Battlefields..
Travelling around Europe the Kraken team have passed and visited many sites of past conflicts. All the locations share many similarities.. well maintained in beautiful surroundings with stunning roads to arrive on, however there's also the bigger story, which are thought provoking, humbling and sometimes unknown by many.
Belgiums Battlefields..
The Kraken team along with our in house battlefield experts Ben, John and Chris are pleased to offer guided tours taking in some of the historic sites in Belgium. In particular the Wallonia region, the southern French-speaking part of Belgium, which has everything.
Its stunning scenery is crossed by some superb roads and, seemingly around every corner, is another battlefield, museum, fort, or memorial.
From the Duke of Marlborough’s triumph at Ramillies in 1706, to the trio of 1815 battles (Ligny, Quatre Bras and Waterloo) that led to Napoleon’s downfall and on to the First and Second World Wars, the region has seen much fighting.
John is a battlefield tour guide and see's the region’s history as the ‘Cockpit of Europe’ meaning there’s a lot to explore! From eighteenth and nineteenth century battles like Ramillies and Waterloo through to Second World War campaigns – the May 1940 German invasion and the 1944 Battle of the Bulge. Some real turning points in history. As well as battlefields, there are forts, museums, cemeteries, castles, and memorials to visit. The region’s accessible, too. Mons is around two hours from Calais while Bastogne is less than four hours away. Wallonia is, sadly, often overlooked by tourists heading elsewhere, but the region has a great deal to offer visitors.
If you are interested in seeing and learning more with our guides, the Kraken team has two tours taking you and your Motorcycle through the wartime history of the region.
Tour destinations below or alternatively..
Click here to find out more about our experts.
Meet our guides..
For our specialist battlefield tours, you are in safe hands!
Ben Mayne
A former police officer with a taste for a sleek Ducati, Ben’s interests
lie specifically with the Second World War.
He is not only a historian, battlefield guide and managing director of Liberation Route UK, but is also involved
in the ‘Taxi Charity’ for Military Veterans, taking them back to the battlefields.
He has years of experience walking the ground with the UK’s biggest battlefield operator, guiding hundreds of visitors on coach tours across Europe. His detailed knowledge, care for safety and love for bikes make him another valued addition
John Harris
Long-time lover of bikes and battlefields,
John has been interested
in military history since childhood – you could even say it is in his DNA, coming as he does come from an extended military family. With his BA in War Studies (First-Class Honours) and his accreditation from the International Guild of Battlefield Guides, he rides and guides
over the battlefields on his trusty Honda NC7 5OX.
Chris Gravestock
He modestly describes himself as a hobbyist as
opposed to a professional guide.
With his degree in history and as a Regional Chair in the Battlefields Trust, he has evolved naturally into guiding over the last 20 years, taking groups of friends around battlefields on his tried and trusted BMW R1200GS
