Where we ' re going
Included in our trip
Return travel from school - Saint Omer and the coach for the duration of our trip
Full board accommodation
Full itinerary of visits including; -Day trip to a local French market, -Visit to a local boulangerie -Last Post Ceremony in Ypres, Belgium -Tyne Cot British Cemetry -Belleware Theme Park
Saint Omer is in Pas-De-Calais. It is 42 miles west of Lille, in the Artois province.
Staying Where we are
About the Hotel
Chateau d'Ebblinghem (Le Manoir)
1934 Route Nationale Ebblinghem 59173
Château d’Ebblinghem is ideal for school groups being set in a rural location just 8km east of Saint Omer on the Opal Coast in northern France, and just 45 minutes from the Channel ports.
The centre has four buildings designed with school groups in mind all accommodating student and teacher rooms together alongside dedicated dining and recreation areas.
The games room includes arcade games, pool tables, air hockey and is available when we have free/down time.
Ideally positioned for a range of subject trips including French language enrichment & WWI battlefields trips.
The hotel is only open to school groups.
How we ’ re getting there
Departure Day - 1/7/25
6:15am - meet at school to load luggage ready for a 6 45am departure
10am - arrive at Dover & check in at P&O Ferries for our 12pm departure
2:30pm - arrive at Calais (local time)
5 30pm - anticipated arrival at the Chateau (after an afternoon in Saint Omer)
Please note - towels are not provided by the chateau
Arrival home Day - 4/7/25
10am - depart Chateau (after breakfast and packing)
11am - arrive at Dunkirk and check in at P&O Ferries - ready for our 1pm departure
12pm - arrive at Dover (local time)
5pm - anticipated arrival back to school
Collecting your son/daughter after the trip;
Luggage allowance per student -
1 medium sized 'soft ' bag please - there are 44 bags to load!
Each student should also have a carry on/rucksack for the journey and for our day trips.
Please be aware there is a Hockey Club in school at this time, so if possible please park in Holmes Avenue and walk through (there are no parking restrictions) - we strongly advise not driving onto the school site for the safety of everyone
Day 1
Our Itinerary
After ariving in Saint Omer we will take part in the Town Trail - a great way to see the town, familiarise ourselves with the area and practice some French speaking. After our early start it's back to the Chateau for dinner and some free/down time, games (including tag archery and boules) and French enrichment activities
Day 2
Continental breakfast will be served at the Chateau and packed lunches will be provided. Depart the Chateau on the coach to go to Boulogne-sur-Mer for our visit the local Market, and after our lunch we ' ve got a visit to the Boulangerie Escoeuilles for a lesson in bread making! It's worth noting that this will be conducted entirely in French - a great way to immerse in the French culture and language. After this we'll go back to the Chateau for dinner and then we ' re off to the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate, and after another full day, it's back to the Chateau for 9.30pm.
Day 3
Continental breakfast will be served at the Chateau and packed lunches will be provided, then an early departure for our visit to Tyne Cot British Cemetery After this we ' re heading to the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 museum and after a couple of hours exploring the accurate depictions of Great War trenches, we'll have lunch in the amazing museum grounds
After lunch we ' re booked into the Belleware Theme Park for the afternoon! Then it's back to the Chateau for free/downtime, dinner and some evening activitiesincluding a quiz and crepe making!
Day 4
A leisurely start to our departure day, breakfast at 8.30am and packing and out of our rooms by 9.30am to check in for our Ferry and our 1pm departure We aim to be back to school by 5pm
Packing list
Hand luggage (carry onto the coach)
Passport & EHIC/GHIC
Food, drinks & snacks for the journey - please pack breakfast & lunch for the 1st day
A refillable water bottle - the centre does NOT provide bottles of water - these will be refilled
Pencil case
Books/games/cards for the journey - but no speakers are allowed on the trip
Any medication (including travel sickness tablets if required) these should be handed to Mr King, labelled with name, dosage & any other relevant information
Spending money - a mixture of pounds and Euros for France - a maximum of £30 total please all our meals are catered for
The weather in July in Saint Omer is typically around 21 C , but can be cooler in the evenings.
Clothes - enough for 4 days and a couple of spares - we ' re out all day so won't changemaybe more comfy clothes for the evening
A waterproof jacket - NOT a hoodie
Sun glasses
Sun hat & sun cream
Toiletries (tooth brush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, hairbrush etc) NO AEROSOL SPRAYS, please bring roll-on deodorant, insect repellent cream/lotion
Refillable water bottle
Comfortable shoes for walking (wear these on the journey)
Indoor shoes /slippers
Towels - these are not provided by the Chateau
Medication (as above)
Phone charger & European plug convertors
No speakers
What not to bring;
Sentimental or expensive items, jewellery or electronics
Anything that you would be upset to lose or damage
Medical Information
Thank you for advising us of medical information relating to your child.
Please ensure that students who carry or need an Epi Pen or Inhaler have 2 of these for the trip. They should keep this in their hand luggage at all times.
In addition to any medication that they may bring or need (please see page 7 about how to get this to us), we need your permission to administer basic medication if required when we are away.
Please complete the Google Form, linked here, by June 9th.
Mobile phones
Whilst mobile phones are allowed on the trip, our usual school rules apply and they will be confiscated for 24hrs if they are used outside designated times (school staff will advise what these are) We recommend not taking mobiles anywhere they may be damaged - the school is not responsible for any loses or damages
Parents & Carers - please check your child's mobile phone contract and make them aware of roaming charges - we don't want you to have a huge phone bill on their return home
Contacts & Staffing
Trip Staff:
Ms Fletcher - Trip Leader
Ms Monro - Trip Leader
Mr King - 1st Aid Lead
Mr Guilford - History Lead
Ms Fletcher - Trip Leader; efletcher@blatchingtonmill.org.uk
Ms Monro - Trip Leader; imonro@blatchingtonmill.org.uk
Mrs Morgan, Educational Visits Coordinator (EVC); bmsevc@blatchingtonmill.org.uk
Contact - on the trip;
We'll post updates on our trip & journey on here - so please follow us
Twitter: BMSTrips
Instagram - blatchmill trips
Trip Leader's mobile: to be advised 1 week prior to departure - for emergencies only please Emergency trip mobile: to be advised 1 week prior to departure - for emergencies only please School emergency contact*: 01273 221200
*Please note this landline will be linked to the mobile phone of a member of the school's Leadership team who will be in England for the duration of the trip.
ToDoList:
Parents/CarerscompleteMedicineConsentFormonpage8byJune9th
Parents/Carers&Students-attendmeeting,5-6pmonJune11thintheSchoolcanteen (OnlytheFrantRoadpedestrainentrancewillbeopen)
Parents&CarersbringPassports&EHIC/GHICtothemeetingonJune11th
Students-MUSTattendatripmeetingatlunchtimeinC17onJune18th