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AREA
1: DUNKERQUE, CASSEL & FRENCH FLANDERS
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BAILLEUL area
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Musée
Communal Marguerite Yourcenar The
opening times of this museum, dedicated to the first woman member of France’s
elite Académie Française, have been extended, and a new phone number
installed.
All year: Mon-Fri 10am-noon
& 2-4.30pm; Sun 3.30-5.30pm. 2€, children free. 55
Rue Marguerite-Yourcenar, St-Jans-Cappel, 3km NW of Bailleul (tel: 03 28 42
20 20).
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BERGUES
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Ch’ti
Tours If you have seen the delightful 2008 comedy
by Dany Boon “Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis” (right), you will want to join this
walking tour around the picturesque walled town of Bergues
to see the film’s locations. (If you
haven’t, then you won’t be too interested!)
The film’s fans might like to know that it will be out on DVD on 29 October 2008.
30 April-31 May, Tues & Thurs, 3pm;
Sat, Sun 3.30pm.
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CASSEL AREA
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Maison
de la Bataille A battle of which
we do not hear much in Britain is the Battle of Noordpeene, fought in 1677 in
the plain below the hilltop town of Cassel. It was instrumental in helping
French Flanders gain its independence from the Spanish Netherlands. This
small modern museum (right), next to Noordpeene’s Mairie, tells local
history, and also has a model of the battlefield. After a description of the
battle and events leading up to it from one of the staff, you set off round a
couple of rooms with modern panels telling you all about famous locals such as
a mayor who died at 103 and the itinerant salesman nicknamed “Tisje Tasje”,
renowned for his story-telling and now immortalised as the village’s giant
(who rests up in Hazebrouck museum between outings). Tisje Tasje is buried in
the churchyard adjacent to the museum. Audio guides in English and Dutch as
well as French. A small garden outside grows old-fashioned strains of fruit,
vegetables and flowers. You can also walk the battlefield area from the
neighbouring village of Zuytpeene.
Wed-Sun 10am-12.30pm & 2-6pm. 3€, children 2€, under-7s free.
Noordpeene, about 5km W of Cassel (tel: 03 28 4067 36). Sun a.m. Handicapped
access.
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DUNKERQUE
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Parc Zoologique Bizarrely located
beside a cemetery and a housing estate, in an area of docks 5km west of
Dunkerque town centre, is a very small zoo opened only in 2005. A signposted
path around the enclosures takes you to seals (also viewable from beneath the
water), pelicans, flamingoes, some lively lynxes, a pair of depressed-looking
brown bears and some gravity-defying marmosets. There are also goats, rabbits
and a shaggy, long-eared donkey known as a baudet du Poitou. 1 Feb-30 Nov, daily 10am-5pm (1 Apr-30
Sept, daily 10am-6pm). Rue du Général-Leclerc, Fort-Mardyck (tel: 03
28 27 26 24). 3€, students & children 1.50€, under-3s free; family (2+2)
7€, (1+1) 3.50€. Wheelchair accessible.
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NIEPPE
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Musée d’Histoire Locale At
first glance, the local history of the small town of Nieppe, near the Belgian
border, might not seem a subject likely to be of interest. However, as you
read the documents on display in the series of candy-coloured, first-floor
rooms of the moated 1920s mansion in the town centre, the implications of
large-scale conflicts begin to sink in. The population of Nieppe halved
during the 1914-18 war from 6,000 souls–a figure it reattained only in the
1970s. It fared badly in World War II as well, with its wind- and watermills
and main bridge destroyed. Some pre-war pictures remain to show you Nieppe’s
vanished heritage of churches and chapels. The rooms feature pictures of the
family that once lived in this house, and some books by André Maurois, the
writer who became France’s Culture Minister during the ?1960s and who served
as a liaison officer between French and Allies during World War I. In the
final room, the saucy head of Nieppe’s carnival giant, “Miss Cantine”, sticks
her tongue out at visitors. Sun 2-5pm
(1 Apr-30 Sept, Sun 3-6pm). Rue de Warneton, Nieppe, 8km SE of Bailleul (tel:
03 28 44 20 04). Admission free.
