Somme Tours
General | History | 2Days/Weekend Itinerary | 3 Days Itinerary | View Full Itinerary
This Tour consists of:
3 days guided visits to key sites in the Arras and Somme Area. 2 nights at a 2 or 3* Hotel in Arras or Albert.
Memorial at Vimy Ridge.
The rebuilt Town Hall, Arras Memorial at Serre
Day One
2:30 Arrive at Vimy Ridge, with its mock up trenches and underground tunnels where, today a huge monument to the brave soldiers (can be seen from the motorway) and a preserved area of the battlefield, will be visited.
3:30 Visit cemeteries on the way, such as La Targette and Cabaret Rouge British Cemeteries. The French National Memorial and Cemetery. The Notre Dame de Lorette is one of the largest cemeteries, with a magnificent light house tower, 52 metres high. At the top is a search light which shines continually through 360 degrees.
6:00 Drive to hotel in Arras. Check in.
7:00 Evening free for dinner in Arras town centre.
Caribou overlooking the battlefield, at the Newfoundland Memorial Park
Day 2
8.00 Breakfast.
9:00 Pack up and leave hotel. Visit the tunnels under Arras.
10:00 Stop off at the Faubourg D'Amiens Cemetery where the memorial wall lists just under 36,000 names of the missing from this sector, as well as 2,600 graves.
10:30 Coach towards The Somme battlefield area. Drive to Gommecourt, Serre and Beaumont Hamel's Newfoundland Memorial Park. Stop off at various points to look at areas that we will have studied, such as the grave of 16 year old, James Crozier, who was executed for cowardice.
Beaumont Hamel is a small village where the English Army stayed on the way to Agincourt in 1415. The Canadians were here in 1916 and suffered a huge casualty toll on the first day of the battle. The Newfoundlanders were cut to shreds. After the War, the Canadian Government purchased the 80 acre site of the disaster from the French in perpetuity. The result has been the preservation of these trenches in 'good' condition, as the Newfoundland Memorial Park.
1:30 Snack Lunch in a café in Albert.
The town of Albert stands a few km behind the lines, was badly shelled. It was the central collecting point for troops before they were sent to their respective positions at the front. The story went that if Golden Virgin and Child statue on the top of the basilica fell the war would end. It was hit by a shell and hung precariously over the church from January 1915. However, when the Germans captured Albert in March 1918, it was British who finally shot it down on April 16th as they were now shelling Albert.
2:30 Visit museum in Albert
3:30 Visit Thiepval Memorial and Museum, Ulster Tower, nearby trenches and cemeteries.
The Thiepval Memorial Arch, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, contains the names of 73,357 missing soldiers from the Somme battle. It was opened in 1932, by the Prince of Wales. In 2004 a new Visitor's Centre was opened to help visitors to understand the significance of the Memorial to the Missing.
6:00 Coach to Pozieres. Visit the Pozieres Military Cemetery, with its 14,000 names of men who died on the Somme.
6:30 On to La Boiselle and nearby cemetery at Ovilliers. Stories of what happened to some soldiers here and nearby.
7:30 Coach to hotel in Peronne or Albert. Check in
8:00 Evening free for dinner in the town.
The Golden Virgin and Child, Albert
Day 3
8.00 Breakfast
9:00 Visit around Mametz Wood. At Mansell Copse, near the village of Mametz, is the Devonshire Cemetery. Here they attacked on July 1st. By July 4th, they used a section of what had been their front line to bury their dead. The cemetery has 163 graves, 10 of which are unknown. The plaque at the entrance is engraved with the hauntingly sad words:-
"The Devonshires held this trench, The Devonshires hold it still"
10:30 Coach to Delville Wood. Today, Delville Wood is the site of the South African National Memorial, the museum and visitors centre, which commemorates the lives of 25,000 South Africans in the conflicts of the 20th century. During the Battle of the Somme, from July 14th, 121 officers, 3,032 men went into the woods and captured most of it. This came at a huge price. Only 29 officers and 751 men came out alive on July 20th. They had been ordered to take it at all costs.
12:30 Coach to the Butte de Walerncourt
1:00 Return journey to Calais.
3:00 Lunch and shopping at Cite Europe (if time) in Calais.
5:00 Crossing
6:00 Back in Surrey for homeward journeys.
Thiepval Memorial to the Missing Delville Wood.
See Tour Dates page for further information
The cost of the tour is £295 per person sharing. This includes BB in France, all travel in a luxury minibus, and specially prepared educational packs designed to go with our itinerary.
The price does not include lunches and dinners in France as you will have free time to choose your own restaurants or cafes.
Our Company Insurance is included. However, you need your own holiday insurance, as well as your EHIC - European Health Insurance Card (formerly E111) in case of personal injury requiring hospital treatment (or adequate insurance cover). See booking terms and conditions.
