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• day 10
• Wednesday, 5 September 2018
• Peronne to Saint-Quentin
• 186 km to yesterday
•   30 km today
• 216 km on Via Francigena to date

This day is as varied as the other nine so far.

Awake early and on the road (D397) just after sunrise.  A short distance on I leave that road to pass through the village of Doingt and pick up a former railway line, now walking track - very pleasant for about 3 km.

Generally heading south east towards the village of Vermand and arrive there for lunch.  The locals, and especially mine host, are taking double looks at me.  Is it my kilt.  Or just they haven't seen walkers before.  

Over lunch I look at my maps and see a near straight line from Vermand to Saint-Quentin.  And it is not a road.

Not gone very far when I see industrialised agriculture being practised.

There is one wheat harvester going round in ever decreasing circles and a squadron of trucks that, one by one, take their place under a discharge chute: when filled one moves off and another falls into place.  The harvester does not stop and obviously has storage capacity for at least one truck.

After watching for a space, I move on and into a pretty dense forest: no undergrowth so I cant call it bush.  And the track continues on.  

I pass through two residential areas and on entering Saint-Quentin pass a large German WWI military cemetery.  Venturing in I notice every grave marker has the name, age, rank and home town.  Very similar to how this is done in French military cemeteries.

Reaching the city centre I head towards the tower (or steeple) I can see on the hill top and, passing the Hotel le Florence, stop to get a bed for the night.

I have time to at least look around the Basilique de Saint-Quentin: it is an imposing building with much to commend it, but in places it looks as though it is damaged and with no resources to repair or complete.

I have a simple meal.

And so to bed.