Sunday, April 26, 2026
End: Lamotte-Brebière Lock
Kilometers: 26.0
Total: 136.7
When I woke up in the morning, I was treated to a spectacular view over the marsh. A thick fog had settled in down over the swamp, and obscured the whole wetland below.
The beginning of our day was spent hiking through the villages of Chipilly and Cerisy. I stopped to investigate the National Cemetery in Cerisy, where many soldiers who fell in the first World War are buried. This is definitely one of the major themes of this hike.
We continued on along the canal, then went through another village. Our objective was to get to Corbie and resupply. Before we could get there, we had a long walk to do along the canal.
We stopped for lunch at noon near Vaux-sur-Somme and I cooked lunch while Alex rested. The kids had noodles and bacon. When we hiked onwards, I carried Alex’s backpack again to give her ankle a bit of a rest.
I walked with Daniel, trying to keep him engaged and moving forward, which is a constant challenge. It took awhile, but we finally made it to the park on the canal at Corbie.
I dropped my stuff there, and immediately started my town chores while the others rested. I went to the laundromat to wash clothing, only to discover that the machine only took cash, which I had not brought with me. I had to walk all the way back to the park.
I walked back to the laundromat, started washing the clothes, then went to the grocery store. We were very lucky that the store was open on a Sunday afternoon. I got our food and dropped it off with Alex and the kids.
I got back to the laundromat and dried the clothing. I checked for a pharmacy, but everything was closed. That would have to wait.
We had spent hours not hiking, so we felt the need to get walking and to keep going. We hiked along the canal for awhile in the heat. Pretty soon it was time to exchange the canal for farm fields.
We continued on past a big Nestlé Purina factory, a contrast to the many abandoned factory building we had become accustomed to seeing along the canal. Soon we went right through the little train station at Daours.
Our little family kept on going and going, hiking the paths between farm fields and heading East. We eventually made it to thr spot I had selected previously on the canal near Blangy-Tronville.
There was a spot with a restaurant playing loud music, and lots of cars and people milling about. We set up our tent in a nice spot, far enough away to not be disturbed. It had been a long day, but we were now in position to get through Amiens the next day.
