A privileged natural setting, beautiful towns, places steeped in history and almost 140 campsites to welcome you to the Somme, such is the portrait of the Somme, this little-known department which belongs to the new "Hauts de France" region.
The exceptional heritage of the Baie de Somme
The first reason to choose the Somme as a destination for your next holiday is its exceptional natural heritage. The best example is of course the Bay of the Somme, a sort of giant screen opening onto the English Channel. Here the sky and the sea merge with lights that change every moment. Here you will find the largest French seal colony. It is also home to one of the largest bird sanctuaries in Europe, the Parc du Marquenterre. The latter, with its 200 hectares of dunes, forests and marshes in the heart of the Baie de Somme nature reserve, has been a mecca for ornithology for the past 40 years and serves as a refuge for thousands of migratory birds. In all seasons, you can observe more than 300 species, i.e. thousands of birds (waders, waders, water birds, passerines and birds of prey) without disturbing them.
For your accommodation, choose one of the 66 campsites near the Baie de Somme.
There are many marked routes to get as close as possible. On the beach, you may also be surprised to see colonies of seals.
The Baie de Somme is also a paradise for horsemen with a rich network of marked routes, immense beaches for salty galloping sessions, but also campsites that have all the infrastructures to welcome riders and mounts in perfect conditions. But in this particularly privileged setting, you can, for example, practice sand yachting without any moderation or fly the craziest kites out of your imagination.
A jewel: Amiens
Even if it occupies a very important place, the Somme is not limited to the sea, as beautiful as it is. The department has other assets that are well worth a visit, starting with Amiens. You will discover one of the most beautiful Gothic cathedrals in France, which you can devote a whole day to visiting. You will be amazed by its slender forms like a "stone lace", its 700 statues, its stained glass windows, etc. Amiens can also have the air of a lakeside city with its "hortillonnages", small islands on the river on which market gardeners grow very high quality produce, etc.
The Battle of the Somme: sites to visit
But like other departments in the north and east of France, the Somme is also a land of memory. Some of the most despicable butcheries of the First World War, which was not short of them, took place there. The Battle of the Somme, which pitted British (British, Australian, New Zealand), French and German troops against each other, took place from 1 July to 18 November 1916. More than one million people died in the battle.
A century later, the landscape is still scarred with many traces: trenches, villages wiped off the map, huge craters from mine holes. If you want to know more, there are plenty of opportunities throughout the department, whether it be the "Circuit du souvenir" from Albert to Péronne, the various memorials (Commonwealth, Newfoundland, Southern Hemisphere Combatants Memorials, etc.) or the various museums such as the one in Albert or the Historial of the Great War in Péronne. In addition, on the occasion of the centenary of the First World War, numerous ceremonies, celebrations and shows will be organised.
But if this quick overview of what the Somme has to offer is not enough for you, there is one last argument that could make you decide, the quality of the welcome that is a true religion here.