Visiting The Somme

The massive crater formed by the mine exploded by the allies
at the start of the battle of the Somme

By Mike Insall 

Tel. 01489 785854 
E-mail - mike@mikeinsall.co.uk

  Some useful information for a visit.
  When to Visit - Early spring and Autumn allow a better chance
 to see signs of the war, and also in autumn ploughing brings up many
relics including shells and bombs etc.

However, beware, NEVER touch anything that could contain explosives or gas.
Every year people are killed and wounded by items they have picked up.  

Driving distance to Bapaum from Southampton via the Channel tunnel - 230 miles

Time taken to Bapaum using the tunnel - About 6 hours

Driving distance to Bapaum via ferry from Portsmouth - 165 miless. 

Ferry time Portsmouth to Le Havre - Day 5.5 hours, Night 6.5 hours.

High Speed Catamaran Ferry time Poole to Cherbourg - 2.5 hours 

Driving distance Cherbourg to Bapaum - 285 miles

Driving distance Poole to Bapaum via tunnel - 260 miles

Cost of one night in single room in Hotel La Paix in Bapaum FF295 (£30 approx)

Evening Meal for one in the La Paix Hotel FF160 (£16 approx)
There is also a very good cheaper restaurant about half a mile away from the hotel
on the left side of the road as you go out of the town.

NB. All distances and times are approximate and Mike Insall cannot accept any
responsibility for any claims or losses as a result of the above information
 which is purely a guide.

As a result of my grandfathers exploits in the Royal Flying Corps during the battle of the Somme in the First World War, I had developed a great interest in all aspects of the Somme battle, and last year was able to make a short visit to the area, which is really quite easy these days.

Although I had read many books about the battles of the Somme, as well as my
Grandfathers own, planning the first visit would always be a somewhat vague 
exercise being unfamiliar with the area. 
The actual journey to France is easy enough, with several
 choices available from the Solent area.

I used the channel tunnel, mainly because a friend was going over for some shopping, and I could link up with him as he knew the ropes as it were. Although using the tunnel is perhaps the quickest route, it is also the longest, adding about 120 miles for the return mileage from the Southampton area.

Going by ferry from Portsmouth takes longer, but involves less driving and
 allows visits to some of the D Day landing sites.

From Poole it is actually slightly shorter going via the Tunnel, but again via the ferry
to Cherbourg allows an interesting drive up through France.

Driving in France is generally easy as roads are less congested, but one much 
take care in the first day or so about driving on the correct side of the road.
HOWEVER, BEWARE THAT FRENCH DRIVING CAN BE A BIT AGGRESSIVE!

I found the best thing to do was get into the habit of pausing before
setting off after a stop in order to think which side to drive on.
It pays to read up a bit about French driving laws and road signs,
 and also of course, drinking and driving is not allowed  

The cost for the tunnel or ferries is similar, and depend on the time of year, 
but the best deal is normally a five day return. This allows perhaps three days 
'on site' as it were, which is ample time to visit many of the main places of interest.

Having arrived in Calais, I paid a quick visit to the massive shopping centre with my friends,
and then set off inland. I had aimed to use side roads, but frankly that was a mistake,
and I quickly joined the the autoroute A26, exiting at junction 6.

I originally planned to make my base in Arras, but on arrival there realised it was
not the sort of town I fancied staying in, being rather drab and industrial like.
Although it's well positioned for other WW1 sites, it is in any event some way
from the Somme area.
I therefore carried on to the next town of Bapaum. 
Bapaum is a totally different to Arras, being similar to an English market town. 
One important point being that it has a very pleasant hotel called the La Paix, 
which is really more of a restaurant with accommodation!

The hotel telephone number is 0321 071103, Fax 0321 074366

My bill for three nights and 2 evening meals was FF1440 (about £145)
The en-suit rooms are quite small, but clean and comfortable,
with Satellite TV and tea making facilities in the rooms.

The enormous restaurant is perhaps a bit over the top for your average  
battlefield visitor, with meals lasting at least two hours!
It also gets very busy with locals at weekends,
being perhaps one of the best restaurants in the area.

I found a very good smaller restaurant just a few hundreds yards down the
 road supplying ample amounts of food at very reasonable prices. 
Nearby is the standard supermarket that also has a fuel station attached.
Bapaum was destroyed in both wars, and was just on the German side in the First war.
A monument in the town centre stills bears the signs of war in the form of bullet holes.

Many of the Somme battlefields and interesting sites are within just a few miles of the town,
and can reached easily reached after dinner in the even longer European summer evenings. 
I was able to drive up to High wood and watch the sun go down at about 1030pm,
standing peacefully in an area that was once the most dangerous place on earth!

Perhaps the first thing to do is drive out along the Bapaum to Albert road.
There are many sites along this road , and it takes you into the village of Pozieres.

Here you will find the Cafe Tommy which has become a sort of shrine to the British soldiers.
Although somewhat sparse inside, out in the garden the owner has constructed typical trench

 

  A trench scene in the garden of Cafe Tommy in the village of Pozieres.

The massive Theipval  Monument in memory of the many 
who died on the Somme for whom there is no known grave.

As you drive along, there are more sites, monuments and cemeteries as this was
very much the front line for most of the war.

Apart from a number of good maps of the area, (Michelin number 236)
 a book called Major and Mrs Holt's Guide to the Somme
is one of the better publications to be found.

To the north of Pozieres there are again many sites, including the massive
Theipval monument that records all the names of those who died on the Somme
for whom there is no known grave. To the east of there is Beaumont Hemel;
this is a large area (84 acres) of the front line that has been bought by the
Government of Newfoundland and preserved to show the trenches and
shell holes along with monuments and cemeteries as a result of terrible
 fighting that involved the Newfoundland Regiment.

During the summer months a team of students from Canada act as guides to the site. 
 For those visitors who would like to have a flight over the battlefields 

I found two places to fly from.
The First is a small airfield just South East of Albert on the D939 road near the
 Aerospatiale aircraft works. When I visited there, the plane available did not have an
 opening window, although this may not be a problem for amateur photographers.

The second airfield is just outside Amiens on the N29 road. This is quite a busy field
with an active flying club. I was able to get a Cessna 150 with an opening window.

The young pilot I had did not speak much English, and was not really
 very familiar with the places of interest.

The Royal Flying Corps used the airfield when flying in from England;
it was easy to find by flying up the Somme river from the coast,
and local boatmen were asked to look out for any pilots that may have
crashed landed, a common occurrence!

The cost of flying in France is a bit cheaper than in the UK, and a one hour flight
should only be about £80. A word or warning though, it can be very difficult to find
some of the sites  from the air, and good planning or the use
of a small GPS would be advisable. 

Getting around the area by car was generally easy, and there are numerous places 
of interest that I would have liked to have visited but had no chance due to my busy 
schedule, particularly arranging the flight.

I did manage to visit the quite large town of Peronne in which there is a massive
WW1 museum housed in an old fort called The Historial. The town has several hotels,
but I have no details. During my short visit it seemed to me to be an attractive
and bustling place, perhaps ideal as a base for a longer stay on the Somme. 

The town of Albert also has a lot of interesting places, but due to lack of time
 I was unable to visit them. I think there is a shop there where it is possible 
to buy items found around the local area.