The view from here

On site at Camping Du Mont Noir, Domaine des Sabliers

Leisurely start to the day, then put up the awning and had a bite of lunch before setting out out explore the local town, Bailleul. We found a medium sized Intermarche for our shopping and then parked in the main square to have a look around. It was striking how many of the local buildings had been built post 1920.

Bailleul town centre

The town was badly damaged during WW1 so pretty well all the buildings post-date it. An extraordinary feat when you think that it was not just this town but many others that had the same problem and finding the workforce to rebuild in a short time cannot have been easy. We went back to the site and were mildly surprised to find that we were not just close to the Belgian border; we were practically on it! Mont Noir is one of several large hills in the area known as Les Monts du Flandres and unsurprisingly is strategically important. It was much contested in WW1 for the views it affords and just below the campsite is a military cemetery. We left the site at the top of the hill and decided we'd walk to Belgium.

Down the hill 150m from the campsite, looking back; site at the top just out of sight

150 metres later we passed the sign announcing we were in Belgium; we were astonished to see how busy the village was – absolutely packed to the gunwales with cars and people. We decided that French people nearby cross the border for cheaper goods (well we assume so as you would be unlikely to cross it for more expensive ones!) On the one hand it was undoubtedly a proud and unpretentious working community while on the other there were shades of Cockshutt meets Southend! The village itself is about the same size as Cockshutt but there are some strange anomalies such as the huge boulangerie – much larger than a small village requires and the exquisite chocolaterie, again much larger and well stocked than a small village requires. Against this is the huge games arcade and casino that you wouldn't normally find in a village like Cockshutt. While I wouldn't be altogether against the first two, I'm sure I wouldn't be happy with the third, especially with the unwashed masses the place seemed to attract! At the end of the village was a chair lift which runs from there to the next small hill about 1Km away across a small valley over the main road and some beautifully arranged vineyards. We decided it might be interesting to take the trip. The bar that would normally keep you safe in such circumstances had been replaced by a self-assembly steel strap; the whole affair looked rather basic and we wondered if we may have some explaining to do to our children if an accident befell us. Fortunately we managed the round trip with only the odd need to lift legs to avoid bits of tree.

The view from here

Bailleul, France