# Eperlecques - Blockhaus



## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

I've visited this place a number of times but have always been off to overnight somewhere else.
Has anyone overnighted in the car park there? It would be a cracking spot if overnight parking was allowed.
Apart from that, if you're interested in WW2 and not visited the blockhaus it's worth taking a look - you get a very good idea about Adolph's plans to destroy Britain and how much we owe Barnes Wallis and the RAF.

50.82656, 2.18312


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

We've never done it Tony but there is a bit on their website that says:

Camping-cars may park overnight
on a stabilised area (please enquire
when booking).

So it clearly can be done.

G

Edit: Last page of this document, see motorhome symbol:

HERE


----------



## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Grizzly beat me to it Tony, but we saw a sign when we were last there. Not at all prominently displayed, but it did say overnighting was allowed.

Dave


----------



## pneumatician (May 1, 2005)

We stay at Eperlecques most times on our return journey. When we first visited the Blockhaus about ten years ago we used the recorded commentary the destruction was credited to the USAF and B17's. I commented in the visitor book that the B17 could not have carried the bombs required and it was in fact Lancaster's that would have caused most of the damage. Perhaps this has been changed now ?

The Cupola in St Omer and nearby Azincourt museum are also worth a visit.


----------



## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

Hey up.

If you are like me and had never heard of this place, put the name in your puter and look at Wicki, there is loads on it including the lat and long if you look in the box at the right hand side, I put the position in the Tom Tom N50.49.43.24 - E2. 11.1.22 and it found the place straight away.. I tried to put a link to wicki but it wont allow me to shorten the link which fills half the page, so look yourself.

If you can stay that is an added incentive to stop over especially when we set off for the winter this coming 10th of December, it will make a good first stop as we make our way down to Confolens to my mates house as we all go to Spain for Christmas and New Year then on to Morocco.

ray


----------



## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

Ray - the lat/long are in my first post.


----------



## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

> tonyt"]Ray - the lat/long are in my first post.


Hey up.

So it is  .. Never mind they have it in "old money" as well now :lol: :lol: :lol: .

Thanks for heads up on the place though..

ray.


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

rayrecrok said:


> . I tried to put a link to wicki but it wont allow me to shorten the link which fills half the page, so look yourself.


Ray: have you used TinyUrl before ? V. useful in the circumstances.

http://tinyurl.com/

G


----------



## zappy61 (May 1, 2005)

Yes went there last year. Really interesting shows how far the Germans were advanced technically. Each V2 had over 30000 components and were built by forced labour. Well worth a visit.
We didn't stay on the car park but went a few miles to la ferme des saules at bailleul, grat farm site with a nice shop selling local produce and delicious waffles. From there went to Ypres for the last post on Saturday night. 

Graham


----------



## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

Did anyone else notice the push buttons for the recorded commentaries.
The French and English ones are well used and shiny. The German button dusty and appeared hardly touched.


----------



## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

> ....Spacerunner.......Did anyone else notice the push buttons for the recorded commentaries. The French and English ones are well used and shiny. The German button dusty and appeared hardly touched.


Don't suppose they get many Germans there, after all I doubt many of them saw a Doodlebug headed in their direction.


----------



## orridge (Apr 30, 2013)

Grizzly said:


> We've never done it Tony but there is a bit on their website that says:
> 
> Camping-cars may park overnight
> on a stabilised area (please enquire
> ...


That document is for Lacoupole which is the site with the V2 launch site under the big dome and the planetarium (well worth a visit also). the car park has a lot of hard standing and shade so a good place to overnight.

the co-ordinates in the OP are for Eperlecques bunker (http://www.leblockhaus.com/en/visit/ )which is out in the forest not on hard standing but probably a reasonable place to overnight.

Due to flooding at the site we didnt get a chance to visit the last time but looked interesting and sobering netherless.


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Apologies Tony, orridge is right: the document is for la Coupole. Silly as I do know both of them. 

Zeb has confirmed it is OK though so no false hope raised.

G


----------



## kenp (Sep 8, 2006)

We stay at the Camping Cheque site, Chateau du Gandspette, a Kawan Village site, less than a mile away. Hard-standing, good ablutions and restaurant/bar/takeaway.


----------



## pneumatician (May 1, 2005)

Grandspette is also a "Camping Cheque site and I believe the Chateau is where the Blockhaus senior staff were quartered, next to the gate buried in trees is an old sentry box. Blockhause was for assembling V2's. One must remember the slaves buried in the ruins.


----------



## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Never made it to the Blockhaus, but the first 13 of these photos are the Coupole and Gandspette

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/108495877005911654786/albums/6015440858608009489

Dave


----------



## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

> ...DABurleigh..........Never made it to the Blockhaus Dave


Well if you passing close by (only 20 miles from Calais), go take a look. Not as "polished" as other sites but the size of the blockhaus is staggering.

What really caught my eye was a railway wagon - one with the original frame but the timberwork heavily renovated. One of those used to transport millions to the death camps but it wasn't the wagon on display that was interesting but the second wagon, not on display and tucked away behind the refurbed one, almost impossible to get at - looked to be in it's original state - eerie


----------



## Geriatricbackpacker (Aug 21, 2012)

Chanel 4 has been airing a series called Nazi Megastructures which gave a very comprehensive history behind the V2 and other mammoth undertakings the Nazi's constructed. I think the series is coming to an end but should be available on catch up TV.

Terry


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

NB is you plan a trip over winter then be aware that the Blockhaus is closed for 3 months in December, January and February.

G


----------



## cypsygal (Dec 19, 2009)

We've been to the blockhaus a a couple of times, and have encountered Germans there on one occasion - so they do visit. 

The V2 rocket base at St Omer is interesting. What stood out for me was the French newsreel - the same war from a different perspective. The way us Brits see it is not the only truth!


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

cypsygal said:


> the same war from a different perspective. The way us Brits see it is not the only truth!


That's something we've found so interesting on our WW1 "tour" last month. Especially moving was the holgraphic presentation by 4 young soldiers, French, British, Belgian and German, of what the Christmas truce meant to them and how they saw it. This was at the In Flanders Fields exhibition in Ypres.

G


----------



## bizro (Feb 13, 2011)

We visited there about 2 years ago, as we got to the blockhaus there was a large group of foreign visiters sat on the benches listening to the commentary about it, as we were stood by the fence l noticed a handset like they give you to listen to at various other places, l pressed the button marked with a union jack and the commentary coming out the loudspeakers changed to english, then a very irate gentleman ran up and said l had ruined their tour, cue a very embarrased me trying to avoid the group the rest of the way round.
So if you ever visit and see a handset fixed to the fence dont press it if there is a group listening you might not get out alive.
:lol:


----------



## georgiemac (Oct 22, 2007)

Yes you can definitely stay overnight here - but I wouldn't want to I found it overwhelmingly sad and depressing - there are still may people who were crushed to death still lying there, many enforced labourers from the concentration camps. I found it very interesting to visit and remember them - but - overnight? no thanks. There is an aire not far from there which is good for an overnight stay in Watten


----------

