Our walk today took us through an area greatly impacted by Nazi atrocities during World War II. The weather was quite variable throughout the day - either it was raining or it was threatening to rain.
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| Dark skies accompanied us throughout today's walk |
We took a bit of time to take in the sights of Révigny-sur-Ornain before leaving the town. These included a Monument to André Maginot, the politician who gave his name to the Maginot Line.
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| Some highlights of Révigny-sur-Ornain |
We then set out to visit the five martyr villages which were victims of the Massacre of the Saulx Valley: Mognéville, Couvonges, Beurey-sur-Saulx, Robert-Espagne and Trémont-sur-Saulx. In these villages 86 French civilians were killed and hundreds of homes burnt on 29 August 1944.
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| The walk to Mognéville involved a peaceful ramble through agricultural country, with a bit of heavy rain on the way |
We had a brief walk around Mognéville, then headed on to Couvonges. There, we found a picturesque covered area near historic St Brice Church. We had our healthy morning tea there.
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| Mognéville |
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| the country path between Mognéville and Couvonges |
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| Heading for the covered morning tea area attached to St Brice's Church, Couvonges |
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| A pleasant picnic spot |
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| Looking forward to some healthy fruit |
After our morning refreshment we visited the Couvonges Monument to the 26 local victims of the 1944 massacre. There is a signboard on the site, with a brief explanation of what happened on the day.
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| Monument to the victims of the 29 August 1944 massacre, Couvonges |
It was quite wet as we walked on through the next village, Beurey-sur-Saulx, and on to Robert-Espagne.
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| A wet walk on from Couvonges |
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| The rain had cleared, the umbrella had been put away, and it was all smiles (just don't look behind you) |
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| On into Robert-Espagne. The umbrella's back out. |
Robert-Espagne has a large monument to the victims of 29 August 1944. We visited the site during a heavy rainshower. There was even some small hail.
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| Signboard explaining the events of 29 August 1944 |
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| Monument des Fusillés, Robert-Espagne |
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| Ready to move on after a sobering visit to the massacre monument |
We had our picnic lunch in Robert-Espagne (in a bus shelter - it was still raining), and then headed towards our evening destination of Bar-le-Duc. The first part of the way, as far as the martyr village of Trémont-sur-Saulx, was on a long-distance walking path, the GR14.
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| The GR14 between Robert-Espagne and Trémont-sur-Saulx |
From Trémont-sur-Saulx we were on a dirt road, then a minor road, and finally a major road for a bit, before arriving at our accommodation in Bar-le-Duc.
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| On to Bar-le-Duc under threatening skies |
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| Cows |
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| Avoiding the major road into Bar-le-Duc |
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| Day 24 - Healthy Fruit |
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| Day 24 - Birds |
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| Day 24 - Elevation Profile |
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| Day 24 - Route |
Day: 24
Distance: 25.24 km
Walking time: 5 hrs 05 mins
Elevation gain: 451 metres
Cumulative distance: 566.08 km
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