The day started with one of the Aussies in our group getting a cab to hospital after a fall down the stairs last night. We got a message later today to say his leg was broken and he was in a cast. So only 15 riders today plus Fred off to do a loop in the area.
3 others elected to spend the day on the barge. Zwaantje had 7 locks to negotiate so it was going to be slow going.
We had a loose itinerary with Fred taking us along the canal to start and then through quiet country tracks and roads.
Morning tea at a pub in Lecluse was followed by a short walk to a Menhir (monolith) erected over 3000 years ago.
Lunch was at the small town of Eterpigny – too small for a cafe or pub. After lunch we decided to go to the Australian “Digger” Memorial in Bullecourt.
It was a beautiful, perfectly maintained memorial to the almost 10,000 Australian soldiers who lost their lives in the battles around Bullecourt.
It is situated on the Rue des Australiens amongst the now beautiful fields in this part of the country. It is hard to imagine how different it must have been in April and May 1917. Next we went to a cemetery for the British and Canadian soldiers who lost their lives in the final 2 months of the war.
Our final cemetery was one of the few in the country where both Allied and German troops are buried.
We cycled the final 15km to the barge which was moored past the 7th lock. After we were all on board, Martijn set sail for an hour to the entrance of the Ruyaulcourt tunnel that we are going through tomorrow morning.
Route of today’s ride – Arleux to Ruyaulcourt – 48 kms