Christina

It sounds like you've traveled enough, so should know what you are doing re accommodations, but it just struck me as rather odd that you want to rent numerous apartments for such short stays. I don't even know why you would want to do that, but it really complicates things (the usual apt limitations, deposits, nonrefundability, arrival times, etc), and it is often difficult to even find apts that would only rent for 2 nights.

Jim143

Thankyou everybody. A lot to think about here...my wife and I will be mulling this over for a bit. A few comments. Great advice on the eurostar. I'm hoping we can make that decision and buy tickets over the next few days.
I think I may have a clue on Kielberg. I found a town on google earth called Keiberg , about 10km east of Ypres. I need to do some more research on the movements of the Newfoundland regiment but that sounds promising. If there is a ww1 cemetery near there with NL regiment graves then I'm in luck. I won't be able to actually identify the 2 soldiers that were killed next to my grandfather but they would almost certainly be there and I'm sure Granda would appreciate it.
Anselm...yes I would love to have a loan of your information. I will get back to you on that.
As for the apartments ...yes it doesn't seem to make any sense with our itinerary. When we started planning we had a romantic notion of renting a gite or apartment central to the area and driving around from there. A cozy little place on the edge of some quaint town where we could walk around in the evening and have a coffee or visit a nice restaurant. That's not likely to happen but as soon as we book the train we can start looking at accommodation.
I don't particularly want a residential type B&B but some larger manor type house with private bathrooms and common eating area would be nice.

AnselmAdorne

I hope that lead on Keiberg works out for you, Jim. Doesn't ring a bell with me, but there is another Canadian who posts here on Fodor's as Laverendrye who has a lot of WWI knowledge. I notice he hasn't posted since January, but I'll try to get his attention and get him to take a look at this thread.

spiral

That looks like an interesting trip. We toured the area some years ago with our daughter who has always been interested in the Great War and found it very emotional. I had tears in my eyes several times just looking at the cemeteries.

On the practical side we liked this hotel, Kasteelhof’T Hooghe, which is a few miles east of Ypres. It has the remains of trenches in its grounds and a small restaurant with a good selection of beer. Hotel Ieper - Bed & Breakfast - Kasteelhof 't Hooghe Easy access and parking.
The small town of Poperinge to the west has some nice hotels too and lots of places to eat. Parking can be difficult if it is market day.

apersuader65

Page 12 of this link makes reference to WarDiaryTheLastHundredDays.pdf. WarDiaryTheLastHundredDays.pdf

It also appears on this map: https://mapcarta.com/17913672 it is west of Waterdamhoek.

AnselmAdorne

A very nice find, apersuader! I think you've solved Jim's puzzle.

Jim143

OHHHH!! I'm overcome with excitement! Yes, that must be it. Have a look at this note from the war diary:

"Keiberg 25/10/18 0115 D.Co. billet was hit by a shell and set on fire causing 7 casualties"

I know he was in "D" company so that must be the incident. According to what I was told, grandfather was in between two soldiers that were killed. Can't wait to tell my dad and family. Thank you so much for this information and thank you everybody for all the help on this forum.
If possible I am going to try and find out who those 7 were, if any died and if so where buried. Visiting those would be a focal point of our trip.

AnselmAdorne

This may be one of the most amazing things that has ever happened on Fodor's.

Jim143

Couple of questions.

May be over cautious or silly but is leaving the train back to London for the day before the flight home a bad idea? I've read stories about strikes and disruptions and feel a little nervous about leaving it that late.

Second question for Spiral. The hotel Kasteelhof’T Hooghe looks great. Only concern is that its about 4 km from the Menin gate. We definitely want to take in the evening bugle ceremony. Its a little far to walk both ways although I guess we could. I'm thinking that parking may be a problem if there is crowds of people. Just wondering if you went to the ceremony from the hotel and what to expect. Is there any public transit or shuttle from there for example.

spiral

Hi Jim
Our visit to the World War 1 sites was several years ago so my memory for the minor details is a little sketchy. We did indeed attend the ceremony which was very moving. I think we drove in and parked in the afternoon to visit the museums and look around the town. We then stayed for the ceremony and drove back later. However the hotel is right beside a amusement park (we were not disturbed by it at all and we were there in August) so I think there must be some public transport links. We like the hotel enough that it is our first choice if we need to stay in the area when driving to/from the Chanel ports. Hope this helps.

bilboburgler

I'd want to be back in London the night before the flight. There is little to concern you today about that transport link but the french fishermen are upset about dutch fishermen using electricity to kill fish so who knows?

