- Time of past OR future Camino
- ?
Having recently returned from walking this section of the VF, I can safely say that there does not appear to be a lot of interest in this part of the route. However, in order to try to keep the information on the Forum reasonably current, and in the hopes that the VF will gain some traction amongst pilgrims in the future, I will offer up some general comments. I think the great weather I had contributed substantially, but overall, I enjoyed it very much. While there is very little that is spectacular about it, I found it to be a very pleasant walk, and can say that it exceeded my expectations. The route as far as Arras represents a little over 10% of the total distance to Rome.
Keep in mind that I only went as far as Arras, so please be careful not to extrapolate these remarks across the entire route.
STAGES
The following are the stages walked, along with approximate distances, and the accommodation used:
1. Canterbury – The Pilgrim’s Hotel
2. Canterbury to Whitfield – 27 km – Ramada Dover
3. Whitfield to Dover (via Walmer)* – 26 km – Loddington House Hotel
4. Dover to Calais (via ferry) – Hotel Meurice**
5. Calais to Wissant – 21 km – Hotel Le Normandy
6. Wissant to Guines – 23 km – La Forge
7. Guines to Audenfort (Licques) – 20 km – Auberge du Moulin d’Audenfort
8. Audenfort (Licques) to Wisques – 28 km – La Sapiniere
9. Wisques to Therouanne – 23 km – Les Dornes
10. Therouanne to Amettes – 19 km - Ferme des 2 Tilleuls
11. Amettes to Bruay-la-Buissiere – 22 km – Dolce Vita
12. Bruay-la-Buissiere to Acq – 20 km – Le Domaine des Pierres
13. Acq to Arras – 14 km - Premiere Classe Arras
*While Whitfield is approximately 5 kms from Dover, I chose to walk north through some roads and lanes, well out of my way, to Walmer (which is at the south end of the town of Deal). There I headed to the coast and walked back down the coastal trail to Dover. This was a wonderful coastal walk - with a couple of good pubs right on the beach for lunch/refreshments. It provided good views of the White Cliffs of Dover. I recommend this if you have the chance.
** I was originally booked into the Hotel Bel Azur, but upon arrival I was told that the hotel was closed. I am not sure if it was being renovated or whether it is closed permanently. After wandering around a bit and checking out 2-3 other places, I found the Hotel Meurice. I would not normally stay in a place quite as nice as this was, but I figured “Why not”?
ACCOMMODATION
There are not a lot of options in some places, so I booked all of my accommodation in advance. With the exception of Ferme des 2 Tilleuls in Amettes, none of the accommodation listed above could be considered to be in the “Budget” category. In fact, a number of them were fairly expensive, especially for a solo traveller. In most places you are more or less paying for the room, so the lodging costs would be roughly half if you are travelling as a twosome.
Could you do this section staying in budget/pilgrim accommodation? I think so, but it would take some research and advance planning. I would not be comfortable simply setting off in the morning without knowing where I was headed for that evening. But I did come across a couple of signs indicating pilgrim’s accommodation and a few abbeys that take in pilgrims.
I think camping would likely be a good option if you were willing to carry a tent and camping equipment.
Some of the above accommodation is also well outside the nearest village (which may or may not have a café or restaurant in any event). So once again, you need to plan ahead, take a look at your options and consider requesting an evening meal when you book the accommodation.
WAYMARKING/SIGNAGE
The English portion of the route follows the North Downs Way, so it is well signposted. I hesitate to say this, and you might want to bring along a map to make sure you don’t get lost, but it seems that there is a reasonable chance of getting from Canterbury to Dover by simply following the signs. The most difficult portions might be in Canterbury and Dover themselves.
The French portion of the route is much different. For navigation I had downloaded the GPS track that is posted on the Forum (thank you @newfydog!) onto MAPS.ME, and then there are the signposts on the ground. On some sections there were very few signs, on some there were a handful, and at times there were quite a number. However, quite frequently the GPS track and the signposts were inconsistent. (My guess is that the route has been updated and hopefully improved over the years, and those changes were not reflected on the GPS track that is now a few years old).
For the most part, I followed the GPS track, as I learned that I could not rely on the signposts alone. On a number of occasions I decided to follow the signs, and each time it worked well for about 30 minutes, but soon I lost the signs or the trail just seemed to peter out. Maybe it was just me, but I found that the signposts alone were just not sufficient. (On one occasion, I set off following the signs and was enjoying myself quite a bit. There was a nice trail through some forest, then through a few fields, and then along a wide dirt bridlepath. Unfortunately after about 45 minutes I realized that I was heading back towards the starting point. By the time I got myself sorted out using the GPS, it had taken me about an hour to go one kilometre).
As I said above, I really enjoyed the route, so I had no hesitation following the GPS track, but maybe there is a good guidebook out there with good maps, or maybe there is a more up to date GPS track out there. But my conclusion was that some form of map or GPS are mandatory. It was the first time I had ever used it, but I personally thought MAPS.ME was brilliant! I would not have made it without it.
AMENITIES
I think the best recommendation is not to assume anything in terms of finding a café, or restaurant or bakery in any given spot. A lot of the smaller places had no shops at all, or if there were, they were closed. So I would suggest planning it so that you can carry enough water and food to get you to your destination in the evening, and make sure that there are dining options in the town you stay in. If you do not make any assumptions in this regard, you will occasionally be pleasantly surprised.
SCENERY
As mentioned above, the scenery was not spectacular, but was all quite nice. For the most part I was walking through fields of wheat, hay, corn, and other crops, as well as a bit of livestock. The walking is not difficult by any stretch, but it is not as flat as I had thought it would be. They were relatively short, but there were still a number of climbs that got the legs burning and the lungs huffing and puffing.
The section between Calais and Wissant should not be skipped. It might be tempting as it is much shorter to go directly Calais-Guines, but the walk along the French coast from Cap Blanc Nez into Wissant was wonderful. A bit of climbing, a bit of history, some cliff walking, some beach walking – very nice.
For obvious reasons, you will not find quaint little villages or chapels that have stood for hundreds of years, but the towns and villages are attractive in their own way. In terms of gardening, I would say the French are the equals of the British.
NUMBER OF WALKERS
When I picked up my credenciale at the Cathedral in Canterbury, I was surprised when I was told that I was the 17th person to get one that day, so I was thinking that the route might be busier than I had expected. But once I got on the trail, there was no one – and I literally mean no one. I did not meet one other person walking the VF over the 11 days that I was on the trail.
From speaking to some of the people at the hotels and chambres d’hotes in France, it seemed that during the summer months the flow of pilgrims was light, but steady. One person said that they might have 1-2 pilgrims every 2-3 nights.
CREDENCIALE
I picked up my credenciale at the Cathedral in Canterbury for a donation of 2 British pounds. At my hotel in Canterbury (the Pilgrim’s Hotel nonetheless), they had no idea what I was talking about when I asked them for a stamp. Stopping at the pub in Eythorne on the way to Dover, which admittedly is about a kilometre off the trail, same response. At the hotel in Dover, same response. So at that point I gave up. I am sure that if I had told people I was walking the North Downs Way the response would have been different.
I was subsequently offered a stamp by a couple of the places in France, but I declined. I did not really see the point of having 3-4 stamps.
LIVESTOCK/ANIMALS
I walked through exactly one field (in England) that had cattle grazing in it. I am never completely comfortable with these big beasts, so I hustled through the field while they paid little attention to me.
About 10-12 times a day I seemed to pass in front of a house or a business or a farm, and with the barking and growling coming from within the gates/fences there would have been one or more dogs that sounded like they would like nothing better than to rip me to shreds. That probably was not the case 100% of the time, but I was very glad that in every case they were well restrained by a fence or gate or hedge. I was never confronted by a dog. (The closest I came was walking past an open farm gate and seeing a dog sitting on a bench a few feet away. I had a split-second of panic before realizing that it was just a statue of a dog).
TARMAC
The one drawback to the route that I took (parts of which as I explained above may not actually be the “official” route) is that there was a lot of walking on asphalt/tarmac. My guess, and this is just a guess, is that maybe 40-50% of the route was paved. There were some roads with traffic, some minor roads, and some farm tracks. The roads with traffic were the French “D” roads, which were not busy, but busy enough to make you pay attention. There were not a lot of cars, but the ones that came along were moving at a pretty good speed. Not a problem at all, but there were a lot of tractors and farm equipment on the move. Late July/early August must be a busy time for farmers.
ARRAS
Arras is a nice town on its own, but it was also right on the Western Front during WWI. For anyone that is a history buff, or just likes learning in general, it is a very good base from which to explore the battlefields and cemeteries. It is a very sobering experience – very hard to comprehend.
