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Arrondissement de Béthune

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    • Carmel CarlsenVia Francigena - part 1
      Day 13

      Day 10 - Therouanne to Amettes

      April 30 in France ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
      1112

      I walked with Andrew from Victoria again today. We met up in our wonderful accommodation last night. It was a pleasant walk through beautiful cultivated countryside, and we did walk along an old train line, no tracks. It was magical. We seemed to encounter a lot of barking dogs today - luckily, they were all behind fences! One funny thing; we arrived at a church and Mass was in progress, and I went in - only to find we had gatecrashed a Baptism! Naturally, we left pretty quickly. Amettes is Saint Benoit Labre country. He is the Patron Saint of Pilgrims to Rome (and the homeless). In the Church, which is across the road from the most impressive Stations of the Cross I have ever seen, I was able to buy a Holy medal of him. I'll attach it to my backpack tonight.Read more

    • Carmel CarlsenVia Francigena - part 1
      Day 14

      Day 11 - Amettes to Bruay-la-Buissiere

      May 1 in France ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C
      8
      3

      I walked a good 26 km today through mining country. Some of it in the sun, which was lovely. You can't throw a stone where I am walking in France without coming across a church or a cemetery. I try to visit each church I walk past, but the majority are locked. Which is a real shame, as you can see that there is an awful lot of beautiful stained glass that I am missing 😢. I check out a cemetery, the French go all out for their dead - the graves are extremely flash - if there is a sign that indicates Commonwealth War graves. So far, they have all been air men, whom, I assume, either crashed or were shot down. Most of them are every young, in their early 20's - it's quite sobering. On a lighter note; the farmhouse I stayed in last night dates back to the 1400s! Check out the ceiling beams in the wonderful room where we had breakfast! Oh, and note the cockatoos decorating someone's front fence. One final thing, if anyone knows what those blue things are, they were everywhere in a lovely park I walked across today, I'd love to know.Read more

    • Carmel CarlsenVia Francigena - part 1
      Day 15

      Day 12 - rest day (Bruay-le-Bussiere)

      May 2 in France ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

      There is not much to report today. I had a genuine rest day after my Garmin watch told me I was "over reaching" yesterday! I'm calling France "the land of the cute little car"; they are everywhere! I went into a supermarket today, Cors, that was between a Woolworths and a Costo - it was huge and seemed to sell everything; just not a rubber stopper for my pole, which I discovered missing on day one! Note the turnstile being used to enter and leave the street, and those roll down shutters are actually made of wood.Read more

    • TravelerVia Francigena
      Day 20

      Stage 11: Bruay-la-B to Ablain Saint-Naz

      April 30 in France ⋅ ⛅ 50 °F

      Made it to Ablain Saint Nazaire in spite of a bum ankle. Very long, hot day through lots of forests, rolling hills, farmland….and WWI battle sites and a huge cemetery (45,000 graves).

      One trail ended up at a locked fence so yours truly had to toss her hat, sticks and pack over the top and then climb over. That was a first. It was that or turn around and repeat about 5 miles. That was never going to happen…..

      Now my left knee is blown out. It happened for no apparent reason about 30 minutes before arriving in Ablain Saint-Nazaire. So excellent timing. I’ll have to decide tomorrow what I can and cannot do.      Read more

    • Carmel CarlsenVia Francigena - part 1
      Day 16

      Day 13 - Bruay-le-Bussiere to Souchez

      May 3 in France ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C
      2
      2

      Some really good walking today and a lot of it! I walked over 32km and am feeling it. I walked through an adventure park, similar to Tree Tops, but with a lot more activities. There were kids everywhere! There was some forest walking and I saw another deer! I also visited the French National War cemetery for the Great War, where they have list of 294,000 names of all those who died in the area (both sides). My room tonight is very flash. It was the only place available.
      P.S. I should have mentioned, I met a pilgrim from Manchester who slept in a Church last night because she couldn't find accommodation!      Read more

    • Winter '23
      Day 2

      First night in France!

