"La Somme en roue libre" Route - following the Somme Canal: Brighton..St Valery-sur-Somme....Long - Riding In My Grandfather's WW1 Footsteps - CycleBlaze
"La Somme en roue libre" Route - following the Somme Canal: Brighton..St Valery-sur-Somme....Long
We are excited to head out and explore more of this incredible region. It will be fun to discover a new cycling route. The Somme Canal has been known previously as the V30 route, but it has lacked infrastructure. Much money and energy has been devoted to creating a map/guidebook (just published in 2016), paving or upgrading the trail and erecting signs. We aren't sure how far these improvements will go, but we hope to get to St. Quentin which is close to the source of this small river. Another motivation we have for heading in this direction is to try to find the area near Cambrai where Barry's grandfather served with the Fort Garry Horse Cavalry Unit during WWI.
After breaking camp, we rode bright and early along the dunes and beaches from our campground in Brighton to Le Hourdel to make our breakfast and enjoy the view. We are retracing the trip we took a few days ago and we were so surprised to see the dramatic change as the tide is now very low and the fertile grasslands and mudflats are exposed. This has attracted even more birds than when we were here a few days ago and the tide was in.
To explore this area, you need hip boots as the mud is very deep. Groups with guides were touring the tidal area. We know from before that this area is very dangerous as the tide comes in very quickly and it would be easy to get stranded - so one must have a guide.
As well as enjoying the beautiful natural landscape, we are aware and constantly reminded of the tragic history of the Somme and the battles waged here during WWI. France, like Belgium, has done a great job of honouring and remembering the sacrifice of so many, recognizing the toll it took on its people and communities, yet celebrating where this history has brought them to. It is hard to describe the feelings one has here as it is solemn, reflective yet redemptive.
A few days ago at Le Crotoy, we met a woman, Marie-Christine, who loved our bike and what we were doing. She recommended that while in the area, we should visit the outstanding Cathedral in Amiens. Visiting Amiens was one of the reasons we decided to cycle the canal. And, as a strange and wonderful coincidence, we met her today riding her bike near Abbeville, about 20 km along the canal. She invited us to stop at her home for a refreshment as she lived nearby. Marie-Christien was a wonderful hostess, and with our combined french/english skills and Google translate, we had a wonderful visit. The warmth of French hospitality and her appreciation of our cycling trip made for a wonderful experience.
We cycled on to Long to find the Municipal Campground. The route after Abbeville becomes rough with large stones, so we took to the road to save our trailer and make time. It was a good decision as we encountered some interesting villages and enjoyed the distintive architecture of Picardy.
We reached Long in the evening, glad to find the campground next to the route. Camping Municipal Long is a great value: 9 euros which includes free showers, wifi and free use of the laundry machines.
Camping in Brighton on the coast at Le Bois de Pins was made special by the warm hospitality and kindness of this woman, who kept the operation running very smoothly.
This sign accurately spells out the dangers of the fast tide and accompanying swift current which can surround you in this bay. Somehow, they forgot to mention the times for the tides...
Just like when we arrived at Le Cortufoy across the bay 2 days ago, the bay is completely dry because of the tides. The distance around this bay is 22 km. It is a fascinating natural phenomenon.
Harvesting Salicorne from the (low) tidal zone is back breaking and time sensitive work. It is cut with a sweeping motion with a basket that has a sharp knife along the edge and then it has to be transported in large heavy sacks on a bike through the heavy mud. Later, we found this pickled Salicorne product which was sourced from this bay in a nearby store.
You can see the man's frustration in the picture on the right. It was his last load and the bike would not move forward through the mud and fell over. Also shown is the final part of hauling the load by boat to transport it and the bike across the incoming tide to the pier. Another product we found in the store is Salicorn Soup.
We met Esteban and Thibault while stopped in Le Hourdel. Esteban had recently returned from a multi month trip to Canada. He had travelled from PEI to the far north to Vancouver hitchhiking. He and Thibault are just setting out on a lengthy trip to Asia.
Marie-Christine and Mary Ellen - we feel fortunate to have met her and value the serendipitous coincidence of encountering her today on the route. Thanks for the delicious coffee and books about your region. We will read them and use them to improve our French skills!