So will I go back and continue on from Arras? I hope so. There are a lot of choices out there, and as I am still employed, my time is somewhat limited. But I enjoyed it enough for a return visit at some point.
Keep in mind that I only went as far as Arras, so please be careful not to extrapolate these remarks across the entire route.
STAGES
The following are the stages walked, along with approximate distances, and the accommodation used:
1. Canterbury – The Pilgrim’s Hotel
2. Canterbury to Whitfield – 27 km – Ramada Dover
3. Whitfield to Dover (via Walmer)* – 26 km – Loddington House Hotel
4. Dover to Calais (via ferry) – Hotel Meurice**
5. Calais to Wissant – 21 km – Hotel Le Normandy
6. Wissant to Guines – 23 km – La Forge
7. Guines to Audenfort (Licques) – 20 km – Auberge du Moulin d’Audenfort
8. Audenfort (Licques) to Wisques – 28 km – La Sapiniere
9. Wisques to Therouanne – 23 km – Les Dornes
10. Therouanne to Amettes – 19 km - Ferme des 2 Tilleuls
11. Amettes to Bruay-la-Buissiere – 22 km – Dolce Vita
12. Bruay-la-Buissiere to Acq – 20 km – Le Domaine des Pierres
13. Acq to Arras – 14 km - Premiere Classe Arras
*While Whitfield is approximately 5 kms from Dover, I chose to walk north through some roads and lanes, well out of my way, to Walmer (which is at the south end of the town of Deal). There I headed to the coast and walked back down the coastal trail to Dover. This was a wonderful coastal walk - with a couple of good pubs right on the beach for lunch/refreshments. It provided good views of the White Cliffs of Dover. I recommend this if you have the chance.
** I was originally booked into the Hotel Bel Azur, but upon arrival I was told that the hotel was closed. I am not sure if it was being renovated or whether it is closed permanently. After wandering around a bit and checking out 2-3 other places, I found the Hotel Meurice. I would not normally stay in a place quite as nice as this was, but I figured “Why not”?
ACCOMMODATION
There are not a lot of options in some places, so I booked all of my accommodation in advance. With the exception of Ferme des 2 Tilleuls in Amettes, none of the accommodation listed above could be considered to be in the “Budget” category. In fact, a number of them were fairly expensive, especially for a solo traveller. In most places you are more or less paying for the room, so the lodging costs would be roughly half if you are travelling as a twosome.
Could you do this section staying in budget/pilgrim accommodation? I think so, but it would take some research and advance planning. I would not be comfortable simply setting off in the morning without knowing where I was headed for that evening. But I did come across a couple of signs indicating pilgrim’s accommodation and a few abbeys that take in pilgrims.
I think camping would likely be a good option if you were willing to carry a tent and camping equipment.
Some of the above accommodation is also well outside the nearest village (which may or may not have a café or restaurant in any event). So once again, you need to plan ahead, take a look at your options and consider requesting an evening meal when you book the accommodation.
WAYMARKING/SIGNAGE
The English portion of the route follows the North Downs Way, so it is well signposted. I hesitate to say this, and you might want to bring along a map to make sure you don’t get lost, but it seems that there is a reasonable chance of getting from Canterbury to Dover by simply following the signs. The most difficult portions might be in Canterbury and Dover themselves.
The French portion of the route is much different. For navigation I had downloaded the GPS track that is posted on the Forum (thank you @newfydog!) onto MAPS.ME, and then there are the signposts on the ground. On some sections there were very few signs, on some there were a handful, and at times there were quite a number. However, quite frequently the GPS track and the signposts were inconsistent. (My guess is that the route has been updated and hopefully improved over the years, and those changes were not reflected on the GPS track that is now a few years old).
For the most part, I followed the GPS track, as I learned that I could not rely on the signposts alone. On a number of occasions I decided to follow the signs, and each time it worked well for about 30 minutes, but soon I lost the signs or the trail just seemed to peter out. Maybe it was just me, but I found that the signposts alone were just not sufficient. (On one occasion, I set off following the signs and was enjoying myself quite a bit. There was a nice trail through some forest, then through a few fields, and then along a wide dirt bridlepath. Unfortunately after about 45 minutes I realized that I was heading back towards the starting point. By the time I got myself sorted out using the GPS, it had taken me about an hour to go one kilometre).
