Welcome to the Li'lle Gate Guest House!
Our bed & breakfast is situated in the Flemish town of Ypres (Ieper), in a quiet street in the oldest parish of Ypres, a short walk from the Grote Markt (Great Square) and the Menin Gate.
The town was at the epicenter of the terrible Ypres Salient during the Great War. Four years of bombardment totally destroyed the surrounding area, many nearby villages and the town itself.
Ypres was very quickly rebuilt immediately after the Great War had come to an end, following as much as possible the original medieval design and layout.
In the 1920's, Ypres was awarded both the Military Cross and the Croix de Guerre for the heroic role it played in the Great War.
Today, Ypres is a beautiful thriving market town in the Flanders Fields, drowning in the Great War history and tourism.
Come and experience it in all its glory, you will not be disappointed!
The Li'lle Gate Guest House is situated at Neerstraat 14, about 150m from the Lille Gate (Rijselpoort), the south gate to the town.
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ACCOMMODATION
The Guest House has two rooms for rent:
The John Skinner VC, Room
Twin en-suite with TV/radio.
Euro 70 per room per night.
Single occupancy - Euro 55 per night.
The Barney Hines Room
Twin en-suite with TV/radio.
Euro 75 per room per night.
- Price is per room per night and includes a buffet breakfast.
- Both rooms share tea/coffee & fridge facilities on the landing.
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FACILITIES & SERVICES
The Leonard Holder breakfast room
Rear garden with private off street parking.
Free pick up and drop off at the Ypres train station.
Battlefield touring / guiding arranged.
PLEASE NOTE:
We kindly ask for payment upon arrival in Euro's cash.
Check-in after 3 pm or as agreed;
Check-out time 10 am please.
The rooms are on the 2nd floor.
We are sorry, but
No children under 12 years
No pets
No smoking permitted in the house
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YOUR HOSTS:
Milena was born in Czechoslovakia and later lived in Amsterdam. She worked as Tour Manager of European tours for 20 years.
It was while researching one of her tours, that she visited the Flanders Fields, and decided to settle down in Ypres together with Chris, sharing his passion for the Great War.
Now she manages the Li'lle Gate Guest House, is the elected Poppy Appeal Organiser for the Ypres Branch of the Royal British Legion and also works with the Czech war veterans as a member of the Czechoslovak Legionnaires Association in Prague.
Left: Milena at the Memorial to Czech Spitfire pilot Sgt Karel Pavlik. It has been erected on his aircraft's crash site at the base of the Kemmelberg near Ypres.
Right: Milena shares a very special moment with Harry Patch,
the last fighting tommie.
Chris is a former British soldier who served with the
Junior Leaders Regiment Royal Armoured Corps and then with the
3rd Royal Tank Regiment.
He served with the British Army of the Rhine in West Germany and deployed on operational tours of Northern Ireland and Cyprus during the aftermath of the Turkish invasion of 1974.
After his military service, Chris worked as a firefighter and Crew Commander with Avon Fire and Rescue Service and as a professional falconer up to his retirement in 2005.
Today Chris finds his time taken up as Branch Vice Chairman of the Ypres branch of the Royal British Legion and by historical studies and exploration of the WWI and WWII battlefields.
He is also the coordinator for the recently inaugurated
Tank Memorial Ypres Salient.
Left: Chris at the
Tank Memorial Ypres Salient
in Poelkapelle, Belgium.
Right: Chris and Milena on the town's "Ramparts"
Katie the border collie was bred on a hill farm in Ireland. She was originally purchased to herd sheep; however, it was as a trained falconry dog, working with Chris and his Peregrine falcon, that she earned her accolades and went on to become a superb member of the team.
Her scent locating and pointing skills brought many admirers: she has appeared in several TV documentaries and the Border collie magazine "Freedom of Spirit" gave her a full page dedication. She is and will always be, a dog in a million to us!
As befitting to a grand old lady in retirement, she spends most of her time managing Chris and Milena and laying by the fire, dreaming of a long gone successful peregrine's stoop...
Left: Katie our border collie
Right: Katie on point!
