Bapaume to Peronne

Mr Melezet
Jul 14, 2020
2 min read

Graves

Up early for the taxi to Bapaume with a 30 km plus day in prospect. It is Bastille day, but a bar is open in Bapaume and we grab a coffee before setting off.

It is grey and drizzly and the landscape is very open. The path runs along the edge of fields, some of which are being watered. Not great, but it was raining anyway.

Today's route crosses some bloody WW1 battlefields and the Via traces a meandering path linking the many cemetries.

The cemeteries are often well hidden, like small gardens surrounded by tall wheatfields. They are all very sad, and are surprisingly hard to leave - you feel as if you owe them a longer visit. There are all nationalities and faiths buried together. Muslim graves face east.

The focal point of the route was Rancourt. Here there are German, British and South African cemetries all within a few hundred metres of a huge French necropolis of 8,500 souls.

Today's date: 14.7.20

Weather: grey and rainy

Steps: 48,400

Distance: 35.86 km

Climbing: 479

A couple of picnic stops by the road. There was nowhere open all day. We passed an old poster for the Tour de France. There are many crosses by the side of the road which commemorate particular engagements or regiments.

We crossed the Canal de Nord on the approach to Mont St. Quentin.

Mont St. Quentin was the site of a major battle. This cross is close to the spot where Edgar Towner won a Victoria Cross.

Peronne was a nice place to end the day. Being Bastille day there were people out and a band playing in the square. A crepe and beer rounded out the day.