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WATTEN
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WATTEN
Tourist information:12 Rue de
Dunkerque (tel/fax: 03 21 88 27 78)
www.watten.fr.st / otwatten@aol.com
Market: Fri.
Brocante: Trouvailles Depot-Vente,
on west side of river, in commercial centre, nearNetto and BigMat.
Approaching Watten from
the north, across the marshes, you feel you are driving towards a huge cliff.
It’s easy to imagine that this flat landscape would once have been under the
sea. Watten (pronounced “wat-enn”, but usually referred to by the locals just
as “wat”) is an attractive village at the junction of the broad river Aa and
the Canal de la Haute Colme, whose waters reflect its colourful little
houses. Lying 12km north-west of St-Omer, with one foot in Flanders and the
other in mainstream France, the village is a point of transit for pleasure
boats and laden barges travelling from the Channel and the North Sea to
destinations in Belgium and the rest of France.
The Friday-morning market brings farmers and traders from the surrounding
countryside to sell their produce. Streets are closed and given over to
stalls displaying everything from flashy underwear to lovingly-laid-out leeks
and lettuces.
Following
the D213 along the reed-fringed river Aa towards St-Omer gives a chance to
admire the scenery of these fertile marshlands. Tiny farmhouses seem lost
under huge skies and little, green-painted lifting bridges recall paintings
by Van Gogh.
Abbaye Ste-Marie-du-Mont Take the steep road to the top of the hill
above Watten to see the ruins of its once-great Augustinian abbey. Behind the
wall of brick and stone, only the tower and the former bishops’ house have
survived. Founded in 1072, the site has seen almost a thousand years of
religious and military history. In a strategic position dominating western
Flanders and St-Omer, the place was wrestled over by English, Spanish and
French armies; more peaceably, in 1606 English Jesuits set up a training
college here. After the Revolution the abbey was sold, and many of its stones
used to build the windmill opposite (see below). However, its majestic tower
was retained as a landmark for sailors. Exterior
only; no admission to site. Rue de la Montagne (D26), 1.5km SE of Watten.
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Moulin de la Montagne “Mountain” (montagne) may be exaggerating a bit, but
this stone windmill (right) offers unparallelled views over the Flanders
plain towards the coast, and it’s easy to see why the occupying Germans used
it as a lookout point in 1940. The mill was restored to working order in
1994, and is a focus of several signposted walks. Rue de la Montagne (D26), 1.5km SE of Watten.
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Watten: Moulin de la Montagne © Angela Bird
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AREA
2: CALAIS, BOULOGNE, ST-OMER &
WORLD WAR II
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BOULOGNE
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Les Annonciades/Bibliothèque The venerable
building in the old town that houses Boulogne’s library was once a convent.
Visitors can look inside the 17th-century chapel and visit the cloister
garden, laid out in restful swirly patterns formed with box-hedging. Tues-Sat
8am-noon & 2-6pm (1 July-31 Aug, Tues-Sat 8am-noon). 18 Place de la
Résistance (tel : 03 21 80 46 52). Admission free.
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BOULOGNE
area
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Stèle
de la Légion d’Honneur A chunky obelisk marks the position of Napoleon’s imperial
throne during the first grand ceremony of the awarding of France’s highest
honour, on 16 August 1804. Two thousand people were invested, in front of
Napoleon and his entire army. Terlincthun,
nr Boulogne. Open at all times, admission free.
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CALAIS
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Fort Nieulay Vauban-built structure designed to control
the locks that allowed Calais defences to be flooded rapidly in case of
impending attack. Today you can tour the 18-hectare site. Mon-Fri 1-6pm. On Boulogne side of town,
level with exit to tunne exit. Guided
tours.
Musée
Européen de la Dentelle et de la Mode
Opening postponed until late 2008.
