Go greener: Cycling the Battle of Arras remembrance trail

From the Vimy Memorial to the Ring of Remembrance, visiting the war memorials of the Pays d’Artois is an unforgettable experience. The historic city of Arras is home to an unusual underground museum, and is also the starting point for a new cycle route taking in WW1 battlefields, cemeteries and memorials to the east of the city. Rough Guides editor Rachel Lawrence set out on an e-bike to find out more. 

The secret tunnels of Arras

In the early hours of the 9^th of April, 2017, thousands of khaki-clad British soldiers waited below Arras for the order to advance. In one of the most audacious Allied operations of WW1, this surprise attack on the German frontline made use of the city's medieval chalk quarries and a secret tunnel network dug by a specialist unit of New Zealand miners. 

Tunnels were part of numerous WW1 battlefields, most notably the Somme, but the Arras network was remarkable in scale, with sleeping quarters, latrines, kitchens and a hospital. Some 24,000 soldiers were sent into enemy territory via the tunnels. Many would not return. 

Visiting the Wellington Tunnels

A section of this 22km network, the Wellington Tunnels, is open to the public and offers a unique insight into the role played by Arras in WW1. The excellent guided tours are available in French and English, and are accessible for wheelchair-users. After donning a Brodie helmet, visitors descend twenty metres by lift to a surprisingly roomy cavern and follow a metal walkway through the rough-hewn tunnels. Projections of maps and archive photographs illuminate the walls, while the soldiers' experiences are brought to life through recordings of diary entries and letters home.

Among the remnants on display are rusty cooking utensils, HP Sauce bottles and tins of Maconochie’s stew – by all accounts a barely palatable ration of vegetables, beans and scant chunks of meat known as “man-killer”. A reconstructed sleeping area shows the cramped living conditions the men endured, albeit relatively comfortable compared with the sodden, rat-infested trenches.

Far from home

Look closely and you’ll see soldiers’ names and service numbers, and even simple portraits scratched into the rock. The Kiwi greeting kia ora is visible on one wall, framed by silver ferns, a symbol of strength and resistance for the Maori tunnellers stationed here.

Signposts to latrines and kitchens are daubed on the walls, as are the numbered exits which emerged on the far side of no-man’s land. Standing at the foot of Exit No. 10, it’s easy to imagine the fear and trepidation the soldiers must have felt before scrambling out into the mud to face enemy gunfire and bombardment.

The H1 Circuit: WW1 battlefields and memorials

The Wellington Tunnels museum fits in neatly with the H1 Circuit, a self-guided tour of sites relating to the 1917 Battle of Arras. Bikes can be hired from the Town Hall and an interactive cirkwi route map is available.

The route is signposted along quiet, suburban streets leading to former WW1 battlefields on the edge of the city, where bomb craters and the occasional pillbox are poignant reminders of the conflict. A detour can be made to the CWGC Visitor Centre, which charts the preservation work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission – one of four extensions that can be added to the main route. 

Their name liveth for evermore

This gentle cycle route takes in several important British and Commonwealth cemeteries, including Tilloy, Tigris Lane and Monchy, the final resting places for soldiers killed in the close-fought battles that raged along the frontline here. Neat rows of white headstones show the name, rank, age and date of death of each soldier, while the graves of unidentified soldiers are simply marked “Known only to God”. High-ranking officers are buried alongside privates and the young age of many recruits is startling. 

The monuments of Monchy-le-Preux 

At Monchy-le-Preux, three bronze soldiers, crafted by renowned sculptor Feodora Gleichen, honour the British 37^th Division led by her brother Major General Lord Edward Gleichen. A little further on, a majestic bronze caribou commemorates the Royal Newfoundland Regiment’s courageous defence of Infantry Hill, where a small group of men held off hundreds of enemy soldiers until the arrival of reinforcements several hours later. Close by, a graceful limestone statue depicts a mother and child, in memory of the local children who lost their lives in the war. 

Scottish memorials 

The next stop is Fampoux, another village which passed between Allied and German hands during the war. On the side of the gravel track leading to the Sunken Road Cemetery stands the Seaforth Highlanders Memorial, topped with an ornate Celtic cross. 

From Fampoux, a tree-lined section of towpath follows the River Scarpe back to Arras, passing marshland rich with birdlife and bucolic cow fields. On reaching the village of Athies, there is an optional 5km diversion to the Memorial to the 9th Scottish Division, a distinctive cairn made from granite blocks from Scotland. From here, you can either return to the towpath or follow a further 5km extension to the German Military Necropolis at Saint-Laurent-Blangy, where rows of simple iron crosses sit beneath trees planted just after the war. 

A journey of remembrance

On leaving the towpath at Riverside Park, a water sports centre and alternative bike hire point in Saint-Laurent-Blangy, it’s a short ride back to the Wellington Tunnels past the city’s municipal cemetery. Its frontline location for much for the war made it impossible to bury the dead here, so soldiers were interred at the Faubourg d’Amiens Cemetery instead. 

This environmentally-friendly route allows you to discover some of the stories behind the thousands of names commemorated at the WW1 battlefields, monuments and cemeteries around Arras. Witness first-hand the legacy of war in the Pays d’Artois and see how this once decimated landscape has become a place of peaceful contemplation, preserving the memory of those who lost their lives over a century ago.

Arras and the Pays d’Artois: The lowdown

Where to stay

Situated in the heart of Arras, the Grand Place Hotel offers a range of rooms and apartments. A three-night stay starts at £300, based on two people sharing. Breakfast is not included.

How to get there

The most sustainable travel option is by Eurostar from London to Lille – which emits 90% less carbon emissions than flying – with a connecting train from Lille Flandres to Arras. Return rail fare from London St Pancras International to Lille Europe costs from £78 with Eurostar. Tickets include a generous baggage allowance of 2 suitcases and 1 piece of hand luggage per person, with no weight restrictions.

E-bike hire

E-bikes, equipped with helmets and locks, can be hired from Arras Town Hall or Riverside Park for a half-day (€16) or full day (€24). 

Find out more about Arras and the Pays d'Artois.