I was at the Somme – only the Somme wasn't there

After the rocky coast at Ault, we headed to Saint-Valery-sur-Somme. The drive there was beautiful, and the town itself has a lot to offer: medieval buildings, charming streets, and a wealth of history. 

However, Saint-Valery is now quite well visited. There were whole school classes on the move, along with groups of retirees in packed formation.

In between, a long food mile stretches through the town. And of course, there’s everything you can buy elsewhere – just with 'Saint-Valery-sur-Somme' on it and at double the price.

A nice alternative to cycling: the historic steam train to the other side of the mouth to Le Crotoy. 

Just the ride is an experience, and in Le Crotoy, there was significantly less going on. 

However, there was a different problem: no water.

The mouth of the Somme revealed itself at low tide as a quite extensive mudflat landscape. There were mussel fishermen out, but the mussels probably wouldn’t end up on the plate until after 6:30 PM.

So: sunbathing without splashing and a picnic. The Camembert from Ault had already had some 'exercise' in the meantime, fortunately only within the box😅

For the night, we then went to Noyelles-sur-Somme. The way there was already a highlight: the bike path leads along the dyke through the marshland. Flat land on the left and right, watercourses, birds, and wide landscapes – exactly the kind of bike path that makes you not want to go fast.

Noyelles itself is, well, a small place.

A quite small one. At least there’s a Château and as a consolation, there was a really beautiful sunset!