The Silent Picket

What a fabulous and warm welcome we recieved from John & Jennie when we arrived at the Silent Picket Guest House. They both welcomed u with coffee/Tea and sat down in their impressive library to discuss our interests and offers of any help we may need to find our way around. Although we didn’t have evening meals we heard from other guests that they were top notch & every time we returned from being out the Tea/coffe was offered as we came through the door, very welcome on a cold November days. The rooms are small but have everything that is needed for a guest house and they are very clean including the en suite shower & toilet. Breakfast was in abundance and nothing was too much trouble. John has kindly offered to research my Grandfathers war for me and I hope to email him very soon with the details. They also, prior to our stay, sent details to my husband of his Gt Grandfathers War and arranged, if we wanted, to take part in the Mayors procession to the memorial on Armistice day. A fantastic stay with lovely hosts❤️

We wanted to learn about and follow the experience of a relative in WW1 in 1918, and John & Jennie Knight put together an outstanding custom tour that did all that and more. Even if you already have some information about your relative, the Knights have the expertise to find more and provide important context, and will take you to places you would likely not find on your own. John even drove us to another relevant sight the next day before taking us to the train station in Arras. As officers in the Nord/Pas de Calais Branch of the Royal British Legion, the Knights are personally invested in the subject of WW1 commemoration, and their passion came through in their guiding. On the B&B side, the house is immaculate and comfortable, and Jennie will feed you a breakfast with lots of choices and, if you choose as we did, a multicourse dinner with homebaked treats at the end. You will not go hungry! We did not have a car, but the Knights provided everything or us from pickup to drop-off at the end of our stay.

It was a short but great stay! The most important assets of The silent picket are the geographical situation (all interesting sights are 2 to 10 kms from the B&B) and the amazing welcoming of Jennie and John. They were as good friends while welcoming us on the 1st and 2nd day by tea and cake! The rooms are correct: do not expect higly ‘boutique hotel design rooms’ but very correct and clean rooms with good beds and very good towels-;) As if you are sleeping in a special guest room at your relatives’! Breakfast is great, parking is very safe and eventhough the house is in the village’s main street, I did not hear a car between 11 pm and 7 am! If ever you like biking, it is very handy and distance reasonable to visit all remebrance sights,

Stopped for 2 nights to have a look at some of the many sites before heading to Belgium. We received a very warm welcome as well as tea and cake. The room was very good overlooking the garden and well maintained. We ate in the first night and it was an excellent meal and enjoyed the company of the other guests as we dined together. There is a great choice at breakfast in fact more than you can eat. John and Jennie will answer any questions about the Somme battle and tell you about the many sites and their history. Would definitely recommend staying here. Thank you John and Jennie.

Very comfortable and the absolutely best meals. You won’t want to go out to eat. Jennie is a gourmet cook and John is the most knowledgeable historian on WWll My family has stayed here several times and my son has been there without us.

Stayed here for two nights but wished it was longer. John & Jennie were amazing hosts who couldn't have done more for us. The room was spacious and immaculately clean. The village is so peaceful with just the odd tractor passing through. Jennie's cooking was amazing with two beautiful evening meals & breakfasts that filled us all day. As for their knowledge on The Great War, this was amazing. Their house has a vast array of books on all aspects of the war with plenty of fascinating artifacts which they could tell us all about. We booked a full days tour with them which was a brilliant experience. They took us to places of both military significance but also personal for us. Their knowledge and photos /videos brought the tour to life in a way that a self guided tour never could. In short, an amazing place to stay and couple who we couldn't have asked for more of. We will definitely be returning.