Les Alouettes B&B & Fairbanks self catering cottage

We booked Les Alouettes on recommendation of a family friend and we’re not disappointed. Les Alouettes is based in a quiet village right in the middle of the Somme area and is a beautiful, tranquil base that suited our trip perfectly. Vic & Diane provided every assistance and help pre booking and were also on hand to give advice when we arrived. The accommodation itself is a beautifully clean well equipped Apt with a lovely private garden area which we used most evenings to sit and enjoy the wonderful weather, wine and BBq. Diane ensured we had everything we required from fresh eggs from the free range chickens to BBQ coal. We really had a wonderful trip and can’t recommend Les Alouettes highly enough. Thank you Vic & Diane

Par où commencer ? Nous avons passé un séjour fabuleux à Fairbanks. Mon fils, mon petit-fils, nos épouses et moi-même sommes partis à la recherche de la tombe de mon arrière-grand-père, mort au combat. Vic et Diane étaient de véritables mines d'informations sur la guerre et, non seulement nous avons trouvé sa tombe, mais nous avons aussi découvert comment il avait reçu sa Médaille de la Conformité Distinguée (DCM). Nous y retournerons sans aucun doute, et mon petit-fils était particulièrement ravi de voir les chats et les poules. Un séjour parfait ! 😘

In the 20 years I have been the consummate uneducated nosey battlefield tourist this must be the best overall stay I have experienced. Diane and Vic operate a fantastic comfy B&B in a lovely peaceful place. Great breakfast to start the day especially if you are out walking the Battlefield. Experienced battlefield guides so they are well placed to help and advise on where to go. I will certainly be back

Mon mari et moi, originaires de Sydney, en Australie, avons passé un excellent séjour dans la Somme. Nous avons logé dans le gîte de Diane et Vic, situé dans le petit village où ils habitent. L'hébergement et le petit-déjeuner étaient excellents. Ils nous ont conduits dîner dans un village voisin, puis sont venus nous chercher. Diane nous a donné de précieux conseils sur ce voyage. Le lendemain, Vic nous a fait visiter la Somme en privé. C'était formidable ! Il était très compétent. Ce fut l'un des moments forts de notre voyage en France. Nous recommandons vivement ce séjour et cette excursion.

Nous avons séjourné à Fairbanks, un endroit absolument charmant, car nous sommes nos hôtes, Diane et Vic. L'hébergement est excellent, un véritable chez-soi, nous avons adoré. Excellent emplacement, au cœur de tous les principaux sites touristiques, dans un village paisible et convivial. Diane et Vic connaissent parfaitement la région et son histoire. Je vous recommande de réserver une visite, mais ils seront ravis de partager leurs connaissances et de vous faire des suggestions si vous préférez partir seul. Ne manquez pas cette perle rare ! Cliquez et réservez dès maintenant ! Vous ne le regretterez pas !

This was my second stay with Vic and Diane, and both have been excellent. The guided tours are superb and their knowledge and enthusiasm is amazing.|Fairbanks is a lovely self contained house which is beautifully furnished and very comfortable. The B&B accommodation I used for my first visit was also very nice.|The location is perfect for visiting the Somme battlefields, and the hosts are always very helpful if you are visiting family graves etc. They do lots of research for you which really gives you a good understanding of the events of the time.|I can't recommend them highly enough, and they are very good value too.

I would like to share with you details of our recent experience with Vic & Diane, owners & operators of Les Alouettes Battlefield Tours. Although we had no family connection to the Somme, they were able to tailor, two, one day tours that proved to be both interesting & immersive. Vic & Diane are both extremely knowledgeable, very friendly & both have a great love for what they do, they approach each tour day with great enthusiasm, they make it seem more a delight than a job !|I had previously utilised Vic's expertise & knowledge in 2019, when my brother & I stayed in Arras & spent three days touring the Somme battlefields & being amazed by his knowledge & his ability to bring to life the actions & occurrences at each location visited.|On our recent tour, we were picked up by Diane at their nearest railway station, Haute Picardie, & after stopping at their local Market to purchase supplies, we were chauffeured to their home & Fairbanks Cottage, which would be OUR home for the next four days. We could not have been more impressed by Fairbanks, spotlessly clean, comfortable, fully equipped & set in serene surroundings, it had all of the comforts that we could have asked for ! & if required, a cooked breakfast, prepared by our caring host, Diane.|Tour Day 1, Following breakfast we headed off to Villers-Bretonneux, where we visited the Adelaide War Cemetery & the Sir John Monash Centre at the Australian National Memorial, where we enjoyed a tasty lunch. Next it was off to the Lochnager Crater, the Thiepval Memorial & the Newfoundland Memorial @ Beaumont-Hamel, before stopping @ the German Cemetery at Fricourt. Upon returning to Fairbanks we enjoyed drinks with Vic & Diane, the perfect end to a perfect day !|Tour Day 2, following a hearty breakfast we set of with Diane to Arras, our first stop the Arras Markets, fresh produce, clothing & hand made goods spread over the two town squares, both Diane & my wife were delighted ! Following the Markets it was off to the Memorial to the French Resistance, 218 of whom were executed at the Arras Citadel, then to the Memorial to the British Forces, the memorial commemorates the 35,942 soldiers from the United Kingdom, South Africa & New Zealand who were killed during the Battle of Arras & have no known grave. Our next stop were the Wellington Tunnels, where we marveled at the efforts of the 500 miners from the New Zealand Tunnelling Company, who were able to convert the disused chalk quarry into a tunnel system that would house 20,000 troops directly below the German front line.|Words can not adequately describe what we have experienced & enjoyed during our time with you both, my ignorance of our history & the ultimate sacrifice made by so many during this conflict has prompted me to further improve my overall knowledge of the Great War, the time with you both was a humbling experience, but so rewarding, thank you both for the time we shared & the wealth of knowledge you were able to share. |Col & Jenny McCarthy

Un bon ami qui y avait déjà séjourné m'a recommandé Les Alouettes. J'aurais aimé venir plus tôt et je n'ai pas été déçu. Nous avons séjourné à Fairbanks. Diane a été très serviable et arrangeante, car lors de mon premier jour en France, je visitais plusieurs endroits avant de me rendre au B&B. Rien n'était trop compliqué, et Diane nous a accueillis à notre arrivée. Nous avons fait un rapide tour d'horizon de la maison avant de nous laisser profiter du calme des lieux. La maison était impeccable et avait tout ce dont nous avions besoin. Nous reviendrons certainement y séjourner, bientôt, je l'espère !