Somme
 

This year I'm back on track to take the annual cycling holiday with my usual pedalling pal Paul (he missed out last year owing to the niceties of buying and selling a house in England - usually sees the parties concerned on vallium as they all struggle to keep a chain of buyers and sellers together during the 3 months it takes to complete the process - it all happens on one day with everyone moving-out and moving-in their respective residences like a set of synchronised swimmers).

When we first started these sorties, we visited the Somme, inspired by Sebastian Faulks book Birdsong which we had both read that year (1999). This year sees us return. The first year we didn't visit all the places we had intended as we were striuck down with food-poisoning courtesy of some reheated salmon on a bed of spinach...(won't be going there again), so this year we plan to make up for that, plus also the 1st July anniversary of the first day of this battle is its 90th.

Have booked B&Bs (chambre d'hotes) early as a precaution and have actually managed to secuure two nights (30 June and 1 July) at one in a place calle d Mailly Maillet where many of the British soldiers were stationed and being situated about 3-4 miles from the front. The door to the main porch of the church at Mailly Maillet still bears the signatures of some of the solidiers.

As I've spent a lot of my holiday allowance already this year on training jobs (my employer won't allow separate time off for those - well, not yet anyway) I can only afford to take 3 days off work, so the cycling will be limited to around 100 to 120 miles between Arras and Amiens (we'll be using the train from Calais to Arras and then from Amiens back to Calais). Have plenty to do during the time in the Somme area though so we'll be in the saddle quite a bit.

More later about further preparations and the eventual trip itself (digital camera this time - not available last time), but for anyone interested to know more about the battle then I can recommend this site for starters

There's a film from the late 60s/early 70s called, "If It's Tuesday, This must Be Belgium."

It's about a whirlwind bus tour of Europe, and includes all the usually comedo-romantic adventures that a busful of strangers can have.

There is a scene where the bus has stopped at some battlefield somewhere in France. The American male is feverishly explaining to his wife exactly what happened that day when his squad advanced over this very hill, with Germans firing upon them unmercifully, etc., etc., etc. As he and the wife cross the screen, a German man is having exactly the same conversation with his wife moving in the opposite direction.

It's one of the funniest moments of the movie, and I just kind of flashed on it on seeing you were heading for a battlefield, even if yours was WWI, and the story relates to WWII.

hm. Maybe I should be getting some additional sleep.

I know the film you mean. It does cross the mind about 'the other side'. One of the strange events of the first day of the Somme battle was that the German soldiers, having killed so many of their enemy then called a truce for several hours to permit the English, French and Canadians the opportiunity to retrieve their dead and wounded. Wars can provide surreal moments.

One other thing we noticed when tourig the area is that the German cemeteries have black crosses on their graves. At first the thought is like the western movies where the 'baddies' wore the black hats, but then you realise that black is the colour of respect for the dead...

Sorry, this is turning into a bit of a morbid subject, but it can also have its humorous moments as you have shown above. And I'm sure we'll have our usual share of those when we go on our trip.

Enjoy your sleep!

CF , do you have any sick days , if so call in with a case of Sproket fever !!!

Sprocket fever, isn't that like being assiduous about wearing the correct clothing when attempting a steep ascent? - you have to be in the right gear to make a success of it...

"As I braked to speak, I broke two spokes" :lol:
Eats shoots and leaves?

You've got me wondering if I shouldn't be chasing Stonewall Jackson by bike.

Booked the channel crossing today - usual routine with Eurotunnel's Cycle Service - minibus plus trailer for the bikes (for those who haven't checked out my website yet). I can never understand why it's not used more. Norman the driver is very accommodating and will drop off and pick up at other places than the official one, plus bring back plentiful amounts of wine as well which get decanted from the minibus to the boot of my Passat Estate once back at Folkestone. Still the same cheap price to get across - £16 each way, and that includes parking for the car at the Eurotunnel Centre on the UK side for the duration of our trip away. Excellent value!

Should have a map ready over the weekend all going well so you can see the route and planned itinerary....

Time for maps!

First, the general area showing Folkestone in the UK where we take the Eurotunnel crossing to Calais then use the train to get to Arras. Normally we would cycle this but we are short of hoiday time, and have decided to use the time on our bikes more effectively in the Somme area.

On the return leg, we will take the train from Amiens back to Calais to meet Norman, make generous purchases of wine, and then cross the Channel back to Folkestone:

Next, the area where we will be cycling, showing our three main locations of stay: Arras in the north, Mailly Maillet in the Somme (close to the front line of 1916), and Amiens in the south:

Finally, A battlefield map showing the front line during the 1916 offensive;

Fom Mailly Maillet we will be taking in various locations on a route passing through Beaumeont Hamel, Thiepval and Albert - all circled on the map.

More info to follow in a couple of weeks' time

Finally for now, if you want to have a gentle introduction to the Somme and the battle of July 1916, then you should read Sebastian Faulks novel 'Birdsong'. It's the reason we started these annual sorties...

Getting close now - we leave on the 29th - just 2 weeks to go. Added bonus: we arrive at Calais about 10.30 am but the train from Calais to Arras doesn't leave until 2.45 pm. Why's that good. Well it happens to stop at 3.00pm en route at a station just 10 minutes from Chateau Cocove and its superb restaurant, and it takes 90 minutes to cycle to Chateau Cocove. You can work out the rest....

Bike's near enough equipped. Invested in some Specialised Nimbus Armadillo All Condition tyres - a bit like slicks but with Kevlar puncture protection - so speed for effort will improve (perhaps that info should be in the 'Bikes' thread). Front pannier rack's in place plus have sorted out the programme of visits thanks to the Great War Forum (worth a look if you want to know more about WW1 from people who have an active interest for one reason or another). Maps and reference books ready to go as well.

Back from the Somme, suitably dehydrated by cycling in 32C/90F heat most days!

Amazing trip with much to relate - will be starting on the website this weekend, and will post some photos and details here as well, shortly...

Welcome back. I'm sure you brought back plenty of wine to help with the re-hydration. :D

Too right Bruce! :drunk: