The Baie de Somme is a huge bay only one hour south of Calais, France. With its wonderful space and light it is an intriguing place to visit, and there are charming towns too.
So much is missed in our haste to be somewhere else, great tranches of countries bypassed in our headlong rush to the perfect destination, that we often overlook that which is under our noses.
I would wager few English think of the Somme as a holiday destination and if they do, it would be more likely to be in terms of battlefield tours and the mud and blood of the first World War.
However, the Baie de Somme is an intriguing area to visit, centred on the vast bay where the Somme runs into the sea, a place of big skies and wide open spaces, huge tidal expanses and the silvered gleam of distant water. The light changes constantly and it is easy to see what attracted such writers and artists as Jules Verne and Toulouse-Lautrec.
The bay is some 15 km long and 5 km across, with the attractive little fishing port of Le Crotoy on its northern side and the medieval town of St Valery to its south. Both are good bases for exploring the area though St Valery is the larger and has more in terms of restaurants and shopping, as well as a well preserved historic quarter on top with fine views over the bay. It also prides itself on being the place from where William set off to his destiny at Hastings – at which stage you can point out that it was also where Rommel hit the coast in 1940! There is a little steam train between the two which is quite jolly.
It is an important wildlife habitat with a colony of seals at Le Hourdel and numerous resident and migratory birds. Le Parc du Marquenterre (10.50 euros) which encloses 200 hectares of dunes and marsh is promoted as one of the prime bird viewing spots, though personally I am just as happy walking along the edges of the bay or on the little stretch just north of Le Crotoy towards La Bassee. Here you might also see dun coloured Henson horses which graze the marshes as well as the not-so-local highland cattle.
If you linger at dusk in the hunting season, you will hear the fusilade greeting the birds as they come in to roost – it seems somewhat ironic to be promoting a reserve on one side of the road while blasting the hell out of the birds on the other! But then that is one of the contradictions of France where the right to hunt is up there with an American’s right to bear arms.
Local Specialities
Out on the northern end of the bay, mussels are grown on bouchots, or wooden posts. 14 growers produce 2,500 tonnes of mussels a year – understandably the dish of the day is often moules frites. If buying for yourself, they are sold by the litre (about 3 euros) and need no preparation; they are quite small but beautifully sweet. You will notice the tractors heading up the beach each day at low tide to harvest them.
Other local specialities include samphire which grows wild in the bay and the pré salé sheep which graze on the salt meadows, which is supposed to give a subtle flavour to their meat. Near Le Crotoy, l’Auberge de la Dune is a simple hostellerie for bed and board and I also like the nearby Relais de la Maye Saint Firmin.
In town, one can’t go wrong with the Hotel Les Tourelles, perched on Le Crotoy’s high point (all of m!) and with fabulous views over the Baie towards Saint Valery – a seaview room starts at 130 euros and there is a restaurant with a scenic terrace.
The Bistrot de la Baie is popular and the buzzy La Bonne Franquette ll, near the Joan of Arc statue is good for evening drinks.
In St Valery, the little bistro on the square by the tourist office is a reliable lunch spot.
Cycling and Riding
Generally the land is as flat as a pancake which makes it an easy cycling destination: there is a great network of cycling tracks all around the bay and they are a fun way to explore.
I would suggest leaving Le Crotoy on the causeway and following the bay all the way round to St Valery, then on to Le Hourdel to fully appreciate this vast landscape. The Pointe du Hourdel brasserie sits in the shadow of the little lighthouse and has a nice outdoor terrace for a beer or apero.
Another day we parked at Cayeux-sur-Mer which has a splendid assortment of colourful beach huts along it’s shingle beach and a great cycle route north to Le Hourdel.
This turns into the Route Blanche near Brighton-les-Pins, a splendid green route which was once used by the Germans when fortifying the coast in WW2.
Sky blends into endless sea, sand banks and pebbles, a vast landscape with an artists palate. Just before Le Hourdel there are the remains of a giant German bunker, left marooned on the sand by time and receding coastlines. 17 tonnes of steel reinforced the cement block.
A stroll onto the shingle point will reveal the splendor of the bay and possibly seals. Enthusiasts can join a guided walk to cross its expanse at low tide – wellies are essential as it is wet and muddy!
These tracks can also be used by horses and coupled with the huge beach expanse, make for superb riding.
We had our horses with us on this occasion and stayed at Les Aubepines campsite which is only a km from the beach just north of Le Crotoy. It is a 4 star site with 2 swimming pools and a restaurant and all the in built entertainment you could wish for in summer and which, bizarrely, the French seem to like so much. At least on the horse side, one is removed from all this; there are decent paddocks for the horses and we stayed in our truck.
South of the Baie
It is worth wandering south down the coast to explore further, driving through little villages of neat old red brick houses and low shuttered cottages. At Bois-de-Cise a little wooded valley hides a scattering of charming old villas with lyrical names, then opens out at the bottom to reveal dramatic high white chalk cliffs and a pounding ocean.
Nearby Ault is pleasant enough but don’t miss Mers-Les-Bains, the cutest seaside resort ever, with its riot of Belle Epoque/Art Nouveau villas lining the beach front. The fashion for sea bathing and the railway from Paris happily coincided here at the end of the 19th century and this colourful gallimaufry is the result. Look up to see the fine detail then wander amidst the white beach huts on the shingle beach – no one upmanship allowed here!
Other Options
North of Le Crotoy gets a bit dodgier and there is less of interest. On a recent visit to Berck my Australian husband, whose knowledge of English seaside resorts consists of a one time drive along Morecambe prom, announced sniffily: ‘Looks like something you would find in the north of England!’ I think it is worse actually, as it appears to have been purpose built in the 1970’s.
However, there is one absolute gem to be found in the pleasant little town of Rue, just north of Le Crotoy. The carved stonework on the facade and the interior of the 15th – 16th century Chapelle du Saint-Esprit is simply breathtaking.
The ceiling resembles fine lacework in its intricacy whilst a conclave of rescued statues next door appear to be having a conflab!
Around the corner is a well preserved medieval timbered house and the 19th century church of Saint-Wulphy. The nearby Brasserie du Beffroi is a simple lunch stop.
If you are missing the battlefields, there is one quirky stop at Noyelles-sur-Mer: the only entirely Chinese war cemetery in France. These were not combatants but rather some of the 94,500 strong labour force employed by the British in World War 1 who died mostly from disease a long way from home. Whether that is any better than been shot a long way from home is a moot point.
The Baie is a place that reveals its treasures slowly and draws one in unwittingly. One of the promotional posters for the region reads take time to take time, surely good advice to us all and a great place to do it in.
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