Grass may cover the battle scars in the Somme where so many lost their lives but it cannot erase the memories. The region does its utmost to accommodate visitors looking to research a loved one and offers a comprehensive tour of the sites, museums and memorials via its Circuit of Remembrance (Circuit du Souvenir) which is fully signposted along its route.

To gain a perspective on the pivotal events that led up to World War One, start your visit at the Historial of the Great War (www.Historial.org), housed in the 13th Century Château de Péronne. Maps and memorabilia detail the extent of colonial expansion during the late 19th Century. There are elaborate costumes and souvenirs boasting of the might and power of various nations, most notably France, Germany and England.

The funeral of Archduke Franz Ferdinand plays on a loop. His assassination in Austria in 1914 triggered the war and the following rooms show how poorly equipped troops were at the start of the conflict. Cloth or boiled leather hats were swiftly replaced by metal helmets and armoured breastplates were cast aside for more flexible materials.

The story continues in the subterranean Somme 1916 Museum (www.musee-somme-1916.eu) in Albert, where recreated trenches, real equipment and personal belongings bring to life the conditions in which people fought and died.

The majestic memorial to the missing at Thiepval – far taller than the Arch de Triumphe – commemorates more than 72,000 men who died without graves. The Thiepval visitor centre brings to life the personalities of the people behind the statistics. Thanks to the efforts of the Linge family, photographs and details of 600 of the missing are now available in the visitor centre as part of an ongoing project to honour the dead.

A World War One tour would not be complete without paying a visit to the desolate Lochnagar Crater at La Boiselle, a 300ft wide and 90ft deep hollow, ripped apart by 54,000lb of explosives on July 1, 1916 and the Newfoundland Memorial, north of Albert at Beaumont-Hamel, built in memory of major actions fought by the 1st Battalion of the Newfoundland Regiment, which lost 85 per cent of its troops on the first day of fighting. Here it is possible to walk along the trenches where sheep graze among the twisted bits of metal, the remnants of the British wire. It is a changed scene from the blasted landscape the battalions would have faced but without such sites left in situ, our understanding of the sacrifice made by so many would be all the poorer.

Aside from the battlegrounds there is plenty to occupy visitors around the Baie de Somme with its sweeping landscape of marshes, dunes and saltwater meadows fed by the sea. Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme is a good base and at low tide there is a wide expanse of golden sands to explore, and you can hop on The Bay of the Somme Railway for panoramic views of the bay.

To get up close to wildlife, head for the Parc du Marquenterre, one of France’s major stopover sites for migrating birds including storks, curlews, avocets and a huge array of gulls, ducks and herons. Guided tours allow you to take a peek at the birds nesting high up in the pine trees and you can learn more about the rare sightings on this 3,000 hectare reserve.

Early summer is the perfect time to stop off in Amiens to appreciate the abundance of produce grown in the city’s floating gardens (Hortillonnages). Take a tranquil tour on a special boat known as a barque à cornet around the 300 hectare site, where residents attend their allotments on the water with utmost care. On Saturday mornings, look for the hortillons in the Saint-Leu district water market. This bustling waterfront area is also where you’ll find a host of bars, restaurants, antique shops and craft workshops.

Visitors can marvel at the colourful facade of Amiens' Cathedral which has been transformed back to its original state thanks to a unique technological process.

In the Middle Ages, the decorations carved on the doorways at the Western end of the Cathedral Notre-Dame in Amiens were painted in bright and lively colours. Over the time, the paint on the stone was erased. Today, a new technology allows coloured lights to be projected, restoring the building to its medieval glory.

The lights are on until September 20 at 9.45 pm and from December 1 to January 1 at 7 pm, with special light shows on December 24 at 7 pm and 11pm and December 31 at 7pm and midnight.

P&O Ferries has 23 daily sailings each way between Dover and Calais; from £30 one-way for car and up to nine people. Details: 08716 646464, www.POferries.com Tourist information: www.visit-somme.com and for weekend breaks: www.weekend-picardy.co.uk