Cocquerel between the Somme, slopes and plateau

Cocquerel lies in the Somme Valley, whose landscape comprises three clearly distinct areas: the marshy banks of the Somme, the limestone slopes and the agricultural Ponthieu Plateau. This division helps place the village in context without focusing exclusively on the river. The banks, slopes and plateau represent different landscape forms within the valley; the agriculturally shaped plateau broadens the view beyond the marshy banks. For anyone interested in Cocquerel, this provides a specific landscape context that takes both the river setting and the cultivated landscape into account.

A closer example of how to find your way around is the hamlet of Longuet, which belongs to Cocquerel. There, Rue d’En-Bas lies between the Somme and the plain and leads down to the ponds. The river, plain and ponds are thus linked by a named street route. The direction “down” makes the sequence tangible: the street leads downhill to the ponds. This view of Longuet complements the broader landscape perspective with specific local orientation.

Churches and chapel

The church in Cocquerel is protected as a French historic monument; it was designated on 10 September 1913. A particular feature of the Saint-Martin Church is also worth highlighting: the inner porch is one of the few surviving Romanesque remains in the area. The protected status and the Romanesque porch describe different aspects of the church—its listed status and a surviving element of its architecture. Anyone interested in older architectural styles will find a specific point of interest here.

The furnishings of Saint-Martin Church also include notable details: stained-glass windows, sculptures and richly decorated corbels. The corbels once conveyed the holy texts to members of the congregation. The furnishings are therefore more than a collection of individual decorative elements; the corbels also served a religious purpose. Their former role can be considered alongside the stained-glass windows and sculptures as part of the history of the church interior.

The Chapelle de Longuet in Cocquerel is open to visitors. As access conditions may change, check them before your visit.

Walking and cycling routes

The Les hauts de Pont-Rémy route is 9.5 kilometres long, is suitable for walking and cycling, and follows the Somme and its ponds before heading to the bridge at Cocquerel. The average time given for the route is 3 hours and 20 minutes on foot, or 1 hour by bicycle. This makes it possible to compare the time required for the two options: on average, you should allow considerably more time on foot than by bike. These times are averages; check current route conditions before planning your trip.

The GR® 800 offers another way to find your way: after crossing the bridge, it heads towards Cocquerel; it then follows the D 112 for 500 metres. This describes a specific section and its sequence—first crossing the bridge in the direction of Cocquerel, then following the D 112. This allows you to identify this part of the GR® 800 by its waypoints without confusing it with the Les hauts de Pont-Rémy route.

When deciding what to focus on, two distinct interests stand out in Cocquerel: the history of the churches’ architecture and furnishings, and walking or cycling a named route. On Les hauts de Pont-Rémy, you can follow the route along the Somme and its ponds, and compare the different average walking and cycling times. The GR® 800, by contrast, offers a way to orient yourself using the bridge, the direction of Cocquerel and the following section along the D 112. You can plan accordingly, depending on whether you would like to learn more about the churches or focus on one of the described routes.

Discover more destinations: Fontaine-Sur-Somme, Bray-sur-Somme, Saint-Léger-Lès-Authie, Ponches-Estruval, Airaines, Péronne, Tœufles, L'étoile.

For the broader travel overview: Somme.