We have a meal in a brasserie on one of the squares. Sitting outside until the storm starts. We finish our meal inside and wait for the deluge outside to abate, everyone seems happy not to be camping and all get a good night’s sleep in the Three Leopards.
Next morning three of us Tony Betsy and Tim set of for Baupaume or slightly further, to be picked up by Jane. Ray elects to spend the day with Ann and Jane as they are heading home tomorrow.
We deposite some gear in the car in its souterrain car park and get breakfast in the well washed square. After the obligatory fields of barley potatoes and wheat we arrive at military cemetery.
Sunken Road Cemetery with a handful of Australians and Canadians and among the 1500 British youngsters and one lonely Sikh soldier Kirpa Singh.
After this we are accosted on the road by a Frenchman on a bicycle. He is a local walker has walked Camino and helped with handicapped walkers he looks after a shrine we pas and was upset to hear it was locked when we passed and took our names and pedaled off to write our names in. Telling us we should meet the mayor of Hamlingcourt who has been on Camino to get a stamp for the church for which he has the key.
Amazingly we are met in Hamlingcourt by the major who chats happily to Betsy and finds us a stamp in his office rather than the church. We walk on there is no cafe/bar in Hamblelincourt. Next is Gomiecourt there is no bar here we pass on and as we veer away from Bihucourt to enter Sapignies to view the German military cemetery as recommended by the m’sieur on the bike it rains. A Lot! We reach the church porch it is no designed for the saving of pilgrims from rain. It may be appropriate for other uses! There is no bar there either but it is not a court. We walk on to Baupaume where we are promised several bars.
They ARE ALL CLOSED! But it has an impressive bell tower.
We Stagger on across the autoroute (bridge) and a good road across the fields degenerates to a swamp. We eventually reach Riencourt Les Bapaume where Jane picks us up in the soon to be absent vehicle and transports us to tomorrow’s finish in Peronne. Don’t worry if you are confused we are! It must be the absence of beer.