In The Footsteps
Award Winning Tours with In The Footsteps
Best Historic Battlefield Tour Operator – UK
Lux-Life
2020 Travel & Tourism Awards
Travelers Choice 2020
Best Historic Battlefield Tour Operator
M&A Today
Global Awards 2020
Follow in the footsteps of heroes
COVID-19 – Code of Practice
In these uncertain times, people considering taking a guided tour may understandably have concerns about their health and safety. We understand these concerns and have put in place measures to ensure that you will be in capable hands. Our COVID-19 – Code of Practice has been added to this website for your reference and can be viewed using the link below.
COVID-19 – Code of Practice
With so many companies offering battlefield tours and heritage tours it’s difficult to pick the one that’s best for you. With an In The Footsteps tour it is what you want that matters.
We have over fifteen years experience in designing and provide top quality guided tours to battlefield and heritage destinations around the world for individuals, couples and groups and are confident that we can design a battlefield or heritage tour that will meet, and usually exceed, your needs. With an In The Footsteps battlefield or heritage tour it is what you want that matters.
Our service is totally flexible; you tell us where you want to go, when and for how long. We can design a tour specifically tailor-made just for you or you can follow in the footsteps on one of our flexi tours; the choice is yours.
Our Tours
NO DEPOSIT Special Offer applies to Private Tours of up to 7 people booked between 24 April and 31 December 2020 only.
This offer cannot be retrospectively apllied and does not apply to our Anniversay Small Group Tours or to our larger tours where 8 or more are travelling as the hire of a coach with driver is required.
Half-day and Day Tours
We have recently added half-day and day tour options to our range of tours. To see those currently available go to our Day Tours page.
Battlefield Tours
Pre-20th Century
If you are interested in exploring the battlefields of the Norman Conquest, the Hundred Years War, the War of the Roses, the English Civil Wars, the Glorious Revolution and Jacobite Uprisings, the Napoleonic Wars, the conflicts of the 18th Century and the Wars of the British Empire? Then an In The Footsteps® Pre-20th Century Tour will fulfill your requirements.
First World War
The First World War, or Great War, was the 'War to end all wars'. It was a global conflict spanning not only Europe but the Middle East and Africa as well. If you are interested in exploring the battlefields of the Western Front, Italy, Gallipoli, Palestine, Mesopotamia and Africa, then an In The Footsteps® First World War tour will meet your needs.
Second World War
The Second World War was a truely globle conflict and we have led customers of many different nationalities following in the footsteps across the battlefields of Northwest Europe, Italy, North Africa, Russia, Asia and the Pacific. If you are interested in exploring these battlefields then an In The Footsteps® Second World War will suit your requirements.
Genealogy/Pilgrimage
Would you like to follow in the footsteps of an ancestor or relative who fought across the various battlefields of the world? If the answer is yes, then an In the footsteps® Genealogy Tour is just what you need.
Groups and Schools
With so many companies offering battlefield tours for groups and schools it's difficult to pick the one that's best for you. At In The Footsteps we tailor our group tours to meet your school's needs, be that following a specific regiment or unit, the 'old-boys', or specific learning objectives.
Battlefield Studies
Our battlefield studies are specifically designed to deliver the core function of professional military education to formations and units. They must not be confused with other activity on former battlefields such as commemorations and the maintenance of memorials which fall within the scope of our Group Tours.
Heritage Tours
Towns and Cities
Brimming with history, culture, architecture and much more, Britain’s towns and cities are famous for their heritage and ever since the birth of British Tourism more than 150 years ago, sightseeing and exploring them for pleasure has been undertaken in ever increasing numbers.
If you are interested in visiting England's towns and cities then an In The Footsteps® Towns and Cities Tour is just what you need. To make an enquiry click on the button which will take you to our Enquiry Form. On the form tell us where you want to go, when and for how long.
Castles of Britain
Castles have played a significant role in British history ever since the Conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066. In post-conquest England they were built in large numbers and this spread into Scotland, Wales and Ireland as Anglo-Norman influence increased. It continued until the 17th century and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms after which many castle were slighted to render them indefensible. Whilst their military significance has declined, their domination of the British landscape continues.
If you are interested in visiting these magnificent fortifications that are a tangible link to British culture then an In The Footsteps® Castles Tour is just what you need. To make an enquiry click on the button which will take you to our Enquiry Form. On the form tell us where you want to go, when and for how long.
Country Houses
The decline of the castle led to the ascendancy of the country house as the lords left their fortified stronghold to take up residence in more comfortable surroundings. The building of the first unfortified great houses took place in the Tudor period and over the next five hundred years the country house has evolved.
If you are interested in visiting these beautiful houses and parks then an In The Footsteps® County House Tour is just what you need. To make an enquiry click on the button which will take you to our Enquiry Form. On the form tell us where you want to go, when and for how long.
Pocket Guide Apps
At In the footsteps we recognised that a private tour led by one of our expert guides was not for everyone. Some people just want to join a large coach tour while others simply want to go it alone. For the former there are numerous options, but for the latter there were very few good ones and it is out of identifying the need for a cost-effective option that our Pocket Guide apps came into being.
The currently available Pocket Guide Apps are:
Ross-on-Wye
Ross-on-Wye is known as “The Gateway to the Wye Valley” and is recognised as “The birthplace of British Tourism”.
