5 Amettes to Arras

638m climbing
5h 29m elapsed
22nd July 2018, 23°C, sunny

62.21km
3h 42m moving
39% off-road

Red line - the route I took, Orange line - “official” Via Francigena, Blue line - Sigeric’s probable route

Just like back home

So last night I stayed at a farm where the farmer was a champion pigeon racer. Today cycling through mining areas: slag heaps and lots of hilly terraced housing. I could have been in East Lancs or Yaarkshire.

Middle Earth vibe to the trails

Its not all countryside

Slag heaps from mining

Terraced housing

Old mills

Delapidated canals (or perhaps a stream)

Mont St Eloi

I'd taken quite a detour from the official route for much of the day and I can't really remember why. But anyhow the route I took just has stunning views of this old ruin from miles away and as you get closer you just realise you have to go up there despite the 11% climb (its fortunately not very long).

This is yet another "must see" stop on the Via Francigena as the views are amazing and you're now travelling through many of the battlefields of World War I.

There’s a great spot for lunch just over from the ruin

World War I

There's almost no old buildings in Northern France which I felt was jarring, especially after the quaint old vibes of Canterbury and the villages on the way to Dover. But this area has been the site of war for hundred's if not thousands of years. Especially with the increasingly mechanised warfare in the 19th and 20th centuries, there's just very little left standing. So people have had to rebuild their homes and the fabric of society from scratch after each war.

But it was clear that World War I had the biggest impact on the area as the graveyards of thousands upon thousands of soldiers demonstrate. Some moments for quiet reflection.