WeisserTee

While you are in the area, you might want to take in the Giants festival held in Douai, held in early July. We've gone a couple of times. It's an interesting spectacle and one that's under the radar for most international visitors.
https://www.everfest.com/e/fetes-de-gayant-douai-np

Jim143

I have read a couple of posts regarding car rental at Lille that worry me a bit. Being stressful, high traffic, difficulty getting out of the City etc. Can anyone who has used Lille to rent provide any tips or advice? When I think about our trip the highest stress will definitely be getting the rental out and back to the agency again. Maybe for example it might be better to go to another City such as Arras and rent from there? I will want to have an automatic which may complicate things.

bilboburgler

I'd rather drive out of Arras than Lille but I've had a few issues with Lille going south (there is apoint where you can be injected into the middle lane of a motorway... But it only happens once. Yes getting an automatic can be difficult, that is why I'd use autoeurope to be certain that the commitment you get about the automatic is achieved. Having a broker behind you means you can ring and speak someone in English who will go beserk for you. Hiring direct, I don't do it and I live in Europe.

Jim143

I just checked car rentals and for an automatic look like it will have to be Lille. I assume that there are lots of routes to get to Arras to avoid that motorway. What about getting out and into the car rental area itself. How much of a problem is that? The rental company will likely be Hertz

kerouac

I go to Lille two or three times a year and sometimes rent a car for my return trip to Paris when I want to stop off in various places. I have never had the slightest problem renting a car at the Lille-Europe train station because the exit leads you directly to the freeway if that's where you want to go. It would be rather insane to rent a car in the center of the old city.

If you want an automatic, it is essential that you rent at Lille-Europe which is the most likely place to have one.

AnselmAdorne

Jim, both of our rentals were at Lille Europe. The first time was with EuropeCar, I think, and the second was with Hertz. As far as I can recollect, this was the drill: there is a big multi-floor parking garage attached to the train station. They will tell you where to find your car (on the first occasion, we had to take and elevator to a different floor; the second time the car was parked on the same floor as the rental office), and then in the garage you simply follow signs for the exit (Sortie). You come out on a small road that takes you almost immediately onto the freeway, heading south. You can get to wherever you are going (Ypres first?) from there. For example, if Ypres, you go south to a great big interchange and then merge onto a big highway going west.)

As I mentioned way upthread, you can navigate with paper maps, but I have gradually been converted to the advantage of a GPS, either a stand-alone unit such as a Garmin, or a smart phone using Goggle Maps or Waze. The advantage of a GPS is that it gives pretty good lane guidance, so that you can get into the right lane to exit or turn.

Returning the car to Lille Europe was a little bit strange. I recollect that you have to approach the parking garage from the north, so if you are coming up from Arras, the GPS will take you past the station and garage, then get you to exit right onto a ramp going up to an overpass. You turn left (there's a traffic light there), cross over the freeway, and turn left again and follow a street (not the freeway) that heads back south towards Lille Europe. As you approach the station, the access road will split. Watch for a sign that says "Hertz" and it will point you to the left. Drive a bit further and then turn right into the parking garage and follow the signs for the Hertz parking bays. (I think they may be one or two floors up. Not sure.)

When I send you the books I'll include a sketch of all this. It won't be perfectly to scale, but it will give you a better idea of what I'm trying to describe.

Jim143

I booked our train and rental car. The train departs from London on a Sunday at 12:35 but the rental agency (Hertz) doesn't open until 11:00am. Is that enough time to drop off the car and make the train?

jpie

I haven't specifically dropped off a car at Lille but in my experience, it should be more than enough time. Also, sometimes they will have a key drop for after hour returns. But folks here who use Lille can probably give you more specific info.

AnselmAdorne

Jim, I think you will have enough time between the 11 am opening and the 12:35 train. If you time your return so that yo have the car back in the garage before 11:00, you can be waiting at the Hertz office when they open. When we did it, the actual return process was pretty quick, maybe no more than 10 minutes or so.