Page 18 - Walking Back Through Time

CHAPTER 2
SOLDIERING ON
My Penance For the Great War
- Amiens to Le Mans
Day 6 Amiens to Marseille-en-Beauvaisis - 50km
Waking in a downpour I hastily pack my kit and head off in the direc- tion of Conty – roughly 14km.
Having passed many villages it isn't until I reach Conty that I realise I have been walking the wrong road!! It hardly matters and easily reme- died with a 3km excursion west to pick up my planned route to Creve- coeur-le-Grand. It proves a quieter journey as I head away from the Somme Valley with most of the relics of the Great War behind me. At the time of the Great War troops would have disembarked at the ports of Normandy and made their way to Amiens adrenalin pumped for the bat- tles ahead. The region had also seen its share of conflict in the Second World War, the most memorable of which was the Normandy Beach Landings. Today it is a picture of tranquillity celebrated by beautiful countryside that helps capture the semblance of a land at peace. The vil- lages stand serene and unaltered by the passage of time as I traverse the terrain unable to find a shop or contemporary facility. Despite a few teething problems with amenities I feel honoured to follow the path of past warriors and that the remainder of my journey will be endured as a penance to commemorate the war.
Eventually I arrive at Crevecoeur-le-Grand and am able to obtain water and food. It is after 5pm and yet I still manage to cover a further 10km to Marseille-en-Beauvaisis where I camp at dusk in a coppice by a ploughed field above the town. Contemplating tomorrow's journey, I sit for a while watching the day draw to a close – the world seems at peace here and so am I.