Pilgrimage 2025
The Friends Annual Pilgrimage to Ypres has taken place almost every year since 1960. It evolved from annual visits by Friends to the Annual Patronal Festival in St George's in the years preceeding 1960. Some of these Friends on the early Pilgrimages were visiting Ypres for the first time since the 1914-1918 War. The primary aims of the Pilgrimage are to visit and support St George's Church and and its congregation, to give Pilgrims the opportunity to visit graves and memorials with family or regimental connections and to give members of the Friends a chance to meet each other.
Itinerary and Costs
Following on from the great success of Pilgrimages in 2023 & 2024, we are already planning the 2025 Pilgrimage which will take place between 25th and 29th July inclusive. The Pilgrimage has been popular for many years and those of you who have not yet attended have missed a very special experience. Not only does it provide support for the Church and its members but it gives the opportunity to visit cemeteries, memorials and sites which are often excluded from battlefield tour itineraries.
Participants are invited to complete an optional Visit Request Form around which, as far as is possible, will be built an interesting and informative itinerary with priority given to those with family or regimental connections. There is no requirement whatsoever for anyone to be an aficionado of The Great War as, regardless of expertise or any previous visits to the battlefields, all may be assured of a warm and friendly welcome from fellow travellers and experienced guides.
Travel will begin by coach from Leicester with various pick-up points en route to our early afternoon ferry crossing from Dover. The Pilgrimage will be run on our usual “break-even” basis and our calculations will reflect the inevitable annual increases incurred from the Coach and Ferry Companies, the Hotel and, of course, the ever-fluctuating Foreign Exchange Rate! Costs are anticipated to be in the region of £600 per person for individuals sharing a Double/Twin Room, otherwise the hotel’s Single Room Supplement will apply. Included in the price will be luxury coach travel throughout, ferry crossings, 3-star hotel accommodation at The New Regina Hotel (situated right in the centre of Ypres), two group lunches in local cafés “out on the battlefields” and one group evening meal.
Brief details are given below but if you would like to register an expression of interest, or require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact our Honorary Pilgrimage Secretary, Valerie Jacques, or our Battlefield Guide, David Humberston, as either will be only too pleased to assist.
Contact details: E-mail: foft@live.co.uk – Valerie’s Mobile: 07908 003398 – David’s Mobile: 07745 563296 or write to FOSGP, 21 Britford Avenue, WIGSTON, Leicestershire LE18 2RF
Itinerary
| Day 1- Friday | Luxury coach travel departing from Leicester – various pick-up points en route to the Port of Dover - early afternoon ferry crossing. |
| Day 2- Saturday | Full day coach excursion to The Somme Battlefield, expected to include Beaumont-Hamel (Newfoundland) Memorial Park. |
| Day 3- Sunday | Morning Service at St George’s with opportunity to see the Bell Ringing Tower and visit the adjacent Church Hall & Gardens. |
| Day 4- Monday | Full day coach excursion around the Ypres Salient area – expected to include The Bluff. |
| Day 5- Tuesday | Depart hotel for early afternoon ferry crossing and return to Leicester with various drop off points. |
