We spent today wandering around some of the iconic sites of the Western Front. After a copious breakfast, we set off for the British memorial at Thiepval. Our route out of Albert took us past an area of allotments, skirted a couple of ponds, and then joined a road heading north.
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| A copious breakfast. The Australian long-distance walker is apparently circling the table trying to decide what to eat first. |
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| Allotments at Albert. Our b&b hosts had explained to us that they shared one of these plots with some friends. Coincidentally, our hostess was working in her allotment as we passed by. |
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| We stopped for a chat. After discussing the work they were doing on their allotment, the gardeners were keen to help us find the best route to Thiepval. |
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| Our hostess Joëlle next to Kath, with her friends at the allotment they work together. |
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| The path from Albert to Thiepval |
Our path took us past the peaceful setting of Blighty Valley Cemetery, one of several World War I commemoration sites we were to pass during the course of the day. We were on a forestry track for a short time before emerging to the sight of the Thiepval Monument in front of us.
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| Blighty Valley Cemetery |
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| The path took us through a forest path before emerging with the Thiepval Memorial ahead of us |
We had a lengthy stop at Thiepval. As with most of the famous sights we are visiting on this trip, we are not trying to do anything more than illustrate with a few photos the impressions we have as we pass through. There is a lot of information readily available online for those who wish to learn more about these places.
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| The Thiepval Monument |
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| There was an official-looking photo shoot taking place at the monument while we were there. No doubt an interesting story being told. |
From Thiepval we headed to the nearby village of Pozières. We were entering the region where Australian soldiers were active during the campaigns in 1916. We visited a few memorial sites, and had a coffee at the interestingly decorated Le Tommy.
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| The road to Pozières |
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| 1st Australian Division Memorial, Pozières |
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| In Pozières we had a refreshing coffee at Le Tommy, which was decorated with a large selection of World War I memorabilia. |
From Pozières we made our way through Fricourt, with its German Cemetery, to Bray-sur-Somme, where we are staying the night. There were several more WWI-related sights on the way.
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| Scenic road from Pozières to Fricourt |
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| German Cemetery, Fricourt |
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| At the German Cemetery we were approached by a local farmer, who told us about the history of his nearby farm. He invited us to come and see a German bunker on his farm, but it was a bit far for us to get to on foot, so we politely declined. |
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| We haven't come across many public toilets on our trip so far. We did find this one in Fricourt, but decided not to use it. |
From Fricourt we navigated a way to Bray-sur-Somme that avoided the main road. We walked through peaceful agricultural scenery to our day's destination.
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| Bombshell on the route |
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| Freshly ploughed fields |
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| Approaching the end of the day's walk |
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| Day 10 - Healthy Fruit |
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| Day 10 - Birds |
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| Day 10 - Elevation Profile |
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| Day 10 - Route |
Day: 10
Distance: 25.36 km
Walking time: 5 hrs 19 mins
Elevation gain: 332 metres
Cumulative distance: 228.29 km
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