LightFoot Guide to the Via Francigena Edition 6

Canterbury to Besançon

910 kilometres

Copyright 2014 Pilgrimage Publicati ons All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-2-917183-25-0

The authors have done their best to ensure the accuracy and currency of the informati on in this LightFoot Guide to the Via Francigena, however they can accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by any traveller as a result of informati on contained in the guide. Changes will inevitably occur within the lifespan of this editi on and the authors welcome noti fi cati on of such changes and any other feedback that will enable them to enhance the quality of the guide.

The Lightf oot Guide to the Via Francigena, writt en by Paul Chinn and Babett e Gallard presents, in great detail, the offi cial routes for cyclists, walkers and horse riders.

The European Associati on of Via Francigena (EAVF), founded in 2001, is the custodian ofthe Cultural Route Via Francigena. In 2006 it became the offi cial body recognised by the Council of Europe for supporti ng, promoti ng and developing the route.

In , the Associati on Via Francigena France (associated to the EAVF) manages the co- ordinati on of regional walking groups and liaison with other nati onal organisati ons.

For more informati on and for downloading the Italian route see : www.viefrancigene.org”

Massimo Tedeschi President European Associati on of Francigena Ways

About the Authors We are two very ordinary people who quit the world of business and stumbled on the St James Way during our search for a more viable, rewarding alternati ve to our previous lifestyle. Since then we have completed four pilgrimages, one of which was parti cularly tough and fi nally prompted us to create Pilgrimage Publicati ons and the LightFoot guide series. We have no religious beliefs, but share a ‘wanderlust’ and need to know about and contribute to the world we occupy.

Pilgrimage Publicati ons is a not-for-profi t organisati on dedicated to the identi fi cati on and mapping of pilgrim routes all over the world, regardless of religion or belief. Any revenue derived from the sale of guides or related acti viti es is used to further enhance the service and support provided to pilgrims.

The ethos of Pilgrimage Publicati ons has 4 very basic aims: To enable walkers, cyclists and riders to follow pilgrim routes all over the world. To ensure LightFoot guides are as current and accurate as possible, using pilgrim feedback as a major source of informati on. To use eco-friendly materials and methods for the publicati on of LightFoot guides and Travel Books. To promote eco-friendly travel.

Also by LightFoot Guides Riding the Milky Way Riding the Roman Way LightFoot Guide to the via Francigena - Besançon to Vercelli LightFoot Guide to the via Francigena - Vercelli to Rome LightFoot Companion to the via Francigena LightFoot Guide to the Three Saints Way - Winchester to Mont St Michel LightFoot Guide to the Three Saints Way - Mont St Michel to St Jean d’Angely LightFoot Guide to Foraging - a guide to over 130 of the most common edible and medicinal plants in Western Europe LightFoot Companion to the via Domiti a- Arles to Rome Your Camino - informati on, maps for Camino routes in France and Spain Camino Lingo - ‘cheats’ guide to speaking Spanish on the Camino Slackpacking the Camino Frances - provides all the informati on and advice you’ll need to plan your perfect Camino. LightFoot Guides are designed to enable everyone to meet their personal goals and enjoy the best, whilst avoiding the worst, of following ancient pilgrimage routes. Written for Walkers, Cyclists (mountain bikes) and Horse Riders, every section of this LightFoot guide provides specific information for each group.

The authors would like to emphasise that they have made great efforts to use only public footpaths and to respect private property. Historically, pilgrims may not have been so severely restricted by ownership rights and the pressures of expanding populations, but unfortunately this is no longer the case. Today, even the most free- spirited traveller must adhere to commonly accepted routes. Failure to do so will only antagonise local residents, encourage the closure of routes and inhibit pilgrims following on behind.

Please let us know about any changes to the route or inaccuracies within this guide book. [email protected]

Our special thanks go to: We would like to thank François Louviot and all the members of the Association Via Francigena France for their commitment to sign posting. Adelaide Trezzini for her contribution to the development and mapping of the via Francigena route. http://www.francigena-international.org/

Openstreetmap: The maps in this book are derived from data (c) Openstreetmap (http:// www.openstreetmap.org) and its contributors and are made available under the Creative Commons agreement http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Maperitive for the creation of an indispensable tool used in the drawing of our maps. http://igorbrejc.net/about Contents Your LightFoot Guide to the via Francigena 1 Following the route : 2 The Basics in Britain 3 The Basics in France 4 Useful Links 6 Recommended Reading 7 Stage 01: Canterbury - Sheperdswell Length: 17.1km 10 Stage 02: Sheperdswell - Dover Length: 14.5km 19 Stage 03: - Length: 20.5km 28 Stage 04: Wissant - Guînes Length: 25.6km 42 Stage 05: Guînes - Length: 15.9km 51 Stage 06: Licques - Tournehem-sur-la-Hem Length: 14.6km 57 Stage 07: Tournehem-sur-la-Hem - Length: 19.2km 62 Stage 08: Wisques - Thérouanne Length: 23.0km 70 Stage 09: Thérouanne - Amettes Length: 18.7km 78 Stage 10: Amettes - Bruay-la-Buissière Length: 21.9km 84 Stage 11: Bruay-la-Buissière - Ablain-Saint-Nazaire Length: 25.9km 98 Stage 12: Ablain-Saint-Nazaire - Length: 20.7km 111 Stage 13: Arras - Length: 26.5km 121 Stage 14: Bapaume - Péronne Length: 32.0km 128 Stage 15: Péronne - Trefcon Length: 18.2km 136 Stage 16: Trefcon - Tergnier Length: 32.2km 141 Stage 17: Tergnier - Laon Length: 33.3km 149 Stage 18: Laon - Corbeny Length: 26.7km 156 Stage 19: Corbeny - Length: 23.4km 162 Stage 20: Hermonville - Length: 16.5km 169 Stage 21: Reims - Length: 16.9km 176 Stage 22: Verzenay - Condé-sur- Length: 23.3km 180 Stage 23: Condé-sur-Marne - Châlons-en- Length: 18.7km 186 Stage 24: Châlons-en-Champagne - La-Chaussée-sur-Marne Length: 23.4km 192 Stage 25: La-Chaussée-sur-Marne - Vitry-le-François Length: 22.4km 205 Stage 26: Vitry-le-François - Saint-Remy-en-Bouzemont Length: 20.9km 213 Stage 27: Saint-Remy-en-Bouzemont - Lentilles Length: 25.0km 217 Stage 28: Lentilles - Brienne-le-Château Length: 32.8km 224 Stage 29: Brienne-le-Château - Dolancourt Length: 27.5km 232 Stage 30: Dolancourt - Bar-sur-Aube Length: 12.2km 242 Stage 31: Bar-sur-Aube - Clairvaux Length: 14.6km 248 Stage 32: Clairvaux - Châteauvillain Length: 23.6km 254 Stage 33: Châteauvillain - Mormant Length: 22.3km 260 Stage 34: Mormant - Length: 34.8km 266 Stage 35: Langres - Length: 24.2km 282 Stage 36: Torcenay - Champlitte Length: 35.2km 289 Stage 37: Champlitte - Dampierre-sur-Salon Length: 16.9.km 300 Stage 38: Dampierre-sur-Salon - Gy Length: 35km 305 Stage 39: Gy - Cussey-sur-l’Ognon Length: 15.5km 316 Stage 40: Cussey-sur-l’Ognon - Besançon Length: 18.6km 320 Your LightFoot Guide to the via Francigena

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