A rainy rest day in Arras - laundry and R&R! Being a Saturday, we checked out the market in the Places des heros (renamed to commemorate the hundreds of French resistance fighters who were executed in Arras during WW2). The yellow truck was by far the most popular vendor in the square, so we loaded … Continue reading Day seven: rest day in Arras →

A day focused on keeping our rubbery legs operating in the continuing heat - although it was only a tepid 28c today. It was another day of remembrance, with a specific focus on Canada. Our route took us up a trail on the eastern, steep side of Vimy ridge (ironically, it was 5e steepness of … Continue reading Day six: Aubers to Arras →

WW1 is everywhere, as we headed south towards Arras, essentially following the frontlines of 1914 - 1918. Sign posts to war cemeteries are everywhere, and we stopped at most of those on our route to honour those that died. First major stop was at Messen ( Messines) where there is a memorial to the 827 … Continue reading Day five: Ypres to Aubers →

An early start to beat the heat, and only a short cruise into Ypres (nowadays known as leper). Much was downhill, and reservations about using a busy road were dissipated as it had a dedicated bike lane... way out in the countryside. No wonder the Belgians are great cyclists. Unfortunately there was no coffee, so … Continue reading Day four: Godewaersvelde to Ypres →

Actually, the end point was camping cinq chemins verts, but we never figured out the five green shirt reference. It was a long haul for one day, but we have retained our (t)rusty bikes as a way to beat the heat. With a heat wave on offer for the rest of the week, walking 30km … Continue reading Day three: Dunkerque to Godewaersvelde →

Camino Karma Just before leaving Vancouver a potential spanner in the works was identified, namely the inability to go on the ferry from Dover to Dunkerque as a foot passenger. One could go as a cyclist, but not as a cyclist pushing a pretend bike. It looked like we were going to have to go … Continue reading Day two: Dover to Dunkerque. →

This section can either be done as one longer day, or two shorter ones. We chose the former, and our shoulders are regretting it. We made an early start due to the anticipated hot weather, but it didn’t transpire - but no harm done. The path is the North Downs Way, but being our first … Continue reading Day One: Canterbury to Dover →

The easy klicks are behind us - planes, trains, and London buses have delivered us to Canterbury, and now it is a mere 1,800km to go according to the sign. We had a couple of busy days in the theme park known as London. Packed with tourists, but none of the rides are included. The … Continue reading Day Zero →