Iceo New leisure centre, with swimming pools and
ice-skating rink.
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NEAR LICQUES
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Sanghen A shrine to St Martin is hidden beneath a tunnel
of hornbeam trees just inside the churchyard of a village near Licques. In
the shadows, beneath a statue of the one-time Roman soldier cutting his cloak
in half for a beggar, dozens of babies’ shoes and socks are hung above a holy
spring. LLL Sanghen, 2km W of Licques.
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NEAR MARQUISE
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Église de Leulinghen The tiny
stone church of a small hamlet is the unlikely site of many summit meetings
between French, English and other nations during the early decades of the
Hundred Years War. It is locked, so you cannot go in to see the nave, used by
the French, and the choir, used by the English. Each delegation entered by
their own door and would discuss the next crusade, royal wedding or military
tournament. A panel outside shows you some charming pictures of the times. Leulinghen, 2 or 3km N of Marquise.
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ST-OMER
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Musée Henri Dupuis Near Place Foch
is the former home of the 19th-century collector whose finest objects make up
the displays at the Hôtel Sandelin. At present closed for extensive
renovation, it contains an authentic Flemish kitchen and some of Dupuis’
left-over curiosities such as geological items, stuffed birds, pottery and
objects, as well as paintings. Rue
Henri-Dupuis (information on reopening schedule from tel: 03 21 38 00 94).
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WIERRE-EFFROY
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La Colline aux Animaux
A friendly farm offering the opportunity to stroll through the
fields and meet various domestic animals including donkeys, cart-horses, cheeky
miniature goats, rabbits, wallowing pigs, ducks, geese and rabbits. Good for
small children; might not hold bigger ones. Wear outdoor shoes, and allow
around an hour for a visit. 1 Feb-31
Dec, Sat, Sun 10am-noon & 2-6pm (summer: Tues-Sun 10am-noon & 2-6pm
). Route de Belle (D238), La Maloterie, near Wierre-Effroy, 5km SE of
Marquise (tel: 03 21 32 69 24). 4€, children 2€
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Colline
aux Animaux
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AREA
3: LE TOUQUET, MONTREUIL, HESDIN
& THE SEVEN VALLEYS
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BERCK
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Le
Succès Berckois You can inhale the tangy fruit flavours
even before you open the door of this town-centre shop in which the
traditional boiled sweets of the same name are still made by hand in front of
customers. 31 Rue Carnot (tel: 03 21 09
61 30).
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Sweet
smells at Berck
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BERCK
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Musée Opale Sud Wouldn’t
you know, as soon as you write up a place, it changes its name! Berck’s
charming Musée Municipal – with its art and archaeology collections, displayed
in an airy modern setting (see page 91 of book) - has just become Musée Opale
Sud. Good English brochure given to English-speaking visitors.
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BERCK-PLAGE
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Sylvia Plath wrote a long, mournful poem about
Berck-Plage, depressed by the crippled patients that she saw there in 1961.
In his essay on the
poem, Jack Folsom of Montana University fills in the background.
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BERCK-PLAGE
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“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” The unbelievably moving book by
Jean-Dominique Bauby (editor-in-chief of French Elle magazine)
chronicles Bauby’s thoughts as he lies in bed, in one of Berck’s sanatoriums,
unable to move after a massive stroke in 1995. Selecting letters by blinking
his right eye (the only part of his body that he can move) he manages to
dictate this book letter by letter. Bauby died a few days after the book was
published.
Order a copy here,
from Amazon.
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AREA
4: AMIENS, CRÉCY AND THE WILDLIFE OF
THE SOMME BAY
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ABBEVILLE
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Eglise St-Sépulcre This 15th-century
church has colourful modern stained glass by 20th-century painter Alfred
Manessier. An 11-year project, it was finished in 1993, the year of
Manessier’s death. Subjects evoked by the swirling, leaf-like shapes are the
Passion and the Resurrection. 24 Rue Jean
Macé.
