Belgium Trip October 2025
From 7th to 10th October, 41 students from Years 9 and 10, accompanied by 4 staff, visited Belgium (by coach and ferry) for a tour of sites of interest including memorials, cemeteries and museums.
Sebastian F writes:
I will begin by mentioning how amazing the coach was, with lots of leg space, making it easy to sleep and rest, and it even had (some) working charging ports, which you don’t get on many coaches! Our driver Hannah was excellent and she took us to wherever we needed to be on time. When we got to Ypres, we had a great time roaming around and admiring everything; there was so much to see but we couldn’t get to all of it. Of course, being in the home of chocolate, we had to stock up on some fine Belgian delights! After our free time in Ypres, we headed to the hotel; we were given our room keys and were able to put our cumbersome luggage into our dormitories before heading down for dinner. After our meal, our brains were tested to the full during a highly competitive quiz!
After a good night’s sleep, we woke up early to get ready for the day ahead. Breakfast was delicious and we made our own packed lunches for the long day ahead. To start, we visited Langemark Cemetery, one of the few German war memorials in Belgium, and it was shocking, interesting and fascinating all at the same time. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable, giving detailed information and answering the many questions which were asked. We then visited Tyne Cot British Cemetery which was a vast open space that was just indescribable to look at, with it being kept in pristine condition over the years, and it stood out like a beacon. There were names here of some Old Boys from our school who died in the war, and we were lucky enough to pay our respects and lay a wreath.
We then visited the Passchendaele museum and I would say that this was the best part of the entire trip for me. It was packed full of interesting exhibits and every room had detailed information about everything that happened during the battle of Passchendaele. I loved walking through the replica of the trenches, as it really gave me some idea of what kind of living conditions the soldiers had to endure. It was a brilliant experience and I feel very privileged to be able to visit it.
After lunch we went to the town of Poperinge and visited Talbot House. Here, a few miles behind the front line, soldiers of all rank went for some rest, recuperation and entertainment. We enjoyed a hot drink there too.
At Ypres Reservoir Cemetery we laid a second wreath; this was at the grave of Captain Mould, who had been a teacher for many years at HGS.
After our tiring and emotional visits, we went to Ypres for a second roam around but, having a bit more time today, we explored further and bought lots of souvenirs and chocolates, again! Tasting Belgian waffles was an unforgettable experience, they were truly heavenly!
After dinner at the hotel, we went to Atlantis Bowling to have some fun together. Being my first time bowling, I was struggling hugely but I somehow managed to win, which was extremely surprising!
On our next day we visited two giant craters (Caterpillar Crater at Hill 60 and the Pool of Peace) which were caused by underground explosions; seeing the sheer size of these craters was amazing. We were also fortunate enough to see some actual bunkers and trenches that the Germans and the Allied forces lived in during those many years. Visits to Messines Ridge Cemetery and Memorial and Messines Church followed. From the viewing platform at the top of the tower, superb views of the Ypres Salient were enjoyed. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at Bedford House Cemetery and the Ploegsteert Memorial; at the latter we laid another wreath for the Old Boys commemorated there.
After our dinner, we ventured back out to Ypres to see and hear The Last Post Ceremony which takes place every night at 8pm at the Menin Gate. People travel across the World to see this, and we were seeing and hearing it on a school trip. We were then able to visit the bowling centre again, not to bowl this time but to play pool or enjoy the games machines there.
Lastly, I’d love to mention our (final day) trip to Bruges, the birthplace of the amazing chocolates we know and love today, which we visited en route back to Calais. We had a cracking time there, seeing huge buildings and churches, and we even had a canal trip. After the canal trip, we had a lovely walk down to the main square, known as ‘De Markt’, where we were given free time for lunch and shopping – we bought even more souvenirs and chocolates to take home!
In conclusion, the trip was a superb experience, and I’m super thankful to everyone who made it happen. I would certainly recommend this trip for anyone who has a passion for history or in fact, anyone at all because I would think that we all learnt at least one thing on the trip, it was definitely a great success!
