School English Literature Trip to The Somme

Bring Wilfred Owen’s war to life for your students with an English literature school trip to the Somme!

Wilfred Owen’s poems have served to bring the harsh realities of war to the generations that have succeeded him. His work has now been given context with the creation of the Walking in Wilfred Owen’s Footsteps Trail.

The 6km trail takes visitors from the Maison Forestière where Wilfred and his men were sheltering, to the canal banks where he fell. The historic and military context will fascinate and challenge your students. This trip also offers a fantastic opportunity to join forces with your school's history department, deepening all students' understanding of the conflict and how it inspired such beautiful, thought-provoking poetry.

Suggested Itinerary

Day 1

Morning

Travel from UK

Afternoon

Arrive in Cambrai for the Wilfred Owen trail, visiting Forest House, the Sambre Canal and the cemetery at Ors where Owen is buried

Evening

Evening meal

Day 2

Morning

Visit Thiepval Memorial, Lochnagar Crater and Newfoundland Park

Afternoon

Return travel to UK

1 night's half-board accommodation
Detailed information pack
Experienced battlefields guide
Free staff place ratio 1:8
Itinerary planning service
Return Channel crossings
Return executive coach travel
Vamoos travel app - giving you access to all your trip documents on your phone or tablet
VAT at current rates to tour operators

Curriculum

GCSE

Power and conflict in poetry
Identifying literary themes
Understanding historical contexts
Comparing and contrasting texts
Wilfred Owen
John McCrae
Lord Tennyson
Ted Hughes

Key Stage 3

Understanding our literary heritage
Understanding historical contexts
Exploring literary themes
Wilfred Owen
John McCrae
Lord Tennyson
Ted Hughes

Accommodation

Poppies d'Albert

Poppies d'Albert is a purpose-built hotel, catering exclusively for school groups. It is located in the historic town of Albert, in the very heart of the battlefields of the Somme. Students are accommodated in multi-bedded rooms, all of which have an en-suite shower, toilet and washbasin. Breakfast is served at the hotel, and the evening meal is in a local restaurant. Each floor has a games room with a pool table and a drinks machine. There is also a staff lounge on each floor with computers, free internet access and a minibar. A room is available for group activities. Next to the hotel are a football pitch and a swimming pool, both of which can be used by the hotel's guests.

Educational Activities

Lochnagar Crater

Lochnagar Crater, the largest crater ever made by man, is a unique memorial to all those who suffered in the Great War.

Newfoundland Memorial Park, Beaumont-Hamel

On the first day of the Battle of the Somme, eight hundred men of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment went over the top here – only 68 returned.

Somme 1916 Museum

A unique underground museum where students will learn about the lives of soldiers on the frontline of WW1.

Thiepval Memorial to the Missing

This colossal brick structure records the names of 72,000 British soldiers whose bodies were never found.

Wilfred Owen Trail, Northern France

Groups visiting northern France can now follow in the footsteps of the young British war poet Wilfred Owen on a

Supporting you every step of the way

Creating your perfect trip

Your quote will be put together by an experienced Tour Adviser who’ll be an expert in the subject area and will know the destination really well too. They’ll work with you to create a trip to suit your group’s needs and meet your learning objectives.

Launching your trip to parents and students

The next step is to get your trip approved and then get students signed up to it. Our ‘Trip Launch Pack’ will help you with this step. This is full of resources (all free to download) designed to make your life easier at this crucial point in the trip planning process.

After you’ve booked

Once you’ve booked, your dedicated Itinerary Coordinator will start work on the finer details. They’ll make sure your itinerary makes the most of your time and they’ll take on most of the admin tasks for your trip (freeing you up to do what you do best – teach).

Support while you’re away

From lost property to properly lost, we’ll always be on the end of the phone while you’re out on the trip. You’ll get a final info pack before you go, as well as access to all your trip documents via the Vamoos app.

After your trip

We’ll ask you for feedback, so we can improve our service. Let’s start planning your next trip too, so parents have plenty of time to pay (and so it’s less stressful for you). And don’t forget to head to our resources hub to continue the learning back in the classroom.