Chalet de Blanquetaque A
strange brick house, built in the marshes in 1903 as a shooting-lodge, stands
near the site where Edward III’s troops finally managed to cross the river
Somme a few nights before the Battle of Crécy–though not without a fierce
struggle against French forces who were guarding the ford. Recently restored,
the house now holds a “Ramsar centre”, with information on the wetland flora,
fauna, landscape and management. The English troops had crossed the river Somme
by a ford at Blanquetaque,
downstream from Abbeville, and near present-day Port-le-Grand.
Chapelle de Notre-Dame de Monflières The walls of this village chapel are
covered inside with plaques expressing gratitude for prayers granted over the
centuries. First built in 1160 after the Virgin appeared to a shepherd, it
has been enlarged three times since and has been a place of pilgrimage since
its earliest days. The chapel’s fame was such that Queen Marie-Antoinette
presented a miniature dress made of cloth of gold (on show each year during
the Heritage Weekend in mid September) to adorn the statue of the Virgin. A
grassy area to the side is reserved for large open-air services. Pilgrimages
take place on 25 March, Easter Monday, every Sunday in May, Ascension Day,
Whit Sunday and Monday, and on 15 August. 2 Impasse de
la Chapelle, Monflières (in NE corner of village), 4km E of Abbeville.
L'Espace Médiéval If the
Battle of Crécy has put you in the mood, you can re-live those times among
the rather meagre ruins of the 15th-century fortress Château d'Eaucourt on
the river Somme. Medieval-style activities, with lots of audience
participation, include a warrior encampment, stone-sculpting and
stained-glass workshops, leather-work and a blacksmith’s shop. 1 July-31 Aug, Wed-Sun 3-7pm. Eaucourt-sur-Somme, 7km SE
of Abbeville (tel: 03 22 27 05 32). 5.50€, children 4€ (under-6s free).
www.espacemedieval.com/ E-mail : contact@espacemedieval.com
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AMIENS
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Jardin Archéologique de St-Acheul
A series of quarryings between 1850 and 1918 in a suburb of Amiens led
to an important discovery about the evolution of prehistoric tools. The
exposure of many distinct layers of soil allowed archaeologists to track
climate change over many millennia and to date accurately the tools and bones
found here. More than 20,000 “biface” tools were unearthed, varying in length
from 30cm down to 5cm. The St-Acheul prehistoric finds are among the most
famous in the world, and have become the industry of reference of one of the
principle civilisations. Many of the items from here are displayed at the
Musée de Picardie.
The site lies today at the end
of a long path among scrubby parkland, on the edge of a rather bleak housing
estate, not a very prepossessing place for the “cradle of world
prehistory”. You can see clearly the
different layers in a high “cliff”; a tall, semi-vandalised panel fixed to it
indicates the different strata (the mass of tools were found in layer 4,
showing that the Somme river was flowing at level 3 at the time). There’s a
tower that you can go up (at weekends only) for a bird’s-eye view of the
site. Daily 9am-noon & 2-5pm. Access to
tower Sat, Sun 2.30-3.30pm. Rue de la Boutillerie, near Lidl store, off
Chaussée Jules-Ferry (N29) 3km SE of Amiens (tel: 03 22 47 82 57). Admission
free; tower 1€.
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St
Acheul site
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AMIENS
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Le Clos Alexandre It’s
surprising to find, in an unremarkable southern suburb of Amiens, this
charming romantic garden laid out around a former hunting lodge. Behind its
high walls, it is divided into “rooms”, with vegetable, rose, woodland,
formal and orchard sections, interspersed with box hedges, espaliered fruit
trees and witty sculptures. Mid Apr-30
Sept, Fri-Sun & public holidays 10am-noon & 2-6.30pm. 229 Rue des
Quatre Lemaire, 3km SW of town centre via N1 Route de Paris, then D8 Rue
St-Honoré (tel: 03 22 95 19 71). 5€, children under 12 free.
