Bart led an excellent day tour focused on the offensive on the southern part of the British sector of the Somme front from July to September 1916. The tour was well planned so that each stage of the battle was explained in sequence. Bart was able to take us to key locations and show the sites of important battlefield features including trenches and machine gun posts and strongpoints. This allowed us to understand at a high level of granularity how and why the battle developed as it did. Bart displayed great knowledge of the units involved and key individuals and how they fitted in to the overall story of the battle. Bart was friendly and approachable and focused on providing us with the best possible tour. We had an excellent packed lunch prepared by Bart’s wife Karen. Highly recommended.
Somme Battlefield Tours Expert Led Historical Experiences
At a glance
- Duration
- 8 hours
- Price from
- $400 / person
- Location
- Amiens
- Rating
- 5.0 / 5 · 10 reviews
- Languages
- DE, EN, NL
- Group
- Private
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
- Confirmation
- Instant
- Ticket
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Operator
- 14-18 Somme Tours
- Meeting point
- 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.
Description
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.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The site made famous by British filmmaker Geoffrey Malins We will also visit the adjacent Hawthorne mine crater. Explanations on the who, why and how of the Somme Offensive of 1916
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.
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.
The largest British Memorial to the Missing. Over 72.000 names of soldiers with no known grave are inscribed in its many panels.
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.
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
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.
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.
The final site to be visited gives an insight into the Canadian sacrifices in the Somme Offensive. Within the cemetery, there are buried two soldiers who were awarded the Victoria Cross, one 1916, the other 1918. On this sight it's a good opportunity to come to a conclusion of the tour before heading back to HQ
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Frequently asked questions
How long does Somme Battlefield Tours Expert Led Historical Experiences take?
Somme Battlefield Tours Expert Led Historical Experiences lasts about 8 hours. The itinerary has 9 stops.
How much does Somme Battlefield Tours Expert Led Historical Experiences cost?
Prices start at $400 per person for this Amiens experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
Can I cancel Somme Battlefield Tours Expert Led Historical Experiences for free?
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
Where does the tour start?
The meeting point is 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. Hotel pickup is not part of this experience.
What languages is Somme Battlefield Tours Expert Led Historical Experiences offered in?
The experience is available in DE, EN, NL.
Is this a private or a group tour?
It is a private experience: only your party takes part. Up to 15 travellers can book together.
Will my booking be confirmed immediately?
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Is Somme Battlefield Tours Expert Led Historical Experiences worth it?
Travellers rate it 5.0 out of 5 across 10 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor; it is run by 14-18 Somme Tours.
Reviews(10)
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Had a fantastic tour with guide Bart. A recommendation for both experts and non-experts of WWI!
This is the guide of all guides. Bart knows his stuff, and he has a lot of say about each area. We did two morning tours with him and enjoyed every minute. BART is also a very nice and friendly person, which makes the experience so much more interesting. The fact that he comes in your car makes life so much easier. I highly recommend.
Bart’s knowledge and passion for WW 1 history shines through! An incredible morning with Bart where he tailored our trip to helping us understand exactly the battle of the Somme from July to Nov 1916 and the offensive our Great Uncle was part of when he was killed. He showed compassion, sincerity and was authentic in taking us on this journey. He took us to our Uncles grave but also had researched and found where our Uncle was killed. He had the coordinates & took us to the potato field where he was initially buried. We highly recommend Bart - he is an exceptional tour guide & historian and thank him for making our tour so special, poignant & memorable. Scott and Anne New Zealand
Truly an exceptional day. Bart combines true expertise with tremendous communication skills, in our case in perfect English. His commentary throughout the day was lively, intuitive and most importantly, constant. We could not recommend him highly enough.
My wife, baby and I had a tour of the British Commonwealth areas of the Somme and left absolutely mind blown! Bart made it so real and took us to key areas where we could easily envisage all scenarios ranging from daily life to the horrors of going over the top. We can't thank Bart enough and I'm sure we'll see him again soon!
Fantastic tour, and so informative. Our tour guide Bart possesses an outstanding knowledge of WW1, and is a local legend. We visited the Adelaide cemetery, and the Australian war memorial at Villes Bretenneux where we discovered one of our relatives was involved in the fighting. We also visited the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland memorial which includes the front line bunkers, and you can really imagine the terror suffered by our brave soldiers. Then checked out the Thiepval British memorial for soldiers missing from Somme. This is a huge monument, and put the exclamation mark on our tour. The scenery at all locations is breathtaking, and a big thanks to Bart for making our tour seem less, informative, and very interesting. Highly recommended
It has been an honour to have been able to show you around the important sites. Hope we will meet again in future!
Had a great and informative tour with Bart, he really knows his material and does a good job of setting the context and then showing you a wide variety of sites. Highly recommend.
Had a great tour with Bart visiting sites related to The Ox & Bucks Light Infantry on The Somme. Bart was very knowledgeable and was able to explain locations and actions during the Somme offensive of 1916.
I went through the Albert tourist office for a recommendation of a guide who could speak English. We were recommended Bart Metsalaar and he was outstandingly good. I recognised his name: Bart works on the cartography of the Somme battlefield ground for Nigel Cave's work in the 'Pen and Sword' publications of the Western Front. You could not have a finer guide for finding specific trench lines (aided by his linesman softwear) and understanding what specific groups of soldiers saw ahead of them. Bart has a much deeper knowledge than the kind of guided tour that takes people en masse to the main sites like Thiepval and he is sensitive to the needs of the people in front of him and keen enough to research details that are unfamiliar to him. In short, a gem of a guide. Highly recommended.
Thanks for your kind words. Been a pleasure and an honour!
Compare similar tours in Amiens
- Lowest price: Full day Australian Battlefields Tour — $240
- Best rated: Full day Australian Battlefields Tour — 4.9 (124 reviews)
- Shortest: Private Half Day Tour of the Battlefields of the Somme Offensive — 4 hours
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somme Battlefield Tours Expert Led Historical Experiences | 8 hours | 5.0 (10) | $400 | |
 Private Full Day Tour of the Somme Battlefields | 8h 30min | 4.9 (39) | $515 | View |
 Private Half Day Tour of the Battlefields of the Somme Offensive | 4 hours | 5.0 (34) | $286 | View |
 Full day Australian Battlefields Tour | 8 hours | 4.9 (124) | $240 | View |
 Australian private Somme tour including Sir John Monash Centre | 7 hours | 5.0 (61) | $360 | View |
 Half a Day Private Battle of the Somme Tour from Albert | 4 hours | 4.9 (48) | $297 | View |
 Full-Day Private WW1 Australian Battlefield Day Tour from Amiens | 9 hours | 5.0 (15) | $320 | View |