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No battlefied is as dramatic in setting and evocative in memory as Gallipoli. Our walking tour covers from the initial landings of April 25th 1915 to the eventual evacuation in January 1916. We feel that the only way to experience any battlefield is on foot, but that is even more relevant in Gallipoli. This trip gives you the opportunity to reach seldom visited spots via mule tracks, dried up gullies and quiet beaches. In our small group we start each day with a gem of a 10 minute ferry ride across the Dardanelles, close to the spot where the Royal Navy tried valiantly but unsuccesfully to force the Narrows in 1915.
Day 1 - Travel to Canakkale, Turkey. Scheduled flights from London (Airport to be confirmed) to Istanbul. Transfer to Gallipoli battlefields by coach. Following our evening arrival at the Hotel Kervansaray in Canakkale we will meet the manager and his staff and have a welcome drink by the water fountain in the private garden.
Day 2 - Walk one We start with a walk at Cape Helles and the southern landing areas; including visits to W Beach (Lancashire Landing) we shall see the cemeteries of Lancashire Landing and V Beach. Crossing the fields around Hunter-Weston hill where a bayonet charge by the 4th Worcesters forced the Turkish troops back to Krithia we arrive at the magnificent Helles memorial to the missing of this Campaign. We then reach Sedulbahir with it’s substantial Turkish defences which wrought such devastation on the men assaulting from the famous River Clyde.
Walk two after lunch which is taken at this quiet bay we visit the isolated lone burial of Lt Colonel Doughty-Wylie VC and move to Gully Ravine. This adventurous walk going “up the line” through the weather beaten ravine to Pink farm and the Krithia area will allow you to see the now quiet spots that once housed over burdened Field Ambulances and countless billets in the shelter of the Gully and where Engineers sunk wells to help quench the parched thirsty troops.
Day 3 - Walk three and four Two walks covering the landings at Anzac cove and up to the high ground of Lone Pine and The Nek. We see where the AIF stormed ashore on what is now "ANZAC day" and scambled passed the "Sphinx" trying to break the Turkish lines. We walk along the beach before turning up “Boltons Ridge” where Australian sniper Billy Sing plied his trade. Pausing at Shell Green, where the briefest of cricket matches was played whilst under fire! The ascent ends at the moving Lone Pine Memorial with its breath taking views over the Aegean sea.
Clinging to the cliffs above the beaches, the afternoon walk charts the frontline held by Anzac troops between April and December 1915. Intimate burial spots at 4th Battalion Parade Ground Cemetery, and Johnstons Jolly are followed by preserved trenches and memorials given names after courageous and colourful Australian characters. Passing the scene of Albert Jacka’s VC we finish at the tragic site of the attack by the Australian Light Horse on The Nek.
Day 4 - Walk five Twelve Tree Copse to the Redoubt, following the 42nd East Lancashires on their attempt to capture Krithia. This is the heart of the real battle for Gallipoli, and is across ground that would be far more familiar to most of the troops than simply the beach landings. Hear the story of the "Cigarette VC" and fighting along “Wigan road” and “Oldham street” before arriving at Redoubt cemetery where the Family of 2/Lt Duckwoth planted an Oak tree in his memory, his body never being found.
Walk six We have the most spectacular of any battlefield walks from the heights of Chanuk Bair to the beaches below. Focusing on New Zealand forces and the New Army Troops that battled together on Rhododendron Ridge and along evacuation routes to the beaches. This walk is on steep, mountainous terrain along a winding trail and is not for the faint hearted, but is enormously rewarding. Don’t forget your swimming trunks for a dip in the bay at the end!
Day 5 - Walk seven - After a stop at Chocolate and Green Hill, we spend the morning looking in depth at the ill fated Suvla landings in mid August 1915. The last chance to seize the initiative in the campaign was lost but not before some famaus actions took place. Our walk passes Hill 10 before we follow in the footsteps of the of the 5th Norfolks and uncover the true story behind the the vanishing battalion and end at Azmak Cemetery. After returning to Cannakale there is the opportunity to spend the afterrnoon at leisure or visit the ancient battlefields of Troy, just 40 minutes drive from our hotel.
Day 6 - Return to Istanbul via an internal flight from Cannakale, we then fly onwards to London.
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