We left the Quo Vadis after breakfast and after 3 trains we arrived in the town of Arras in the north of France. The Hotel Particulier had been recommended by a local guide and is a beautiful old home that has been lovingly converted to a modern hotel.
We checked in and headed into town where we saw the highs and lows of Arras. First we climbed the tower which gave some great views and then did a tour of the underground tunnels “Les Boves”.
Next morning we were picked up by Miriam, our guide for our tour of the Somme Battlefields and the reason for our stop in Arras. First stop was the Australian War Memorial built on top of Hill 106. Miriam explained that occupation of the high ground was a key objective in battles in this area.
The Australian Government opened the John Monash centre last year behind the Australian War Memorial. It is state of the art and included a lot of original photos and footage. We were moved by and as Australians proud of both sites.
Next stop was the village of Villers Bretonneux and in particular the school built with money raised by Victorian school kids.
The 100m wide Lochnagar Crater was the result of a huge mine exploded under the German front line after a tunnel 274 m long and 17 m deep was dug by British troops.
The Red Baron was shot down here by an Australian machine gunner.
Final stop was a visit to the only remaining trenches in this region in the Newfoundland Memorial.
Our private tour had been a great way to cover a lot of territory and Miriam’s knowledge certainly helped explain events in the area. We would highly recommend her Walkabout Digger Tours.