Media Release

Specialist Tour Operator marks the 100^thAnniversary of start of WW1 with a quartet of expert led battlefield tours for 2014

2014 marks the centenary celebration of the Great War and specialist travel tours company The Cultural Experience has put together four fascinating and compelling tours, each of which is led by an eminent historian who provides background context, expert analysis and intimate battlefield geography whilst clients enjoy a high standard of centrally located hotels and local cuisine creating the perfect cultural holiday

Starting it all off from26 - 29 Juneis the very relevantSarajevo: Assassination & Siege. The tour is timed to coincide with the 100^thanniversary of the catalyticassassination which sparked the outbreak of the First World War. But it will also be nearly 20 years since the tragic siege of Sarajevo ended and the story of these eventsandthe assassinationwill be told by a man who was there! Major General John Drewienkiewicz served in Sarajevo in the 1990s and from 2002 to 2005.

He was Chief of Staff to the NATO mission and then later Commander of the NATO support operation in Zagreb. He has an intimate knowledge of the city, its history and its people and there is no one better to talk about its culture, the recent siege and take the tour as close as possible to the very spot where Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated. Flights will depart from London to Sarajevo via Vienna and the tour price of £1195 will cover four star hotel accommodation, breakfast and three course dinners with drinks each evening as well as all entrance fees and an expert guide throughout.

The Cultural Experience World War One flagship tour,The Classic Western Fronttakes place from 3 - 10 August 2014 and is a fascinating tour led by World War 1 expert and academic Dr Bruce Cherry which can be enjoyed as an introductory tour for the unfamiliar or as an essential 'aide memoire' to the experienced battlefield tourist. Visits to the battlefields of Mons, Ypres, Neueve Chapelle, the Somme, Arras, Cambrai, the Kaiserschlact and the final Advance to Victory will put the whole war into perspective geographically, chronologically, strategically, tactically and technologically.

Accommodation will be in a selection of four star hotels and include buffet breakfast plus a three course dinner together with drinks plus all entrance fees and an expert guide throughout. The tour price is £1895 pp including departure from London via coach and crossing with Eurotunnel.

For people with a real interest in the contradictory strategic options surrounding the start of the First World War, The Cultural Experience has arranged a three night tour from 4 - 7 July that looks at action around Mons and Le Cateau entitled"Opening Shots and Leadership Crisis". Under the guidance of MP, historian and retired senior soldier Patrick Mercer the tour focuses on the politics and rationale of high-level military thinking that prevailed at the beginning of the War with particular emphasis on the controversy surrounding Smith-Dorrien and his direct disobedience of orders.

The tour will depart from London via Eurotunnel and drive to Cateau where the cavalrymen of Major Tom Bridges' C Squadron 4^th(Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards made first contact with the German Imperial Army. Ironically the last British shots of the Great War were also fired there. The tour party will stay at a four star hotel in Mons and the inclusive cost is £825.

The fourth World War 1 tour available in 2014 looks atYpres and The Christmas Truceand again features soldier, MP and historian Patrick Mercer, the timing from 12 - 14 December allowing visitors to experience the climatic conditions and the short daylight hours that both sides had to endure in and around the Salient during the four winters of the war.

The tour includes a visit to the Flanders Field Museum and Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres but importantly examines the creation of the Salient as a consequence of the ‘Race to the Sea'. Based in the centre of Lille visitors will also be able to take advantage of the wonderful Christmas market held within close proximity of the hotel. The tour price is £725 pp and includes return coach from London via Eurostar, four star accommodation, breakfast and three course evening meals plus an expert historian and all entrance fees.

For further details of these and other tours, check out:www.theculturalexperience.com

Further details: Contact: The Cultural Experience T/: 01935 813700 or E/:info@theculturalexperience.com

Further press information from: Jane Adkins, A Head for PR, Tel: 01935 813114; Mob: 07960698089 or Email:jane@aheadforpr.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

The Cultural Experience has a real passion for history - and for the places where it was made. Only by bringing together time & space in this way is it possible to put the great events of history into context and evoke the spirit of those who were there.

Tours are informative, informal and inclusive - aimed at both enthusiasts and those with a general interest in history & travel.

Tours are set in the context of the local countryside, customs and cuisine making sure great accommodation and dining experiences are provided alongside the organised themed tours.

The Cultural Experience has been operating battlefield tours for nearly 20 years and its experienced and entertaining guides bring history to life as a result of his academic research or military experience, or both.

Jan 2014 (TCE 04)