One thing A cobbled road does save . is it does not need Bitumen .. Imported from across the seas.

the same stones are re set by people .. over generations .

My host, when I cycletoured thru Flanders , took me on a side trip from Ypres to Kimmel.

the Kimmelburg is such a steep roof like cobbeled hill that the Ghent-Wevelgem race ,
after going out to the north sea coast, and back loops the course to go over that hump twice.

actually a direct route from Wevelgem/Kortrijk to Ghent is not that far, and a navigation canal connects the 2
so a pretty casual a route.