Cambrai Football Tournament.

[Big E]

I am travelling to France on the 29th May to watch my son play in a football tournament. The tournament is being played in Cambrai, South West of Arras just off the A26.

I intend to ride down to Dover from Manchester on the Friday and Get the 1730hrs ferry over to Calais and then stay in a Hotel/B&B in the Bremes area.

This will give me all day on the Saturday to ride down to Cambrai.

My question is there any points of interest, towns, good places to eat etc on the journey down to Cambrai as I would like to take my time and take in some of northern France.

 

[LBL]

Cambrai

Hi Big E

Im travelling on 29th to Bouillon from Folkstone on the chunnel and my route is taking me through Cambrai where we plan to lunch. Never been there before so cant really help with places en route to eat.

Riding back through Cambrai on Sunday on our way to Le Touquet for the night before getting the chunnel on Monday.

If your riding back on the sunday your welcome to join us, my mate is on a lime green speed triple so i hope not to get too much attention from

Have fun

 

[Wapping]

Cambrai is probably most famous as the town where the first tanks were used in battle during WW1.

It is popular (if that is the right word) as simply a junction to leave the motorway on many journeys south. The town used to have lots of medieval buildings and walls (a few still survive) but was flattened between 1914-18.

To get to Cambrai via anything remotely like a scenic route you have to be really inventive, so arm yourself with a 1:200,000 scale Michelin map. How often do I say that, I wonder?

As you have all day, I might go via the country roads to Cassel, taking in the V2 bunker at Bleue-Maison and the windmill at Watten, then on to St-Omer for lunch. I can send you a GPS route and waypoint for the huge bunker, the road out of Watten taking you right past the windmill.

From St-Omer it's a bit tricky. Try to pick out yellow D-roads, to stitch together a route. You are in WW1 territory, so there are lots of grave sites or small museums to look at (see assorted WW1 threads in the travel section of UKGSer).

Alternatively, you could do a route via Le Touquet, then the massive V2 bunker site, the windmill and Cassel, to St-Omer. I rode that a week or so ago and it wasn't too bad. I simply used the Michelin map to find D (or smaller roads) and wrote them down on a sheet of paper.

If you PM me your post address I will photocopy a map and highlight the routes.

Richard

 

[Wapping]

Alternatively, you could do a route via Le Touquet, then the massive V2 bunker site, the windmill and Cassel, to St-Omer. I rode that a week or so ago and it wasn't too bad. I simply used the Michelin map to find D (or smaller roads) and wrote them down on a sheet of paper.

....and here it is:

In my humble it's more fun just looking at a map over breakfast, finding a rough route along the minor roads, then scribbling them down on a sheet of old paper, leaving the GPS in bed. Yes, you make mistakes along they way but you are never going to stray into mine fields or meet head hunters.

 

[Big E]

Hi Big E

Im travelling on 29th to Bouillon from Folkstone on the chunnel and my route is taking me through Cambrai where we plan to lunch. Never been there before so cant really help with places en route to eat.

Riding back through Cambrai on Sunday on our way to Le Touquet for the night before getting the chunnel on Monday.

If your riding back on the sunday your welcome to join us, my mate is on a lime green speed triple so i hope not to get too much attention from

Have fun

Thanks for the offer mate but i am riding back on the Tuesday.

Hope you have a safe journey.