Visit the Lochnagar Crater

The Lochnagar Crater is an extraordinary place. Not only was it significant in the opening of the Battle of the Somme but its unique blend of evocative atmosphere, accessibility and the thoughtful care for our appreciative visitors, has guaranteed that many return time and time again.

Today the Lochnagar Crater has been preserved as a memorial to all the men and women of all nations who suffered in the Great War and now has in excess of 200,000 visits a year, many of them British and French schoolchildren.

While the crater itself will be the main focus of your visit, do not forget to take a look at the other landmarks on our site, the Lochnagar Labyrinth, the Lochnagar Memorials and the Commemorative Plaques on the walkway.

They will complete your experience by providing detail and food for contemplation.

It is not allowed to descnd into the crater for reasons of safety and to prevent further erosion of the site.
Technology offers the next best thing: a virtual view.

Take a look about as if you were standing at the bottom of the crater and view the 3D model.

The 20 panels of the ‘Lochnagar Labyrinth’ lead you on an emotional journey around the Crater.

They relate the story of the Crater itself and the experiences of some of the men who suffered in the battle.

As you progress they broaden to highlight the consequences of war and its tragic aftermath.

Follow the link at the bottom of the page.

Lochnagar is pleased to be host to several unique memorials from a diverse range of causes. We are proud to offer pilgrims a place to pause and reflect in a now peaceful setting.

The Lochnagar Cross welcomes visitors at the entrance of the site and is the first of the Memorials.
The Cross of medieval wood was erected in 1986 close to the lip.

It was made with roof timbers from an abandoned, deconsecrated church close to Durham – most likely a church used by some of the soldiers from Tyneside who themselves fell at Lochnagar.

Follow the link at the bottom of the page.

While the walkway takes you on a tour around the crater, it serves a a commemorative element as well.

The emotive Commemorative Plaques that are fitted onto the planks of the walkway, each plaque for one individual, pay tribute to a generation of men and women, whether they died or survived, and have become an important feature, highlighting the terrible impact of a war suffered by all nations and all walks of life.

The Lochnagar Crater Foundation offers you the opportunity to honour the memory of family members, members of your community or school by dedicating a plaque.
Besides keeping their memory alive, you also help preserve this unique Great War Memorial for future generations.

Follow the link at the bottom of the page.