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Le
Clos Alexandre
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AUXI-LE-CHATEAU
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Église St-Martin High on its
mound, Auxi’s tall church–yet another dedicated to St Martin–dominates the
town. Inside it is surprisingly bright, with clear glass side windows and
much use of white stone. Among the many items of interest are the intricately-carved
vaulting and ceiling-bosses of the chancel (framed photographs are provided
for close study, so you don’t crick your neck), three 16th-century frescoes
on the south wall, and a 19th-century painting to the right of the organ loft
that depicts the angel announcing Christ’s birth to the shepherds, painted
with his foot by Louis-César-Joseph Ducornet, who was born with no arms. Rue
de l’Église.
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LA CHAUSSÉE TIRANCOURT area
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Cimetiere Allemande The largest German
World War II cemetery, in which lie 22,187 soldiers–many, sadly “unbekannte”, or unknown–mostly killed either
during the German invasion of May 1940 or the post-D-Day battles of June
1944. Compared with Commonwealth graveyards, it’s a sombre affair, with grass
and birch trees, but no flowers–apart from a speckling of daisies among the
grass. There’s an austere chapel, an office where you can look up names, and
a toilet block. The number of chunky crosses looks impressive–yet closer
inspection reveals that each commemorates six solders, so you have to try and
imagine what it would look like with six times as many headstones. Rue du 8 Mai 1945, off D81 to E of village centre,
Bourdon, 7km NW of La Chaussée.
Flixécourt If you pass
through this large village on the N1, 8.5km north-west of La Chaussée, you
may wonder why it has such a semi-abandoned air, with empty houses and
disintegrating factories. Like many along the banks of the Somme
and its tributaries, it was once a flourishing part of the area’s textile
industry, employing 70,000 people. They mostly worked for the Saint-Frères
company, processing flax, hemp and jute that was grown nearby, or imported
from India,
turning it into sacks, ropes and string. The local saying was that you were
born, educated, worked and died “Saint-Frères”, since the company effectively
built and owned the whole place–from maternity hospital to graveyard.
Picquigny With its cobbled main square and twisting streets,
Picquigny, 1km south-west of La Chaussée, on the opposite bank of the Somme,
has an ancient feel to it. Pleasure boats assemble to pass through its lock
gates, and ramblers pass through on the long-distance GR123. Above the
village, the imposing ruins of a proud fortress that once protected this
important crossing-point stand alongside the collegial church
of St Martin. An inscribed stone
in the churchyard commemorates the Paix de Picquigny, a treaty signed here on
29 August 1475 by the
English king Edward IV and Louis XI of France.
After having invaded France,
from Calais, Edward was persuaded
to leave the country with the offer of 75,000 gold crowns, plus an annual
payment of 50,000 gold crowns. (Edward
used much of this windfall to finance the 15th-century redevelopment of St
George’s Chapel, at Windsor).
He also undertook to have no further alliances with his brother-in-law, the
Duke of Burgundy.
Head north-west on the D3 to
glimpse the ancient Cistercian abbey of Gard, currently undergoing
restoration, and the viewpoint across the river from a hill beyond Hangest-sur-Somme.
Tourist office, Place du General de
Gaulle, Picquigny, 1km SW of La Chaussé (tel: 03 22 51 46 85).
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German
WWII cemetery
at Bourdon
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CRECY EN PONTHIEU
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Forêt de Crécy Sunlight filters through
the canopy of beech leaves in the 4,300 hectares of forest that stretch
south-west from the town. In spring, the violets, cowslips and wood anenomes
unfurl among the grassy verges, acorns sprout underfoot, and the birdsong is
almost deafening. The Crécy tourist office can provide a map showing picnic
areas and footpaths (10 hour-long signposted walks are indicated on trees by
various-coloured paint marks). The wood is divided into rectangular sections,
with “parcel” numbers neatly painted on the tree-trunks, so that with the map
in hand you can be pretty sure where you are. Signs invite you, rather
unnecessarily, to respect this wonderful woodland–and also remind you not to
leave any valuables in your car during your walk. There’s a parcours “ludo-sportif”
in the “Clairiere du muguet” Accessible
from D11, 2km S of Crécy.
