In the Somme Valley
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MountainsideFrise Somme valley
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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.

 

Petite fille au bord du lac, Somme©Nicolas Bryant
balade en famille en Haute Somme©Jean Richardot
Papillon à Eclusier-Vaux, Vallée de Somme©SommeTourisme-DM
visite guidée à Eclusier-Vaux, Vallée de Somme©SommeTourisme-DM
Frise_vélo©Nicolas Bryant ©Nicolas Bryant
corbie belvedere, Somme©Nicolas Bryant

'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

 

To book a guided visit

A long tranquil, majestic river plays all kinds of roles: arrow-straight canal, old Somme full of curves and bends, meanders in the east, the foaming floods of Picquigny...
Vallée de Somme depuis le belvédère d'Eclusier-Vaux©SommeTourisme-DM
observation nature en Vallée de Somme©SommeTourisme-DM
fleur sauvage, Vallée de Somme©SommeTourisme-DM
corbie belvedere, Somme©Nicolas Bryant

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

"The CPIE organises walks open to people of all ages. I love helping people explore the limestone banks of the Somme valley. These protected fens were closed off and neglected - they could have become forests. Thanks to all the development and maintenance work that has been undertaken, they have become open areas with the flourishing bio-diversity of wetlands".

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© DR

Exploring natural places

Belvédère de Frise