Day 1 - Calais to Arras
From Lens to Arras
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Another shocking pink cycle route..
Getting out of Lens was reasonably straightforward although we did find ourselves heading towards a motorway at one point - spotted soon enough to avoid any awkward exchanges with the local gendarmerie!

The idea was to take this road that appeared to skirt Vimy Ridge, which needs a slow but arduous drag of a climb to reach its summit.

Needless to say the road didn't skirt Vimy Ridge, but went straight to it! So we arrived appropriately exhausted.

Normally the Canadian monument atop Vimy Ridge presents a grand  spectacle but not right now as it is undergoing heavy restoration ahead of 90th anniversary of the battle, which will be commemorated in 2007.
Wrapped Vimy Ridge + Marocaine memorials
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If you want to see the Vimy memorial proper then click here to see the 2003 site.

The land around Vimy is still pock-marked with old shell craters - grass-covered now and also forested, but still a vivid reminder of how the terrain was scarred and devastated.

As with most cimbs, the reward of a fast and relaxed descent is generally on the cards. and so the balance of our journey to the B&B at Duisans was satisfyingly both pleasant and fast.
Scars from 1917 shell craters at Vimy RIdge
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