What You Will Do
Our guide, Michael Smith, has lived and worked on The Somme since 1991
The is a comprehensive circuit of the Somme battlefields of 1916
The itinerary can be tailored to reflect your nationality
If you have ancestors who fell during these battles, the cemetery and/or monument will be included.
Our circuit takes us through beautiful countryside
Other attractions can be added in the region: steam heritage railway, Amiens cathedral (the largest in France), windmills, a micro brewery.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Itinerary
1
Somme
8 hours
This is a circuit of remembrance of the 1916 Battles of The Somme. Because this was a static war, a war of attrition, many sites have been preserved: the largest and deepest mine crater in France, the iconic monument to the missing at Thiepval, the site of the first tank battles on this planet at Flers, the completely intact battlefield at Beaumont-Hamel where we walk, with our licenced guide through the trenches and out onto no-man's-land, we can eat and drink at a café with trenches in the back garden. The beautifully maintained cemeteries (more than 200 on The Somme) . All this whilst passing through beautiful landscapes and pretty villages. For australians ( and of course others) Villers-Bretonneux has four major sites of importance to those whose ancestors served in the ANZAC forces.
2
Lochnagar Crater
45 minutes
The largest mine crater in France, caused by an enormous explosion, detonated at 07.30 on 1st July, 1916
3
Auchonvillers
1 hour 30 minutes
An ideal spot for refreshment as there is a café here with original WW1 trenches in the back garden. there is a lot of WW1 memorabilia here, and a small, but beautifully presented museum (included)
4
Ulster Memorial Tower & Thiepval Wood
45 minutes
The tower is a replica of Helen's Tower in County Down, Northern Ireland, where the soldiers of the British 16th division trained before engaging in the Battles of The Somme. The assault on the German positions here cost many Irish lives.
5
Pozieres
45 minutes
Mémorial de Pozières, 80300 Pozières France
The monument to the first tank battles on this planet shows the different kinds of tanks used. Across the road from the monument is the site a windmill, destroyed during the WW1 battles. Some 2000 Australian soldiers lost their lives here;
6
Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial
1 hour 15 minutes
Preserved battlefield where you can walk in the trenches and across no-man's-land. Follow in the footsteps of the soldiers of 1st July, 1916
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