The closest region of France to the UK is often missed by tourists, but those who stay are rewarded with stunning chalk cliffs, beautiful beaches, mouthwatering seafood, and verdant marshlands ideal for boat exploration
A breathtaking image emerges as the tide goes out: streams of water eddy and swirl along the sand, while the white cliffs of Cap Blanc-Nez rise majestically in the background. Not a soul is in sight. This rocky headland, which is a part of the Pas-de-Calais region, signifies the start of the Côte d’Opale, which stretches southwest from Calais for around 75 miles.
While many visitors to Calais or Boulogne go directly to Paris and beyond, my goal in being here is to discover this inexpensive and much disregarded region of France. The untamed “Opal Coast” is home to quaint seaside towns, sandy beaches, and fishing ports. My next stop is the intriguing and scenic Audomarois vegetable gardens, which are located thirty miles inland and are large, pristine wetlands outside of Saint-Omer, a mediaeval village.
From sheer chalk cliffs, the Cap Blanc-Nez stretches to the second rough headland, Cap Gris-Nez. Trekking or riding the ten miles that separate the two capes can last up to a whole day, passing through barren dunes and apparently never-ending beaches. The friendly, family-run Hôtel l’Escale is a great starting point for exploring the coast and enjoying delicious local food close to Cap Blanc-Nez. In its third generation, chef Vincent Brignoli creates a €26 supper menu with products that are in season and locally sourced. A delicious homemade soup of chunky cod in creamy prawn sauce, a tasty maroilles cheese from a local artisan dairy and a rich chocolate mousse are some of the possible dishes. Another is pig terrine with endives and juniper.
The next day, I travel south towards Boulogne-sur-Mer, stopping at each resort along the way, each with a surprise or two. Every Wednesday, for example, Wissant offers a street market where you can buy local goods for a beach picnic, such as the organic goat cheese from La Fromagerie en Herbe and freshly picked fruits and vegetables from Les Jardins Intrépides. The charming fishing community of Audresselles is well-known for its flobards, or flat-bottomed boats that are used to catch crabs; in fact, the village holds an annual crab festival. The most unique lodging on the coast is located along the coastline at Le Ch’Ti Blockhaus, a converted World War II concrete bunker that now serves as a B&B with four beds.
The beach promenade of Ambleteuse, which is a mile away, is renowned for being overshadowed by an imposing fort that juts out into the sea. Built in the 17th century to protect the harbour, this UNESCO-listed structure was planned by renowned military architect Marquis de Vauban. I follow the constant stream of walkers across the beach to work up an appetite. I go past people collecting shellfish from the rocks and explore the sand dunes that extend to the edge of the Slack river estuary.
Arriving in Wimereux just before lunch, I stroll past the belle époque resort’s holiday home mansions, which are designed in an ornate art-nouveau style reminiscent of wedding cakes. It takes a good two hours to indulge in a seafood platter of oysters, clams, prawns, langoustines, whelks, and crab served on the seaside terrace of the Cap Nord brasserie. By this time, the rising tide has erased the beach, and huge waves crash across the boardwalk, splashing passersby.
An hour’s drive inland lies Saint-Omer, once a trading center for textiles in the Middle Ages, now a bustling town boasting a Gothic cathedral, a ruined medieval abbey, and beautiful flower gardens along the city ramparts. Day trippers often visit La Maison du Marais, an eco-center dedicated to the flora and fauna of the UNESCO-listed Audomarois marshes. From the eco-center, a one-hour boat trip (€11 for adults) offers a good educational introduction, although it takes longer to fully appreciate the vastness of these wetlands.
Encompassing over 3,700 hectares (9,000 acres), the fertile marshland was reclaimed for agriculture over 1,000 years ago, primarily by religious communities. This transformation created a network of canals that now crisscross the Audomarois. While about 170km of these canals are still navigable today, the original island communities are now connected by bridges, and stories of mail delivery by boat are more legend than reality. Nevertheless, numerous active farming communities continue to cultivate the floating gardens, producing crops such as carrots, leeks, artichokes, endives, lettuce, and, most notably, around 2 million cauliflowers annually. For a more hands-on understanding, visitors can head to the edge of town for a leisurely boat ride through the canals with Rémy Colin, offered from his artisan boatyard, Les Faiseurs de Bateaux (tours lasting 1 hour and 45 minutes cost €12 per person).
Rémy comes from a family that has been cultivating vegetables in the area for decades, and he lives among the wetlands. “I was raised on the traditional flat-bottomed bacôve boats that traverse our marshes, and my aspiration was to conserve this boatbuilding heritage,” he says. “But we never had enough boat orders to cover our costs, unfortunately. Ten years ago, nevertheless, we changed course and decided to use tourism to protect our legacy. This enables us to continue building boats and share our expertise of the wetlands.”
An organic farmer farms a portion of the cooperative’s property, and a staff of tour guides and managers oversee Les Piquinettes, an alfresco dining establishment, round out the friendly environment.
Out on the water, Rémy captivates everyone with ancient tales and personal stories of island life as the boat gently navigates through a lush labyrinth of narrow waterways lined with cultivated gardens. He gestures towards the waterside redbrick cottage where his parents still reside, identifies various species of ducks and marsh birds calmly gliding past the boat, and as we pass under an ancient lock gate, he narrates how farmers would transport livestock in their boats between pastures.
We ride by rushes and wildflowers blooming along the banks, watching farmers work their well-manicured, tilled fields with diligence. The Saturday morning market in Saint-Omer is very lively, with several stands full of produce that is directly from the Audomarois. Local growers and farmers provide the ingredients for artisan chef Laurent Bogé’s daily changing menu du marché at restaurant L’Histoire de… (three-course set meal from €21). I love things like apple and nut flan with cider ice cream, haddock creme brulee, and beef cheeks cooked in red wine. The menu is a perfect example of farm-to-table cuisine and a real testament to the real, sustainable delights that this part of France has to offer.