As I said above, I really enjoyed the route, so I had no hesitation following the GPS track, but maybe there is a good guidebook out there with good maps, or maybe there is a more up to date GPS track out there. But my conclusion was that some form of map or GPS are mandatory. It was the first time I had ever used it, but I personally thought MAPS.ME was brilliant! I would not have made it without it.
AMENITIES
I think the best recommendation is not to assume anything in terms of finding a café, or restaurant or bakery in any given spot. A lot of the smaller places had no shops at all, or if there were, they were closed. So I would suggest planning it so that you can carry enough water and food to get you to your destination in the evening, and make sure that there are dining options in the town you stay in. If you do not make any assumptions in this regard, you will occasionally be pleasantly surprised.
SCENERY
As mentioned above, the scenery was not spectacular, but was all quite nice. For the most part I was walking through fields of wheat, hay, corn, and other crops, as well as a bit of livestock. The walking is not difficult by any stretch, but it is not as flat as I had thought it would be. They were relatively short, but there were still a number of climbs that got the legs burning and the lungs huffing and puffing.
The section between Calais and Wissant should not be skipped. It might be tempting as it is much shorter to go directly Calais-Guines, but the walk along the French coast from Cap Blanc Nez into Wissant was wonderful. A bit of climbing, a bit of history, some cliff walking, some beach walking – very nice.
For obvious reasons, you will not find quaint little villages or chapels that have stood for hundreds of years, but the towns and villages are attractive in their own way. In terms of gardening, I would say the French are the equals of the British.
NUMBER OF WALKERS
When I picked up my credenciale at the Cathedral in Canterbury, I was surprised when I was told that I was the 17th person to get one that day, so I was thinking that the route might be busier than I had expected. But once I got on the trail, there was no one – and I literally mean no one. I did not meet one other person walking the VF over the 11 days that I was on the trail.
From speaking to some of the people at the hotels and chambres d’hotes in France, it seemed that during the summer months the flow of pilgrims was light, but steady. One person said that they might have 1-2 pilgrims every 2-3 nights.
CREDENCIALE
I picked up my credenciale at the Cathedral in Canterbury for a donation of 2 British pounds. At my hotel in Canterbury (the Pilgrim’s Hotel nonetheless), they had no idea what I was talking about when I asked them for a stamp. Stopping at the pub in Eythorne on the way to Dover, which admittedly is about a kilometre off the trail, same response. At the hotel in Dover, same response. So at that point I gave up. I am sure that if I had told people I was walking the North Downs Way the response would have been different.
I was subsequently offered a stamp by a couple of the places in France, but I declined. I did not really see the point of having 3-4 stamps.
LIVESTOCK/ANIMALS
I walked through exactly one field (in England) that had cattle grazing in it. I am never completely comfortable with these big beasts, so I hustled through the field while they paid little attention to me.
About 10-12 times a day I seemed to pass in front of a house or a business or a farm, and with the barking and growling coming from within the gates/fences there would have been one or more dogs that sounded like they would like nothing better than to rip me to shreds. That probably was not the case 100% of the time, but I was very glad that in every case they were well restrained by a fence or gate or hedge. I was never confronted by a dog. (The closest I came was walking past an open farm gate and seeing a dog sitting on a bench a few feet away. I had a split-second of panic before realizing that it was just a statue of a dog).
TARMAC
The one drawback to the route that I took (parts of which as I explained above may not actually be the “official” route) is that there was a lot of walking on asphalt/tarmac. My guess, and this is just a guess, is that maybe 40-50% of the route was paved. There were some roads with traffic, some minor roads, and some farm tracks. The roads with traffic were the French “D” roads, which were not busy, but busy enough to make you pay attention. There were not a lot of cars, but the ones that came along were moving at a pretty good speed. Not a problem at all, but there were a lot of tractors and farm equipment on the move. Late July/early August must be a busy time for farmers.
ARRAS
Arras is a nice town on its own, but it was also right on the Western Front during WWI. For anyone that is a history buff, or just likes learning in general, it is a very good base from which to explore the battlefields and cemeteries. It is a very sobering experience – very hard to comprehend.
So will I go back and continue on from Arras? I hope so. There are a lot of choices out there, and as I am still employed, my time is somewhat limited. But I enjoyed it enough for a return visit at some point.
.
