Ermenonville

That was not a good move! Noisey hotel and a busy road into Senlis. The girl in the info centre then gave us the worst possible route to Ermenonville through the forest. The tracks got narrower and more confusing





Until we came across this old roman road.


Too rough to ride though !
Then like a mirage , this truck came crawling towards us


I waved him down and he sent us off in the right direction . " dix kilomet " he says.


A frustrating day and only 31kms

Senlis

What a great stay that was! A huge apartment upstairs and Calotte made us an early breakfast so we could get going, all for 70 euros





6.30 .That's her husband leaving to do the Sunday markets. 🐴 Yes, he sells horse meat.
The trail, EV3, leaves the canal here and makes its way through the forests of Compiegne. It's a cyclists dream around here....IF you know where you're going








Quiet country roads, the odd Abbey, and miles of forest roads!
We found the site of the Armistice signing, deep in the forest








Very poignant being 100 years next year that it was signed here.
The problem was trying to find our way back to the trail again


The man hiring bikes put us back on the right track.
I've been here before but the traffic put me off the city . It's just another world when you arrive by bike. What a nice city !!





The Maire ( council office) was built in 1500 and boasts the oldest public clock still working in France. While taking this it struck mid day and the 3 'men' way up the top,picked up their mallets and proceeded to wallop the bells🤗


Ahh, on route again. The trail took a dive down under a railway bridge here, just as a barge loaded with scrap iron roared past. Whew!





We stopped 5kms short of Senlis , being Sunday night we wanted to be sure of a bed. This is one of those really basic but clean places for 47 euros. I just looked at Strava and it showed me my tortuous route we took today.
Amazing!

Noyon

Ahh.. got the Strava working again. I just have to leave the app on . We only did 47 kms today according to it. We'll continue to take it easy until Christine's over this cough


Hey medicines supposed to taste yuk


Met a Flemish guy just outside our hotel. Comparing routes





The cycleway is fantastic along the canal but so quiet! This is the first boat we've come across on the Oise canal. Once we'd got past Tergnier though, where the St Quinten canal enters, there were a lot more leisure craft.





Ahh Noyon😯. It's only 2pm so plenty of time for a look around town


Found a Chambre d'hote right beside the canal . Lovely old thing but really ! A PINK bath🤢

Meziere-sur-oise

Straight out of the hotel and onto another rail trail. Didn't even know there was one here !





The old stations make good houses


Took us 25 kms to Guise. We'd forgotten it was Bastille day and every town was EMPTY . After about 15kms on deserted roads we came across the Sambre Oise canal.








I was starting to get a bit worried as we hadn't seen any accomodation for 50kms. Christine's cough isn't clearing yet so we were very happy to come across this lovely little hotel right next to the canal.


Lovely couple, made me up a meal of the local specialities. Oh la la

Vallee de l'oise

Mauberge Grand hotel. It was wet yesterday so we stayed an extra night and had a rest day. Trying to shake of this damn COUGH..gh..gh
That's better now 🤧






The first 35kms south was along a 'green' way. An old railway line.
So far the pilgrims way has been following river valleys as that's where the villages were built. The Sambre we were following was now coming to its source so the route had to go up and over high country to come down in the valley of the Oise further south. The route then follows that river south west to Compiegne. Simple? It wasn't to me until we actually followed it.


Tall trees shaded the trail and I was singing away as you do, when up beside me comes this Frenchman from Lille. He borrowed my pump to pump up his tyre then rode with us to the end of the rail trail.
"Do you know The band played Walting Matilda " he asked
"As a matter of fact ........" I said
So we rode along side by side through the forest singing the whole song . ( I've never met anyone else who knows all the words)
At Geagion we introduced ourselves before saying goodbye.


The route follows country lanes now


Somehow we were supposed to go to Hirson tonight but finding ourselves at Wimy we realised we were already on tomorrow's route so a quick change of plans and decided to head west for Etreaupont and the Vallee du l'oise
I wasn't sure about accomodation this way though !





Needn't have worried . Lovely old pub and a meal 'Francaise'

Location:Rue Albert Ledent,Etréaupont,France

FRANCE 🐓

So much for an early start. This was a tyre I'd meant to change but forgot ! This part of Belgium ,Charleroi, was grotty but soon changed to prettier meadows as we got further south





The 12th century Abbye d'Aulne



My patch wasn't holding. Some rubbish the 'Bike Barn ' had sold me. After pumping it up several times we made it to Thuin. No bike shop but we were lucky enough to meet a couple of Scotties on their way north. Another patch(on a patch)



DRAT ! That didn't hold either so these 2 good Samaritans Yves and Noel, helped us find a bike shop in Equelinne, a couple of villages down the line





KEVLAR !! Way to go. Hopefully no more punctures on that wheel.
( he pointed out those trophies and said he's ridden in the Tour De France)


We entered France at Jeumont and followed the Sambre the last 15 kms into Mauberge where we've found a nice hotel.