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Crécy
forest
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FORT MAHON
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Monument des Cadets de la France Libre At the extreme south end of
Fort-Mahon’s seafront, a roughly-hewn block of granite commemorates the heroic
exploit of five young men who crossed the Channel in two frail canoes in
September 1941 to join General de Gaulle’s Free French forces in London.
Backing onto a half-hidden German blockhouse, it bears a faded plaque to
Reynold Lefevbre and his four companions. Off Digue
Sud, Fort-Mahon-Plage, 4km N of Quend-Plage.
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Cadets’
monument
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FREVENT area
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Jardin de Marie-Ange Wonderful,
imaginatively-planted “English”-style private garden tucked away behind a modern
house. Though she classifies her soil as “terre à
betteraves” (like a beet field), Madame Herduin has created a
paradise of box-edged beds filled with perennials and decorative grasses,
created a rose walk, designed rivers of Alchemilla mollis, laid out grassy
paths lined with trees and shrubs around a frog-filled pond, an orchard of
old apple varieties, a flower-edged vegetable plot, bulbs and hundreds of
perennials in unusual combinations of colours. 1-30
June, Sat, Sun 10am-7pm (other times from Apr to Oct by appointment). 1 Rue du
Stade, Croisette (tel: 03 21 04 47 47). 5€, children free.
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RUE
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Beffroi The most noticeable of the
town’s historic buildings is the imposing belfry, that stands on the edge of
the main square. Its 19th-century upper part rests on a 15th-century base. On
heritage days you can climb the 75 steps to the guard-room to see some 17th-
and 18th-century graffiti, then emerge onto the sentry-way for magnificent
views across the flat countryside towards Crécy
Forest and the Bay of the Somme.
Early Feb-31 Oct, Mon 2.30-6pm; Tues,
Thurs-Sat 10am-12.30pm & 2.30-6pm; Sun & public holidays 10am-12.30pm
(1 July-3 Aug, daily 10am-12.30pm & 2.30-6pm).
Église St-Wulphy The original
church on this site was constructed in the 11th century, and was an important
landmark for sailors. The arrival of the “miraculous crucifix” shortly
afterwards brought throngs of pilgrims so large that another chapel – the
decorative St-Esprit chapel - was
built alongside in 1440 to accommodate them. Today’s church
of St Wulphy was built in the
19th century to replace the first, irreparably damaged in a storm in 1798.
The wooden choir stalls are decorated with wonderful carvings, some dating
from the 16th century. Those on the north side include Moses and Aaron, and
Jacob’s Ladder; on the south side, look for Adam and Eve being ejected from Paradise
by an sword-wielding angel. The church is also known for its statues of the
Virgin Mary and St Sebastian, on either side of the altar, and for several
fine paintings by Laurent Bomy, a 17th-century Abbeville artist. Rue des Soufflets.
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Rue
market,
with belfry in distance
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ST RIQUIER area
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La Traverse
du Ponthieu St-Riquier
is on an old railway line now converted into a cycleway, bridlepath and pedestrian
route. Its 18km winds through the green countryside, linking Cahours and
Neufmoulin, to the west, with Oneux, Coulonvillers and Conteville to the
north-east.
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ST VALERY area
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Pointe du Hourdel At the southern
point of the Baie de Somme, a spectacular spit of shingle curves protectively
around the mouth of the estuary. The houses of this small seaside village
(rebuilt, along with the lighthouse, after World War II bombing) may not be
very picturesque, but the setting is charming, with fishing boats leaning
against the quay at low tide and a couple of restaurants serving oysters and
other seafood. Its dunes hold unusual orchids and other plants, while the
shingle is a favoured spot to find the increasingly rare sea-cabbage. At low
tide you can dig for cockles in the shallows, or look out over the billowing
mud flats towards Le Crotoy. On the seaward side of the point, you might see
seals basking on the sandbanks. 10km NW of
St-Valéry.
