The Memory Cycle Route

The Memory Cycle Route (No. 32) can be taken in either direction and allows you to join two major cities in northern France.

- Starting from Amiens from the cathedral, reach the Perret tower, the station and descend towards the Somme then follow the valley eastwards to Corbie, then climb the Ancre following the marked route to Miraumont, then follow the marked route through Pas-de-Calais to Dainville, a town located at the entrance of Arras.

- Starting from Arras by joining Dainville, cross the Pas-en-Artois region to reach Miraumont and descend the Ancre towards Albert, then Corbie, then Amiens, with an optional junction on the Somme cycle route to Saint-Valery / Le Crotoy.

The Battles of the Somme:
- The Battle of the Somme 1914: until early 1915, French soldiers fought German soldiers in the Ancre valley on the front line. Bretons were very present in the Albert sector.
- The Battle of the Somme 1916: for four and a half months, from July 1 to November 19, 1916, more than twenty nationalities fought in the Ancre Valley. In 1916 in the Albert sector, soldiers of the Commonwealth armies (Great Britain, Canada, Newfoundland, South Africa, Australia, India…) faced German trenches (the French were located more to the east and south in the Somme valley). The town of Albert was in British hands while Bapaume and Péronne were in German hands. Throughout 1916, the Battle of the Somme caused 1.2 million casualties from all nations combined.
- The Battle of the Somme 1918: the town of Albert was retaken by the Germans while Amiens was held by French and British soldiers. To protect Amiens, Australian troops neutralized the German offensive and liberated Villers-Bretonneux on April 25, 1918. Ultimately, the front line that stretched from the North Sea to the Vosges moved only a few kilometers… More than 400 military cemeteries are scattered around Albert and Villers-Bretonneux.