at the Guards Grave in Villers-Cotterets, where the Guardsmen fought among the trees. We then visit the La Ferte sous Jouarre Memorial, which commemorates all those who died from Mons to the Aisne who have no known grave. We also visit the Royal Engineers memorial on the banks of the Marne river. After lunch at Chateau-Thierry, we move onto the Aisne heights looking at the fighting here, visiting Vailly British Cemetery, and then looking at the British involvement in the actions around Soupir, seeing the churchyard where the Old Contemptibles are buried.
Included meals: Breakfast
Guards Grave, Villers-Cotterets (6)
Key Visits
- La Ferte Sous Jouarre Memorial
- RE Memorial, La Ferte Sous Jouarre
- Guards Grave, Villers-Cotterets
- Vailly British Cemetery
- Soupir Churchyard
Day 5
Return home.
Included meals: Breakfast
Specialist Battlefield Guides
All of Leger’s battlefield tours are accompanied by specialist guides. Their individual in-depth knowledge of warfare will be informative, as well as enhance your overall experience, as they recreate a fascinating perception of the history and factual events of each battle. Discover the actual catalysts for war, the strategies employed and the final, inevitable outcomes, as well as experiencing the emotional human side of the front line.
Please note: On certain tours, you may get tour guides other that the ones listed below.
Hotel
If you prefer, then you can join the tour at the hotel. To do this, we will require a copy of your passport for identification purposes and you must advise us at the time of booking.
No reduction will be given if you should choose to do this.
All hotel rooms benefit from private bathroom facilities.
Some hotels have tea and coffee making facilities. Please check the tour pages for more information or call our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333
Most hotels have a lift, please call our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333 for more information.
Some hotels have ground floor rooms. Please email for information on individual hotels or call our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333.
Your hotels will supply towels in your room.
We are unable to guarantee that the hotel will be able to meet your dietary requirements. We find that the majority of European countries do not generally cater for vegetarians and that the meal supplied may well be what everyone else is having minus the meat.
We will of course endeavour to arrange for a vegetarian meal at the hotel. We do however suggest that you advise us of your dietary requests at the time of booking and recommend that you speak to the receptionist on arrival with regard to your request.
Travel Options
Departure times given for each region are approximate. Please check your travel documents to confirm the actual timings.
Front row seats can be reserved for £14pp (up to 6 days duration), £22pp (7 & 8 days duration) and £25pp (9 days duration and over) on all European tours. In addition to this seats on the second row can be reserved for £7pp (up to 6 days duration), £14pp (7 & 8 days duration) and £15pp (9 days duration and over). This offer is only available for bookings of two or four persons on the front row and is subject to availability. Guaranteed front/second row seats cannot be reserved on feeder journeys to/from the U.K. port. Children under 15 years cannot occupy a front row seat due to French Law. Central view seats are free.
Please note: On some coaches the legroom on front seats may be slightly less than that available on other seats due to the presence of a modesty board in front.
If your tour is cancelled for any reason and front/second row seats are not available on your new tour you will be refunded the supplement. No other compensation will be payable.
Alternatively, we can take seating requests on your booking. However, requests are not guaranteed. All seat numbers are confirmed on travel documents approximately 7-10 days prior to departure.
We guarantee that all passengers on the same booking will be seated together on the main tour coach. Seats on the transfer coaches to and from the U.K. port are not allocated.
Hot and cold drinks are served on the main tour coaches. Prices are approximately £1 or 1.25 Euro per drink. Prices will be confirmed by the driver. Drinks may also be served on the transfer coaches but this is not guaranteed.
Transfer vehicles are routed approximately 2-3 weeks before departure and will depend on where passengers are booked to travel from on any particular date as to which route is taken. If you require further detailed information regarding the route to the port you can contact our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333 two weeks before you are due to travel.
With regard to the route taken by the main tour coach, this is determined by the driver.
All main tour coaches have on-board toilets. Transfer vehicles to and from the U.K. port may not have on-board toilets. When non-British coaches are used on transfers and tours (air holidays only) an on-board toilet may not be available. However, comfort stops will be made during long journeys.
All coaches feature air-conditioning. Should the air-conditioning system break down for a period exceeding 12 hours, compensation will be awarded up to a maximum of £10 per fare-paying passenger per tour.
Depending on the location of your pickup point, you may be picked up by coach (not necessarily the on you are touring on), minibus, taxi, National Express or Megabus service. You may then be taken to another centralised pickup location or service station. We operate a passenger interchange at Stop 24 Services, where you will meet the tour coach you are holidaying on and then continue on with your outbound journey. Similarly, on the way home, you may also change transfer vehicles at another location, to take you to your final drop off point.
One medium sized suitcase per person, which should weigh no more than 20kg when full. We may refuse to carry larger or heavier cases. Hand luggage can be stored in the overhead racks aboard the coach.
It could be either - This will be confirmed in your travel documents.
When it comes to getting to the Battlefields, Leger Holidays make it easy, with a selection of travel options for you choose from.
Travel Extras
With an overnight stay or the option to meet us at the interchange, our travel extras allow you to create a travel experience to suit your needs...
Join coach at Interchange
+ Find out moreJoin your tour coach at the interchange.
On most tours if you’d prefer to join your tour coach at Stop 24 services, you can park your car in the car park which is accredited by the Park Mark safer parking scheme and is monitored 24 hours a day by CCTV. Payment for the parking is made on arrival using the self-service machines.
Excludes tours to Ireland and the U.K. and tours travelling via Brittany Ferries.
