Bethencourt

Name: Bethencourt
Address: Béthencourt-sur-somme, FR

1.1Béthencourt-sur-somme, France

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Type: Harbour

Small halte on the Canal de la Somme at Béthencourt-sur-Somme, between Saint-Simon and Péronne in the upper Somme valley.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Access via the Canal de la Somme at Freycinet gauge, draught limited to 1.80 m. Quay on the left bank. Locks on the upper reach operated by VNF on request during working hours.

Practical

Quay with rings, no bornes. Water point at the lock-keeper's house when staffed. No fuel on site. Nearest shops and diesel at Ham, 6 km south, and at Péronne, 14 km north.

Ashore

Towpath usable on foot and bicycle along the canal, part of the Véloroute Vallée de Somme V30 corridor. Marshes and étangs of the Haute-Somme classified as Natura 2000 wetland, rich in herons and kingfishers. Historial de la Grande Guerre museum in Péronne at 14 km.

History

The Canal de la Somme was completed in 1843 to link Saint-Quentin and the Oise basin to Abbeville and the Channel. The upper reach through Béthencourt saw heavy fighting in 1917 during the German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line, and several locks on this section were rebuilt in the 1920s.