Somme Battlefield Tours Expert Led Historical Experiences
5.0 / 5 · 10 traveler reviews
Battlefield historian and guide Bart will take you on a tour of the Somme battlefields. It will be exclusively your tour, there will be no added persons, so the guide can give you his undivided attention. Over the course of 8 hours, we will visit all the key sites of this significant and tragic battle of 1916. We will take your specific personal wishes and preferred locations, or ancestry related sites into consideration; depending on available information and the time required to do research. The tour starts at 09.00 at the guide's B&B and tour headquarters in Beaucourt-sur-l'Ancre, right in the heart of the battlefields, where Bart will join you in your car to visit the historical sites and its histories. Bart is eager to share his knowledge with you.
Your experience
Stop 1
The site made famous by British filmmaker Geoffrey Malins, Where the Lancashire Fusiliers were filmed waiting to go over the top We will also visit the adjacent Hawthorne mine crater. Explanations on the who, why and how of the Somme Offensive of 1916
Stop 2
The Newfoundland Memorial Park. Run by Canadian students, we go in to the history of the disastrous Newfoundland Regiment's attack on 1 July 1916. Also the Highlanders, remotely more successful attack of November 1916 and how trenches, and their lay-out worked.
Stop 3
Coffee break (cash only) and a visit to the site where the Ulster (Northern Irish) soldiers went over the top. Tremendous views across the Ancre Valley over the Battlefields. A visit to the trenches of Thiepval Wood, with a separate guide is not included on this site.
Stop 4
The largest British Memorial to the Missing. Over 72.000 names of soldiers with no known grave are inscribed in its many panels.
Stop 5
The largest mine-crater in the British Somme sector. Created by 30 tons of explosives it left a crater 30 meters deep and 100 meters in diameter. We stop at several of the information panels and memorials around the crater.
Stop 6
Over 17.000 German soldiers have found their last resting place here, including, for a period, the fabled air ace the Red Baron Manfred von Richthofen. We are going to talk about German war cemeteries, some of its Jewish graves and what happened to the vast majority of the German fallen in the Great War
Stop 7
One of the largest British Cemeteries in the area, of whom the vast majority remains unknown. The site where the unknown soldier of New Zealand was taken and the New Zealand Memorial. We will have an oversight of the ongoing Somme Offensive after 1 July 1916. The only Cavalry charge of the Offensive, the Battles of Delville Wood and High Wood.
Stop 8
The New Zealand Memorial sits on the prairies in between Longueval and Flers. This location gives a good insight in why the Germans were so tenacious in their defences in the Somme Battle. Also we will have a look into the first ever use of tanks, and follow one of them, as it rumbled towards Flers to take its part in the taking of that village.
What’s included
- Government fees
Not included
- Lunch
Meeting and pickup
Our B&B can be found on the D50 running north-east from the town of Albert to the village of Miraumont, in the River Ancre Valley. It is situated in the middle of the Somme Battlefields. Bart will await your arrival on the side-walk.
Before you go
- Service animals allowed
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Check the policy for your selected date and option before booking.
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