Section XXVIII Gisors to Dieppe Via Beauvais, 86¼ Miles
(138½ Kilometres)
DISTANCES ALONG THE ROUTE
| Kil. | Miles. | |
| Gisors to Trie-Château | 4 | 2½ |
| Trie-Château to La Houssoye | 12 | 7½ |
| La Houssoye to St. Martin-le-Nœud | 11½ | 7¼ |
| St. Martin-le-Nœud to Beauvais | 6 | 3¾ |
| Beauvais to Le Pont-qui-Penche | 11 | 7 |
| Le Pont-qui-Penche to Gournay-en-Bray | 20 | 12¼ |
| Gournay-en-Bray to Le Pont-Rouge | 10 | 6¼ |
| Le Pont-Rouge to Forges-les-Eaux | 11 | 7 |
| Forges-les-Eaux to Les Hayons | 18 | 11¼ |
| Les Hayons to Les Grandes-Ventes | 16 | 10 |
| Les Grandes-Ventes to Dieppe | 19 | 11¾ |
NOTES FOR DRIVERS
Gisors to Beauvais.—Level as far as the steep, winding descent near Auneuil.
Beauvais to Dieppe.—The two hills of any consequence are at (1) Torcy; (2) Valley of the Varenne.
PLACES OF INTEREST ON THE ROUTE
[This is an alternative route to that described through Rouen, and the information is therefore restricted to the smallest space.]
La Houssoye.—Church partly fourteenth century, with stalls and sculptured wainscot of sixteenth century.
Beauvais.—A considerable town, famous for its carpets and tapestries. Cathedral consists of choir and transepts only; commenced in 1227, after a great fire. Had the nave been completed, it would have been the most stupendous Gothic building in the world. Palais de Justice, fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, formerly an episcopal palace. Church of St. Étienne, twelfth century; nave dates from 1545.
Gournay-en-Bray.—Great butter-making town; Church of St. Hildebert, eleventh to thirteenth century, with massive walls and Romanesque pillars and arches.
Forges-les-Eaux.—Has mineral springs, containing carbonate of iron, manganese, etc.; the Établissement, where the waters are taken, stands in a beautiful park; casino, hotels, and concert-rooms.
Pommeréval.—Village, with ruined château; sixteenth-century church, altar-screen with bas-reliefs.
Les Grandes-Ventes.—Village, with Classic church, dating from 1545.
Torcy-le-Grand.—Church of sixteenth century; ruins of fourteenth-century castle on island in the Varenne; Fontaine de St. Ribert pilgrimage.
Arques-la-Bataille.—Famous for its castle, which the English held as late as 1449; the great keep was built by William of Arques in the eleventh century. The Battle of Arques was fought in 1589 between Henri IV., with about 5,000 men, and Mayenne, with an army of 30,000 defenders of the League. Owing to the marshy ground, the guns of the castle, and his own personal courage, Henri won a great victory.