      December 1 in France ⋅ ☁️ 0 °C

      First night in the EU! We’ve parked up for the night, warmed up the van and had our dinner. Feels good to finally be on the trip we’ve been planning for 6 months!
      Shame it’s so cold outside but hopefully we won’t be feeling it tonight!Read more

    • Womo Tour 2.0
      Day 6

      Geschichte und schöne Landschaft

      October 4 in France ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C
      1

      Heute Morgen wurden wir mit munterem Geschnatter von den Nachbarsenten geweckt. 🦆 Die kleinen Kollegen haben uns sogar besucht und sind an und unter unserem Camper durchgeschnattert. War ein Lacher am Morgen, als die Chefin vor unserem Heckfenster rumgemeckert hat.

      Daniel hat - man muss beinahe schon sagen "wie gewohnt" - einen Ausflug mit dem 🛴 zum Supermarkt unternommen und uns ein frisches 🥖 besorgt.

      Nach unserem Frühstück und der Camper-Versorgung sind wir dann ins Inland aufgebrochen. Wunderschöne Land- und Feldwege, die erstaunlicherweise Hauptstraßen waren, sind wir entlang gefahren, denn wir Sparbrötchen wollen ja auf Maut verzichten. 😅

      Am Ende sind wir beim "Blockhaus von Éperlecques gelandet. Dem eindrucksvollsten Bunker, den wir je gesehen haben, wenn man es denn so nennen darf. Das Gelände wurde in ein Museum umgewandelt und man durchläuft verschiedene Stationen. Ganze 6000 Zwangsarbeiter verschiedener Nationen wurden damals wortwörtlich angekarrt und haben die Errichtung bewältigt. In einem dieser Waggons haben wir gestanden und es wurden Tonaufnahmen abgespielt, was man von Innen an Außengeräuschen wahrnehmen konnte. Gruselig und erschreckend sind die beiden spontanen Beschreibungen, die ich dafür finde.
      Der Bunker selbst, der für den Start der V Raketen gebaut wurde, wurde dann im letzten Teil des zweiten Weltkriegs halb zerbombt, sodass er zum Glück nie in den aktiven Betrieb ging. Daniel hat sich mal neben die Außenhülle gestellt, damit man die Größenverhältnisse erkennen kann. Einfach verrückt. Alles daran.
      Auf die respektvollste Art und Weise empfehlen wir diesen Besuch jedem weiter. Für das Museum, das sich alle Mühe gibt, um diesen Ort zu verwalten und zu pflegen und für jeden Besucher, der auf eindrucksvollste Weise Informationen jedweder Art aus den sorgfältig gestalteten Infotafeln entnehmen kann.

      Im Anschluss mussten wir erstmal alles sacken lassen und haben uns wieder auf die Straße begeben. Wir brauchten nämlich endlich - fast am Ende unserer Reise - mal einen Wasserschlauch. Natürlich einen zum Zusammenrollen, ist klar. ☝️
      Baumärkte sind hier gar nicht so leicht zu finden. Zumindest nicht über Google Maps. Als wir aber dann in Arques gelandet sind, in dem es jedes Geschäft der Welt zu geben scheint, sind wir im dritten Markt endlich fündig geworden.
      Nachdem wir uns dann mit Händen und Füßen auch noch ein, was die Franzosen hier "Steak" (🙄) nennen, erstanden haben, sind wir nach kurzer Suche zu unserem Standplatz für die Nacht aufgebrochen.

      Nach diesem Abendessen können wir uns nun wirklich Premium-Camper nennen! 🥹      Read more

      See translation
    • TravelerVia @ 70
      Day 8

      Amettes 12 miles

      July 20 in France ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

      Straightforward day’s walk in (mostly) sun. Usual fields and woods, seeing no-one.

      The host of the gite turned up before I left, just for a blether really. Reminded me of the late Peter in his enthusiasm for random things. He did however bring me a local delicacy, bit like a round waffle, covered in chocolate and with some sort of cream filling. In the absence of anything else it went down a rare treat for breakfast.

