The Remembrance Trail
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RemembranceCircuitThe Great War
©Nicolas Bryant

The Remembrance Trail

  • 92km long
  • 8remembrance sites
  • 200 thousand visitors a year

The Somme, a truly international site

20 nationalities 

 

The Somme was greatly affected by WWI fighting with the invasion in August 1914 and the "Race to the Sea" in September, the Battle of the Somme from July to November 1916 and the Battle of Picardy from March to September 1918.

Unlike the Franco-German duel in Verdun, it became a global war in 1916, involving three million soldiers of about 20 nationalities fighting on a front 45 kilometres long.

Exploring the battlefields with Julia

circuit du souvenir, Somme©Garry
visite musée, Somme© Somme Tourisme
beaumont hamel monument 29eme division, Somme©Nicolas Bryant
albert musee Somme 1916©Nicolas Bryant


The Remembrance Circuit 

from Albert to Péronne 

The Remembrance Circuit is a blazed trail from Péronne to Albert. It follows the traces of the soldiers, featuring vestiges of fighting, cemeteries and memorials to commemorate WWI soldiers.

It is peppered with poppies, the flower symbolising sacrifice and remembrance of soldiers who perished in the war.

You can do the circuit by car, bike, on foot, aeroplane, alone or with a guide. There are all sorts of possibilities to explore and gain insight into this page of international history.

Sites to be visited include the Newfoundland Memorial in Beaumont-Hamel and its network of admirably well-preserved trenches.
Mémorial de Thiepval © Aerophotostudio
La Boisselle, Somme©Garry
Longueval memorial et musee sud africains, Somme©Nicolas Bryant
carte_circuit_du_souvenir.png


Top 10 sites and places

Not to be missed

Petit train de la Haute Somme APPEVA©Philippe Grandsire

Little Train

of the Upper Somme

Go back in time in the train that transported soldiers during the Great War and enjoy a ride along the banks of the River Somme aboard the Little Train of the Upper Somme, a trusty steam or diesel train.

This authentic steam train travels between Froissy and Dompierre on a railway line that was constructed in 1916 for the Battle of the Somme. It was used to supply the trenches with artillery during the war.

Each year, the Little Train organises two Steam Festivals : on Whitsunday and at the end of September.

The narrow-gauge railway museum has a fascinating display of 37 locomotives and some 100 wagons, including French, German and American steam trains, diesel shunters and various military or industrial wagons, mostly dating from the 1910s to the 1920s. Many of these locomotives were used to supply the trenches during the Great War.

The Little Train of the Upper Somme - +33 (0)3 22 83 11 89

Somme

Battlefields for Peace

Fundraising

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Let's talk ToVéronique Bon

Director of the Tourist Information Office in the land of poppies

"Over 750 buses of schoolchildren, adults, seniors, and foreign visitors have had guides from the Tourist Information Office during the first two centenary years. 2016 is set to be every bit as busy! Our guides really bring the history of the Great War alive, providing a warm welcome, plenty of anecdotes and all the details the visitors are specifically interested in!"

Useful information

on the Remembrance Trail

  • Haute Somme Tourist Office

1 rue Louis XI
80200 PERONNE
03 22 84 42 38
accueil@hautesomme-tourisme.com
hautesomme-tourisme.com

  • Tourist Office of the Poppy Country

9 rue Gambetta
80300 ALBERT
03 22 75 16 42
officedetourisme@paysducoquelicot.com
tourisme-paysducoquelicot.com
 

  • Val de Somme Tourist Office

28/30 place de la République
80800 CORBIE
03 22 96 95 76
officedetourisme@valdesomme.com
valdesomme-tourisme.com

Go there

with a Battlefield Guide

Museums, tourist offices and private English-speaking guides (some of whom are British expats who have chosen to live in the Somme) provide guided tours of the Remembrance Trail for groups and individuals. Day tours, half day tours and bespoke tours available...

  1. Explore the Somme Battlefields with a guide of the 'Somme Battlefields' Partner'. These members all comply with the legal obligations in regard to tour guiding.
  2. Before traveling to the Somme, do not forget to take a look at our specific WW1 Battlefields guide : digital version.
  3. Visiting Meuse, Aisne, Somme and Pas-de-Calais – four diverse, fascinating and very welcoming départements in France’s northeast.

Go there

on foot or on bicycle

  • Discover the Remembrance Trail by foot with walks and hiking trails in the Haute-Somme and the Poppy Country.
  1. The "Around the Thiepval Memorial" Trail. Highly recommended for those who want to see the surroundings of Thiepval.
  2. The "Circuit du Caribou" Trail near the Newfoundland Memorial at Beaumont-Hamel.
  • Thanks to the guidebook « On the Trail of the Great War in Picardy », visit the Remembrance Trail by foot. 48 walking paths to discover.
     
  • Visit the Somme Battlefields on bicycle with a guide or on your own.
  1. Bespoke tours are available for one or more days, with or without accomodation, with Cycling the Western Front.
  2. The Cycle Trail of Remembrance, between Arras and Amiens, offers cyclists a bike ride combining nature and history, with a focus on the sites of remembrance of the Great War.