Camino 2018/2019

The hero’s Tony and Ray walked into town 2km and back to shop yesterday and so we had home cooking rather than sausage and frites from the restaurant on site. It was however very good for breakfast providing croissants coffee juice and jam for 5euros. A good new Municipal Camping only open 2years, which is good to see.
After that we walk off to see Suzy a small village where there’s a current campsite with a restaurant so no need for shopping or carrying food as no shops in Suzy. Rain is forecast for an hour or two and duly materiallises. Well done BBC and Norwegian weather. We don rain wear under Picardy roses of which there were plenty. But we have dry tents packed and it brightens up later. Meanwhile it is cool walking. Though the picnic table in St Nicholas was not quite ready for us.
Ray spots some more orchids at the roadside at the start of the days ascent, about 100m but we are not used to it and the temperature is rising now
The only. possible downside is the site is themed as wild west, reception is the saloon our emplacement is Moonville opposite is Cisco. We wonder what we will be fed this evening.
More news tomorrow when we have a short walk to the city of Laon.

Link to where we are on Google Maps

We are sitting in the slowly cooling evening in a campsite on the river Somme and Saint Quentin Canal. The day was 30km and Betsy although considering playing a joker and getting a taxi walked the whole distance.
THE NEXT DAY
We leave what must be one of the best little villages and campsites in this part of France on the Somme. Facilities modern and immaculate. A small open till 7pm on Sunday shop 50m down the road And a café just before leaving the village.No wonder it was gone 8 when we got going.
Another holely church spire. Similar but smaller than yesterday they appear to have Steeple moths!
After a few km across fields with burgeoning windfarms and an acreage of sugarbeet sufficient to produce diabetes in a large part of the population of Europe we get to the railway and follow a track next to it before joining the St Quentin Canal again for more km into the town of Tergnier which,at least the part we saw has little to commend it. Except a fine modern campsite on a lake with an artificial beach. Ray goes swimming it is allowed and there is a lifeguard.
On the way we see several heron along the canal but no hares in the fields.

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Today the team, now unsupported by Jane and Ann in the car, set off from Peronne through Picardy, which no longer exists it is Haut France. A goodly number of roses are seen on the way along with Painted Ladies and Tortoise shell butterflies. But first we follow an old railway track a good route overhung with trees and shady with dank puddles and lots of mosquitos and horseflies. We hurry through! But the green tunnel goes on and those using two sticks are at a disadvantage having no free hands.
A fruit eating tent drying stop in the churchyard at Cartingy a very nice little village without a café.
We make Trefcom by 12 and have a first lunch, distances are awkward we have now done 17km and the next campsite is another 12-14 km but there is a gite here in this small village. The team go for it.
We spot a double cock spire in the distance it should be Etreilers which is doubtfuly open it being Sunday.
After some more hot road and some cooler trees we get to the beating heat of Etreilers opposite the church the cafe/bar/pmu (pmu is the French national betting shops) thanks to the French punters and the trotoir racing it is open. Trotoir is horse racing pulling an ultralightweight chariot about as close to ancient Rome as it gets.
The last 7km are unpleasant in 25deg sunshine but we arrive in Serancourt le Grande to find not only a very nice campsite with a special pelerin area but a small supermarket open on Sunday afternoon in rural France. It must be M.Macron we have to thank!

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After 30km yesterday today should be somewhat easier. Jane drives the four pelerin to Riencourt Les Bapaume where three of us collapsed yesterday and we start across the endless cereal fields. It is sad that the fields are a monoculture the poppies fertilized by the blood of past generations are only remnants in the verges instead of a covering across the fields. Herbicides cause memory loss!
We pass several cemeteries of various nationalities and spot several hares racing across the fields.
After a few hours and the obligatory muddy puddle which Tim in sandals paddles through others find a way around in a field. We find the Canal du Nord a wide active commercial canal, and happily sit above it feet dangling while eating our lunch. Started before the Great War construction paused until it was opened in 1960…. Still much used it may be splanted by the Canal of North Europe under current construction. There is some eco hope about.
There were several interesting churches along the way some were rebuilt as near original as possible after the WW1 and on some cases again after WW2 and in one case after it fell down when the mortar used had too little cement it being in short supply after the wars.
We arrive in good shape back at camp in Peronne for a good look around a much fought over town. There a koala, a part of a flowery tribute to Australian forces has fallen, over not in battle and we put it upright again in the flowerbed with the kangaroo and a n other unidentified marsupial. Then we have a wander around the castle next door that in medieval times was the border of English territory. And talking of Territory today we left Pas Dr Calais and entered Picardy.