The town sits proudly upon a sandstone cliff affording beautiful views over a horseshoe bend on the River Wye and westward to the Welsh mountains. It has been voted the UK’s best-loved market town and the Marketing Director of the National Express, Tom Stables, said of Ross-on-Wye “With its picturesque location and stunning Market House it’s hardly surprising Ross-on-Wye is regarded as one of the best towns in the UK. It’s tough to think of anything more quintessentially British than a market town and we think that’s worth celebrating.”
This app is a self-guided audio tour is designed to guide people around the lovely Herefordshire market town of Ross-on-Wye. It begins and ends at Homs Road Car Park, which is located at the northern end of the town centre.
D-Day Explorer
Our D-Day Battlefield Explorer is the perfect companion to guide you around the battlefield sites associated with the D-Day Landings that took place on the Calvados Coast of Normandy, France on 6th June 1944.
It covers the actions of D-Day, 6th June 1944 when the Allied 21st Army Group came ashore to begin the Liberation of Occupied Europe from under the yoke of Hitler's Nazi Germany.
This app guides you around the main locations pertinent to the D-Day Landings using gps coordinates. At each location their is a written narrative that tells the story of the momentous events that took place. Where pertinent soldier's stories have been included to help bring your visit to life.
There are 30 locations and they are best visited in the order listed. This D-Day tour is designed to take around two to three days to complete.
Battle of Crecy
Our Battle of Crécy self-guided tour is the perfect companion to guide you around the most pertinent and important battlefield locations associated with this famous clash of arms between the English and the French at the beginning of the Hundred Years War.
This tour is designed to be completed in a single day and there are eight locations that are best visited in the order listed.
For each location GPS co-ordinates, expressed in decimal degrees, are shown at the top of the page to aid navigation using a Satnav. Directions of how to get to the location and where best to stand.
A narrative that explains why that location is important to the story of The Battle of Crécy as a means of bringing the battlefield to life.
We hope that you find this app a great companion to your tour of The Battle of Crécy battlefield.
Dedication
This website is dedicated to preserving the memory of those who fought for their country so that we may enjoy the freedoms we have today.
"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them."
Testimonials
Don't just take our word for it, read what our past customers have had to say.
Battle of the Bulge Tour
Jo and Ian were very helpful in planning 3 days visiting Battle of the Bulge sites. The first 1.5 days were focused on my Dad's Company B and Ian took us from the train station he arrived in a box car in December 1944 to hills he fought up with many stops between. I now have a much better understanding of the role of infantry (my dad was a private) as the first to push through in a battle with tanks to follow--the deadliest positions. Especially memorial were seeing foxholes (to be able to imagine freezing weather, summer uniforms and no ability to warm by a fire) and the Dragon's Teeth. Following the personlized tour portion, Ian shared Pieper's tanks and other sites relevant to the Battle. Thank you to "In The Footsteps Battlefield Tours."
- Trudi Richter USA
Patrick Family Genealogy Tour
We set off to find where four of our relatives had been. We managed something much more special by going beyond 'seeing the battlefields' and somehow were able to meet the men. How was this achieved?
We did a lot of research ourselves but Ian was able to take us to every one of the sites we had identified and give us an in-depth insight based on his previous research, visits and knowledge. Somehow the combination of our research and Ian's knowledge gave us an intangible outcome of something that was extra special that I would find hard to put words to. It was very moving to find the farm my grandfather had stayed in – I found myself bursting into tears a few days after when I looked at a photograph we had taken of it. For the one man who did not make it home (the other three were all wounded) Ian read the eulogy at his monument. A very moving thing to have done. Away – arrangements for travel, hotels, us having three generations with different needs, catering, all the usual stuff that where it goes well is unseen were excellent. (Well done Jo). I particularly liked the fact that on our tour we visited a couple of tea rooms with displays that they had prepared themselves rather than the big museums that we did not have time for. Something special that we went with three generations and shared three perspectives – I can recommend it. Overall, first rate excellent. Well done Ian and Jo we thank you.
- Richard Patrick UK
Kirby Family Genealogy Tour
This was our third bespoke tour with In The Footsteps, this time on the trails of 8 soldier ancestors. We spent 8 nights in Flanders and the Somme battlefields, a relatively long tour compared to many. We had already done a lot of family history and war service research and Jo and Ian were able to expertly translate this detail into a great itinerary. Administration was faultless, and very helpful and responsive to some last minute unexpected health issues. Accommodation in Ypres, Cambrai and Corbie was well located, comfortable and full of character.
Transport in Ian's 4WD was excellent, enabling us to effortlessly go off sealed road to reach our destinations. Ian's military background provided us with an insightful understanding of the conditions facing the soldiers and the conduct of the military operations. In particular, his ability to read maps (including integrating WW1 maps with modern day maps ) and the lie of the land enabled us to get to the very trenches and locations where our ancestors fought, died and won medals. He had a thorough knowledge of the battlefield areas that we were visiting. Documentation provided of various battles and of our tour was great and much appreciated.
Highly recommended. One tip: the more information you have and provide to Ian and Jo, the more they can tailor the tour to your specific needs and interests.
- Michael Kirby Australia