The old Roman camp at Saint-Thomas

You know Laon, of course! But did you know that there's a place nearby called Vieux Laon, where Bibrax, the camp of Caesar's legionaries, is believed to have stood? Which takes us back a little over 2,000 years, to the time of the Gallic War, in 57 BC to be precise! As an ally of the Rèmes tribe, Caesar helped them to defend this fortified camp - or oppidum - against the onslaught of the Belgian armies, a coalition of various peoples including the Suessions, the Atrebates and the Velocasses. Today, you can still climb the remains of this fortification in an open field, divided between land left for cultivation and a chalk grassland maintained by the Conservatoire des Espaces Naturels des Hauts-de-France. The signposting on site will tell you that you are on one of the sections of the famous GR12, which if you follow will take you down through the shady forest to the commune of Goudelancourt-lès-Berrieux...