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Faced with a sign warning us that a road we needed was closed of course we assumed that meant cars, not walkers. Five minutes later it was obvious that exactly the opposite was true – there was a deep puddle right across the main road and thick, deep sticky mud all over the track we were about to turn onto. Brief pause and unhelpful chat with farmer trying to clear the water with a digger then four very different solutions appeared. Tim marched bravely off into to swamp with shoes and socks on, Tony started looking at the map for alternative routes and also suggested paddling through bare foot, Ray quietly walked away and found a dry route through a field … And me? I waited to see what worked best – I’m this case Ray’s answer.
Interesting personality test!!

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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.

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Some shots from the afternoon in Arras. The cathedral, destroyed in the Great War and rebuilt in the same style Napoleon 1 Neo classical.
And the town that is in sure whether it’s Belgian
So the beer is good.

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Today we walk to Arras. Forcast is thunder and lightning all day. There is raining the tent as we wake but it stops, there is thick mist, difficult to tell if it’s raining or not.
Breakfast in Olhain and the day gradually brightens over the fields as we pick up the Roman road called for Brunhaut the queen who was dragged across the fields.
On the way we find another wayside shrine dedicated to our old friend St Roch or Roche another patron of pilgrims, his left leg is troubling him at this one.
This sees us not quite to the ruined but impressive abbey at Mont At Eloi where we enjoy a virtual reality beer. After visiting two very twinned dolmen, menhirs, standing stones (language of choice) we arrive in Marouil where we get a late real beer needed after seeing a funeral at a fine church in Ecoivres and pick up the river Scarpe at a water extraction point for the pompiers.
We finish our lunch, first tasted at an emergency stop in fields (all feeling a bit flaked by 11am) at the Source of St Bertille a local battleaxe (oops abbess) of the 6th century, which was named for her and of course has miraculous powers in restoring sight.
Continuing down the Scarpe into Arras we get a thunderstorm near the cathedral and take shelter in a bar. It turns out only 200m from our destination the Hotel the Three Luppars. Where we check in and crash out, it was 16miles

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An early start with a ride courtesy Jane and the Astra back to Amettes. However fate has other plans, the car does not start, possible battery abuse with too much phone charging. Phone calls to insurance rescue cover produce a promise of help. Tim spots a fellow early riser and Betsy talks to him a set of jump leads and car appears and the Astra is sparked into life. Les cables demarrage, should you ever need to know.
We are taken via a boulongerie to Amettes wherever we confusingly started yesterday. After a brief visit to the birthplace of St Bênoit Labry a patron saint of pilgrims and it’s stations of the cross the by now familiar fields of barley and flax and potatoes ensue. A few spoil heaps in the distance speak of a mining area and soon we pass through the edge of Divion which was a town built for the miners. Streets laid out on a grid plan are lettered, but more recent local government renamed them after French writers. A rather odd roundabout with a stranded boat is passed.
Just down the hill is a campsite, it seems deserted until Betsy finds a bell and genie appears and removes money from us but leads us to a pleasant enough emplacement where the weather improves and Jane and Ann soon arrive.
After lunch we do a little more on a splitter with the car along the Roman road named for Brunhaut a nun dragged by a horse as a death penalty.
We manage to shave another 10km off tomorrow giving a daily ttal of 22km.

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Tomorrow we should camp in Divion. But distances are awkward as we want to be in Arras by Friday. So today started in a small village called Amettes and progressed across some very wet paths over fields.
It rained last night a significant thunderstorm from 2till 5 producing a wet tent for Ray and Ann but not for others. It was a lot of rain! But the day dawned fine and cool and we were on our way in good time. After crossing wet fields adjustment of route occurred and we stuck to tarmacfor the rest of the walk back to the campsite.
Of note on the way were a small swarm of bees who must have got a bit wet last night and several large piles of poo which loomed through the early mists.
Later we passed through an old mining village with a few remnants of it’s past such as the large spoil heep.
An old cafe The Green Dragon provides coffee and the landladies handbag dog was keen for a walk when we left. But only across the front.
We passed back to Rebeques close to Mametz the woods of which were the subject of a bitter battle of WW1 portrayed by Paul Nash and in poetry by Siegfried Sassoon. The Welsh Fusiliers lost a lot of men.
It is just getting hot as wet arrive back at camp. There may be more storms on the way

Link to where we are on Google Maps