This “Walking The Via Francigena” series of posts follow us, David and Gail, as we continue our walk along the Via Francigena pilgrimage route between Canterbury and Rome. In the fall of 2019, we completed the first leg from London to Canterbury, known as the Chaucer Way, and onward to the small town of Tergnier, France on the Via Francigena. A pandemic got in the way but now, in 2022, our trek is underway once again, this time taking us from Tergnier to Besançon over 23 walking days and 580 or so kilometres.
Notes from today’s walk:
This should have been a straight-forward walk through farmland and accomplished in a matter of four or so hours. Instead, it took the good part of a day owing to the unexpected encounter with three spectacular half-timber churches in three separate villages. The first was located in Outines, just a short distance south of our morning start. Built near the end of the 16 C., the Saint-Nicolas Church suffered structural problems right from the get-go. It took a major restoration project in 1979-1986 to finally solve the problem. Next came the Church of the Exaltation de la Ste-Croix in Bailly Le Franc. Be sure to listen to our tour of the church, below. The third church was the Église Saint-Jacques et Saint-Philippe in Lentilles. Arguably the finest of the three churches, its association with Saint-Jacques (Saint James in English) holds special affection for pilgrims on the Via Francigena or Compostela routes.
Walk Date: Sep 22, 2022
Distance: 23.1 km
Elevation Gain:275 m
Read on to view today’s photos, a soundscape captured along the route and an interactive map.
Click the images below to view a full-screen slideshow.
Today’s route.
Overview map of the route from Tergnier to Besançon.
Amazing churches!!!
Yes, they were. It was a total surprise to come across these churches.