History school trips to the Opal Coast

Discover the origins and techniques of buckwheat galettes and wheat crêpes – a true French culinary tradition – on this excursion, where some students will even be able to try the raking technique on a cold surface. Groups can enjoy tasting a sweet crepe of choice, accompanied by a French apple juice. (Different workshops available; please ask at time of enquiry.)

Students will love the interactive elements of this brilliant aquarium, where they can feel the rough texture of a ray’s back and watch penguins gulping down their dinner – all within the space of an hour! With 1,600 different species, Europe’s largest aquarium is a fantastic resource for developing an understanding of marine ecology and conservation issues.

Step back in time and let your students discover the legendary battles of the Hundred Years War at the Agincourt Medieval History Centre. One of the last remaining battlefields of the war, Agincourt tells the tale of the eponymous battle of 1415, in which the English army (led by King Henry V) defeated the French forces.

With its foray of watersports, artistic heritage and picturesque setting, Le Touquet is a long-time favourite of Equity staff, and we can’t wait to share its charm with you and your students. With far-reaching views of the sea and countryside, the lighthouse of Phare Le Touquet is a particular highlight, as well as the Musée du Touquet and art deco Covered Market.

Students will be fascinated to explore this Second World War bunker complex, which is the earliest known precursor to modern underground missile silos still in existence. Built by Nazi German forces in 1943, the complex features a huge concrete dome and was built above a strategic network of tunnels, launching dozens of missiles every day against London and the south of England.

Dedicated to the Dominion of Newfoundland forces members who were killed during the First World War, the Beaumont-Hamel Memorial encompasses the grounds over which the Canadian province’s Regiment made their unsuccessful attack in the Battle of the Somme. Here, students can learn about the regiment’s first major war engagement, while paying their respects to the fallen soldiers.

Named after the long valley which rises east to the high ground at Guillemont, Caterpillar Valley is a First World War cemetery for soldiers of the Commonwealth. Initially containing 25 graves of men from the 38th (Welsh) Division, the cemetery was expanded after the war with more than 5,000 graves from autumn 1916 and 1918 – of which 3,800 remain unidentified.

Give your school group a lesson on the efforts of British Empire soldiers at the Neuve-Chapelle Indian Memorial, which offers an excellent opportunity to discuss the significance of the British Raj during the First World War. Here, students can also pay their respects to the 4,750 Indian soldiers lost during the war with no known grave.

Get a sense of scale standing on the edge of this mine crater, which was sprung at 7:28am on 1st July 1916 by British troops. The charge was placed beneath the German lines on the British section of the frontline to assist the infantry advance at the start of the Battle of the Somme. It left a crater 30 metres deep and 100 metres wide that now serves as a symbolic place to remember and reflect by all nations.

Come to Ovillers-la-Boiselle and you’ll find a settlement that dates back to pre-Roman times, yet which was completely rebuilt following its destruction during the First World War. The Western Front ran through the commune between 1914 and 1916, marking it as an apt location for your students to learn about the heavy fighting during the Battle of the Somme – standing upon the very soil on which it happened.

This Memorial to the Missing of the Somme bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South Africa who fell in the Battle of the Somme in the First World War, with no known grave. A humbling experience for your students where they can contemplate and develop their understanding of this landmark battle.