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Shingle
at Le Hourdel
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AREA
5: ARRAS, ALBERT
& THE SOMME BATTLEFIELDS
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ARRAS
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Carrières Wellington Just opened in March 2008 is a maze of
tunnels beneath Arras created by New
Zealand miners during World War I by
joining up many existing cellars and
passages. It enabled Allied troops to remain concealed for weeks beneath the
ground, ready to mount a surprise attack against the German lines on 9 April 1917. Warm, waterproof
clothing recommended for the 90-minute visit (that includes a film). A torch
would be useful for reading some of the inscriptions written by the soldiers
and tunnellers on the walls. Carrières
Wellington, Rue Delétoile, Arras (tel: 03 21 51
26 95). Closed most of January. Daily 10am-12.30pm & 2.30-6pm. 6.50€
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GLISY, NEAR AMIENS
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Fly over the Somme battlefields At
the airfield near Amiens, you can
be taken up for an hour’s flight in a light aircraft over the Somme
battlefields and the site where the Red Baron (German WWI flying ace Werner
von Richthofen) was shot down.
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Glisy airfield.
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AREA
6: LENS, BÉTHUNE, BATTLES OF THE ARTOIS, &
THE MINING BASIN
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AUBERS area
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Le Trou Aid Post Cemetery A few hundred metres farther north of VC Corner and off
to the right, this little graveyard on an island surrounded by weeping
willows and gently-quacking ducks is like balm to the soul after you have
read the harrowing stories of the Attack at Fromelles. There could not be a
more beautiful spot for these sleeping soldiers – from various World War I
encounters in the area – to be remembered. All year. Rue de Pétillon, D175, off D22C, 1.5km NW of Fromelles. 4.5km N of
Aubers
Joseph
Andrzejewski Collection Inside the entrance-hall of Neuve-Chapelle’s
Mairie (town hall) is a small display cabinet full of war relics that have
been discovered in the commune. There are no signs; just walk in during
opening hours and you are welcome to look at it. Among poignant items of
everyday kit are military buckles and insignia, coins (in this sector,
essentially German, Portuguese and Indian), helmets, English cutlery, clay
pipes, buttons from German and British uniforms, decorated shell-cases,
shrapnel, a Mills grenade, part of a Lee Enfield rifle, and the
uniform-protectors for use when cleaning buttons. Notice, too, the glass
trench-bottles, their pointed ends enabling them to be stood upright in the
mud – conditions in which a normal flat-bottomed bottle would fall over. All
year. Mon-Wed 9am-noon, Thurs 2-5pm, Fri 3-6.30pm. Mairie, Rue du
Bois, Neuve-Chapelle, 4km SW of Aubers (tel: 03 21 26 08 84). Admission free.
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Le
Trou Aid Post
war cemetery
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BRUAY LA BUISSIERE area
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Labeuvrière If you drive through
this village on the D181E just south of the A26, you will be amazed to pass
long brick wall decorated with ancient-looking pinnacles. Enclosed within are
the grassy grounds of a one-time bishop’s palace; there’s a small romanesque
church and an old house – once the episcopal residence - with 1589 carved
above the door. All year. Rue
Jules-Guesde (D181E)/Rue de l’Église, Labeuvrière, 8km N of Bruay.
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Labeuvrière
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ARRAS area
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MONT ST-ÉLOI
ti (May to Sept) Mont St-Éloi (tel:
03 21 15 16 84)
Drive
up the hill from the D341 at Écoivres, into the village 10km north-west of Arras that contains the abbey ruins (see below), which exert
such an emotional pull when seen from afar in silhouette across the rolling
landscape. There is a lovely grassy square near the abbey, with picnic tables
and room to play; it’s also a start point for a 14km signposted walk.A nearby
monument to a “dragon” is nothing
to do with dra |
