Dieppe to Geneva walk 2023: DAY 13 - EPPEVILLE to LA FÈRE (Saturday 29 April)

With another long day's walk in front of us, we got off to an early start. First stop was a bakery, to pick up the day's supplies. Then a short distance into Ham, where we spent a while wandering among the ruins of Ham Castle.

The morning chore - picking up the day's supplies

This sign on the way into Ham caused us to speculate on what exactly a cultural pole might be.

The signboard At Ham Castle explains some of its history, including Louis Napoleon's clever escape in 1846.

We wandered among the ruins, and then continued our walk

The first 10 kilometres or so were again following a canal - this time the Canal de la Somme. The walking was pleasant, with the usual items of interest, and the town of Saint-Simon provided us with the luxury of a bench (not to be taken for granted in France) for our morning tea stop.

A pleasant walk along the canal

A welcome bench in Saint-Simon

The next part of the walk was alongside the Canal de St-Quentin. The path was overgrown in places, so the going was sometimes a bit slow. But there was still plenty to attract the attention of the passing Australian walker.

The Canal de St-Quentin between Saint-Simon and Jussy

After another rest at another well- placed bench in Jussy, we continued on. For much of the stretch into Liez we were walking on the GR145 (Via Francigena), which we will be following on and off for the next week or so. At Liez we had our lunch stop.

From Jussy to Liez - mostly on the Via Francigena

Picnic lunch at Liez

After lunch we had a rather uninspiring 7km walk along the road to La Fère, where we are staying the night. It has the appearance of a town whose better days are behind it.