Distance this section : 243
Distance completed : 1554
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| Missing of the Somme Monument. |
I continue along the Veloroute Memoriale as far as Arras, passing many WW1 cemeteries and indeed monuments - a notable one being to the Missing of the Somme, some seventy thousand names engraved on it, just those whose bodies were never found, in this one region, and in fact just from the English and South African forces. A little further on is the Canadian Monument at Vimy Ridge, here the ground is a mass of craters, and there are restored trenches for me to walk through, wondering about the huge sacrifices made a hundred years ago, for so little.
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| At the Belgian border. |
My route takes me into the Pas de Calais, a populous region it seems, and there are massive slag heaps showing the mining history around here. This, the canals, and brick houses makes it all feel quite English. I ride through the suburbs of Lille, a very big place, big enough to have actual young people, and also beggars.. then a bit of countryside, and I am into Belgium without ceremony. Not far to my first Belgian campsite at Tournai, a nice place with cobbled streets, and a substantial triangular 'square' hung with guild banners. I get a pizza and some Leffe, well I am in Belgium now.
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| In Sint-Baafskathedraal, with whale skeleton. |
I follow the river Scheldt out of Tournai, very easy and flat cycling this. On through Oudenaarde, where some sort of horse festival is happening, there are all sorts from tiny ponies to big draught animals. I make excellent time to Ghent, which turns out to be a really nice place to take a day off, there is much to see, such as the splendid medieval castle. I visit the Cathedral and at least look at a copy of its famous altarpiece, the 'Adoration of the Mystic Lamb' - there is also an unexpected whale skeleton. And my friend Chris has come to visit, much consumption of the wonderful Belgian beer ensues.
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| The Castle of the Counts. |
Photos to go with this post can be found here and here
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