Testimonials

Good trip to Flanders and the Somme. Accommodation was great. Ferry was great as well. Tour content was good - lots of things to see without overkill on any one subject. May have to come back for more.

Dave Scott, Dundee

I had no preconceived ideas and had not done any reading on the sites before the tour. I found the whole experience fascinating. It was a real education; informative, emotive and well rounded in terms of the breadth of information covered. I thought it would be a once in a lifetime visit but I'd definitely go back because although you're facing the darkest side of humanity at times, and you're glimpsing the lives of people who should never have had to experience such atrocities, it's also very much a place where you can witness the respect paid by the collective to those involved and feel that you're doing your small part too. The quality and range of sites is extraordinary; from museum pieces and memorials to graveyards, underground networks and trenches. It takes time to assimilate all that you've experienced but it's all made easier by the fact that you travel with a small, friendly company. Time 'on the road' is made as easy as possible with overnight ferry crossings and well planned coach routes and there's also time to stock up on belgian chocolates, have a lovely coffee on a medieval town square or chat over your experiences with your tour-mates at the hotel bar! I thoroughly recommend it.

Kaye Ramage, Clydebank

I enjoyed the trip so much I was sad to see it come to an end. I will be coming back for more. It was good to meet people willing to give me time and explain all aspects of the Great War. All in all I enjoyed the people, the tour guides and the sites we visited. May we always remember.

Tom Clark, Glasgow

The tour was just amazing. I was really impressed with everything on the tour. The accommodation was lovely. I was impressed by the coach driver who was very helpful, the guides and the many interesting places we visited. I was very moved by so much on this trip that I just cant explain it. I would love to go back and spend more time in Ypres and Arras. They are really beautiful towns. Thank you Ecosse Tours, it was just great!

Natasha Lindop, Wakefield

The trip was good. I really enjoyed it. Would recommend it.

Frank Ewing, Glasgow

Ecosse Tours have really hit the mark with their tailored tours of the battlefields. Small and perfectly formed they have produced a mixture of informative commentary and relaxed holidaying. The ferry is comfortable and convenient and a perfect way for anyone wanting to find out more about their past or to trace their ancestors. For family historians the flexibility built into the tours is an ideal way to visit the places you want to see.

Patricia Whatley, Dundee

Visiting the Battlefields of the 1st World War had always been an ambition of mine. I knew my grandfather had died in France but very little details. It was particularly poignant while there to find out a lot more about him. I found it very emotional and realized the loss of life was so enormous and so utterly devastating, it was very hard to comprehend. This tour gave me a great insight into how the war was waged and I came home with a great deal of knowledge, so much so in fact I am booked on the next tour on 6th May to Normandy. The tour was well run and the people were all friendly and easy to get on with. The subject matter although depressing in many ways enabled me to view how fortunate we are today and hopefully to be grateful too.

Carol Palmer, Troon

Most interesting tour. Tailor made to suit everyone's requests

Mary and Gordon Murray, Prestwick

We had an amazing experience in Normandy. It was a complete eye-opener. We are booking for the Great War Western Front tour next year.

Elizabeth Bennett, Jean Gailey and Jim Gailey (Ballachulish, Argyll) May 2010

We really enjoyed the tour. The smaller coach party made it a much more friendly company and we got to know everyone on the tour. Our son David has been on the phone constantly saying how much he enjoyed it, especially being able to visit his great grandfather's grave. Without your help he might not have been able to do it.

James and Eilean Hogarth (Kelso, Borders) June 2010

Wonderful experience. It was a poignant moment visiting our grandfather's cousin's grave at Flers. The whole trip was excellent.

Betty Steven (Kilbirnie) and Greta Wilson (Largs) June 2010

Probably one of the most interesting trips I have experienced, which was enhanced by the knowledge and enthusiasm of the tour operator. Food, accommodation and service 10 out of 10. Ecosse Tours obviously puts a great deal of work into researching the needs of the customers embarking on this type of tour and goes to great lengths in satisfying them. My next booking for Ecosse is shortly going in the post.

Jim Dryburgh (West Kilbride) June 2010

A well organised trip with friendly people that mixed the personal visits with seeing the WW1 sites and learning so much more about what actually happened in 1914-1918.

William Johnstone, Lockerbie

We've enjoyed a well-researched and superbly-organised trip. We saw so much and went to places we would never have thought of had we planned the trip ourselves.

It was truly humbling to see the graves of so many brave, honourable people. Being able to finally pay our respects to our own long-lost family members was very special to us, and Ecosse Tours did us proud.

Evelyn's expert knowledge is amazing, and if there was something she didn't know, she'd find out! The trouble she went to, ensuring everyone visited their own loved ones' final resting places, was amazing.

We appreciated the smaller group - a huge coach-party just wouldn't have been the same. We shared our trip with lovely, like-minded people, and it is hoped we all keep in touch.

Last, but not least, we must mention Ricky, the driver, who was marvellous.

What an experience!

Trish and Dennis Cowley, Lockerbie.

My wife and I have recently returned from a tour of the WW1 battlefields. We both really enjoyed the experience. Our guide, Evelyn McKechnie, was excellent in all respects. She had facts and figures at her fingertips and was able to inform the group of all relevant and interesting points of the tour. Further to this, tour members who had lost relatives in the conflict were able to visit their final resting places, no doubt thanks to the extensive research that Evelyn must have carried out prior to departure. The transportation throughout, from departure to return and the hotels were very good. We are now contemplating a further tour, probably Normandy and have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending this excellent company.

Mike Southward, Helensburgh Branch of the Scottish Legion.

My sincere thanks to Ecosse Tours on the faultless organisation of the WW1 tour. It was a wonderful, memorable and fulfilling experience which I will never forget and so emotional.

Nan Black, Oban

High expectations were surpassed. Museum, battlefield site and memorial visits gave a poignant insight into the events of this period. What made this holiday different was the flexibility and willingness of the guide to make this a truly personal experience which enabled me to visit my grandad's grave. All of this together with an en-route pick up/drop off, excellent guide and friendly driver marked this out as a holiday to remember. We'll certainly be looking to travel with Ecosse again.

Jim and Sandra Warham, Moffat. August 2010.