Climb a mountain ... in the Somme valley
- 11hectares of 'larris' at Eclusier
- 10hectares of 'larris' at Frise
- 1916Cendrars fights at Frise
Frise, Eclusier-Vaux
Climb our mountains
Who ever said that the Somme was flat?!
Today we can prove that it's not true and take you to the top of our Picardy mountains: the 'larris' (chalkbanks).
Head east towards Frise and Eclusier-Vaux.
From the panoramic viewpoints you can enjoy a wonderful natural sight: a patchwork of lakes, a network of marshes and the delightfully meandering river.






'Larris'
Definition
'Larris' are limestone hills, typical of the Picardy landscape. The south-facing slopes are home to Mediterranean plants and wildlife: orchids, wild roses, fox gloves, carpets of fragrant thyme, violets forming a playground for locusts, grasshoppers and butterflies some of which are rarely seen this far north. The limestone grasslands are grazed (and therefore mown) by goats ('maguettes' in Picardy dialect). They have no trouble with the steep slopes, munching away on the scrub and low bushes, preventing trees from growing.
Pays du Coquelicot Tourist Information office – Tel.: 03 22 75 16 42
Somme Valley CPIE– Tel.: 03 22 33 24 24. The Somme valley CPIE (Centre Permanent d'Initiatives pour l'Environnement) organises guided nature outings to both sites as well as to Samara and the Méricourt marshes.
• Vaux mountain Larris trail, 2.3 km – 40 min.
• Circuit of Vaux mountain, 8.6 km – 3 hr
• Circuit of Frise mountain, 2.3 km – 50 min.
Accommodation in the valley
* Large gîte, site for pitching tents at Frise Supérieur - Tel.: 06 99 88 86 88
* Centre for long distance kayaking at Frise Inférieur - Tel.: 06 99 19 95 47
* Café de la Vallée, two gîtes and dance hall at Eclusier-Vaux - Tel.: 06 99 88 86 88




1916,
in the footsteps of Blaise Cendrars
In addition to its outstanding natural setting, Frise also retains traces of trenches from World War I.
It was here that Blaise Cendrars fought. From mid December to February 1916 he occupied positions at places called La Grenouillère and Le Bois de la Vache where, along with fellow soldiers in his squadron, he mounted the surprise attacks which he would later describe in his famous works La main coupée and J’ai tué.

Let's talk ToFrançois Jeannel
Director of the Somme Valley CPIE
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