      Spent most of the walk listening to Desert Island Discs. Never heard it before I started my training for this walk but it has became my constant companion if I am walking on my own. With BBC Sounds it is so easy to just play episodes one after another. There are very few that I haven’t wanted to listen right through. Haven’t heard of very many of the folk but no matter, their life stories condensed into 40 minutes or so are amazing. The music they choose is less interesting but they only play wee clips so that’s fine. I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to download them as I go but there isn’t any problem so far.

      Was a bit concerned about dinner (not for the first time in my life) as I am staying in a sort of farmhouse in a small village without any shops, cafes etc. When I arrived the elderly lady was very chatty albeit with no more English than I have French, but no mention was made of food. These pilgrim places are all very different in what is provided. There is no standard package. I came downstairs at about the appropriate time and sat about outside, near the kitchen, waiting to see if anything was forthcoming. Surely they must eat and they must realise I might like to eat too. After a while the lady indicated that there was a kitchen I could use and she could give me some potatoes and eggs. Might not do the Buc but it was just fine for me. Boiled eggs and boiled potatoes are just about the limit of my culinary skills anyway. Really could do with some sort of pudding to follow but hey ho at least I’m not still starving.      Read more

    • TravelerVia Francigena
      Day 19

      Stage 10: Amettes to Bruay-la-Buissière

      April 29 in France ⋅ ☁️ 45 °F
      1

      Lots of forest paths and a good number of cultivated and uncultivated fields. A couple more small, dead animals (unphotographed). A road between fields with lots of small potatoes, even though the fields were wheat. Weird.
      I managed to slightly twist, or maybe just fatigue, my ankle, so I added an hour to my day hunting down a pharmacy.
      Bruay-la-Buissière is an ugly former mining town.      Read more

    • TravelerVia @ 70
      Day 9

      Bruay-la-Buissiere 12 miles

      July 21 in France ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

      As usual, my life is all about eating and sleeping. Last night the eating was adequate but the sleep wasn’t. Ridiculous really. All seemed good - nice bed, comfortable temperature, little external noise. The only problem was a wee insect that persistently did a flypast of my ear just when I was nearly asleep. Now I am no keener than the next man on being bitten so this would send me into a frenzy of light on, out of bed, armed to the teeth with a towel and murderous intent to prevent said insect continuing its acrobatics. Failed time and again. Even lured it into the confines of the bathroom, shutting the door behind so it couldn’t escape my flailing towel. Thought I had scored a direct hit, no sign of it, back to bed, light out, off to sleep.

      But no, the little bugger, or its chum (not easy to tell one from another) was still there. Nothing for it but stick a leg out of the covers, leaving it to its fate in the hope that the blighter would just silently gorge on all that flesh and leave my ear alone. I have no idea if insects have a favourite part of a carcass to gnaw at, similar to a human choosing leg or breast from the Xmas turkey, but this one didn’t seem too fussy and peace reigned. As soon as I reconciled myself to being eaten alive I managed to nod off.

      After an OK breakfast I departed although not before madam had taken a photo as she apparently does of all pilgrims.

      Walk uneventful although becoming more built up in places.

      Arrived before 3pm with high hopes for dinner as the hotel had a restaurant. Turned out that Friday is the day off for the restaurant. Wandered out about 4pm when the tummy started rumbling. Looked like there were some eateries about half a mile to the east or about a mile to the west. Headed east. Spent ages wandering about some sort of spread out shopping centre. Lots of food outlets but only MacDonalds was showing any signs of life and I wasn’t that desperate. After an hour and a half I had given up and headed west. Got quite excited when I came to a Taj Mahal until I read the note on the door which said it was on holiday until mid-August. Never mind there was a Chinese restaurant opposite. Except it didn’t open for another hour. Kept walking. Eventually came upon a small pizza outlet. He seemed bemused that I might want to order a pizza just after 6pm. Nevertheless within half an hour when the rest of the staff arrived I had my pizza.

      Hard going. Must have walked about 4 extra miles just trying to get my tea.      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Arrondissement de Béthune, Arrondissement de Bethune

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