The next few days we intend to camp, and head north to the coast at St Valery en Caux. The brilliant sunshine continues as we pass through fields of linseed, beetroot, but mainly potatoes. Our recommended municipal campsite is closed for the day! Despite a notice saying it is absolutely forbidden to camp, we skirt round the barrier and set up pitch early in the afternoon, next to friendly, English speaking, Dutch caravaners. We spend the remaining sunshine hours catching up on our washing, servicing the bikes, and cooking on our new gas Trangia. An evening stroll takes us down
to the harbour where a large lock gate is retaining just enough water for the many yachts whilst the outer harbour is a 20ft drop down at low tide. White cliffs stretch far to East and West.
By 8am the sun has burnt off the early morning mist and we are on roads nearly empty of traffic as it is national holiday (02/06). Mike's GPS has been very reliable at finding routes through tiny hamlets, apart from one slight hiccup (see photo).
We reach the Somme river at Abbeyville where we shamelessly devour a hearty Plat de Jour before setting off down an unmade shady track along the river bank SE. After a few miles we have had enough of all the bumps and swop to village roads, into a strong head wind all the way to Amiens. From the camp here a canal cycle path takes us to the city centre and the magnificent Cathedral. We join crowds at cafe tables to people watch in the hot evening.
The next morning we continue on along the river side on bumpy cobbles and then gravel. The only ducks are plastic decoys but we do spot a real otter swimming along. We branch off up the river Ancre to Albert to start the Circuit of Remembrance. Nearly every village in the area was completely destroyed in the battle for the Somme. For instance Albert was reduced from 7000 souls to 120.There are British War grave cemeteries dotted throughout the wheat fields. Lutyen's enormous brick edifice tops a hill at Thiepval in memory of 73367 troops who have no individual graves. In the nearby woods trench positions are still clearly visible. The wheat fields are all edged with wild poppies.
We camp at the sleepiest tiny hamlet you can imagine, but things soon hot up on this Saturday night as we join at least 300 on the village green, entertained by a rock band performing out of the back of a lorry! After joining 3 different queues we are fed sausage and chips washed down by good red wine at 1 euro a glass. We are definitely the only non-villagers here, but no one notices our terrible French because of the din. A thunderstorm releases a deluge just as the next band start playing. They ignore the hazard of electrocution and carry on (the lead singer is a cross dresser with lovely legs and fine beard). We return to the tent at midnight relieved it remains water tight.
There is no chance of a lie in as at 6am the church clock clangs, the first train rattles by and the donkey watching us over the fence decides it is time to bray extraordinarily loudly for his breakfast. The rain has cleared and we carry on exploring the memorial route.
Gap in gps cover caused loss of track from Abbeyville to Amiens down the Somme River.
Total tour miles to date 583.
