The Opal Coast of northern France

In the department of Pas-de-Calais, between the great port town of Calais and the seaside town of Berck-sur-Mer lies the Opal Coast. Around 50 miles of glorious beaches, vast sand dunes, pine forests and soaring cliffs, peppered with authentic fishing villages, Belle Epoque seaside towns, monuments, memorials and museums. Janine Marsh explores the rather secret coastal jewel of northern France.

At the start of 20^th century, painter Édouard Lévêque came up with the name Côte d’Opale, the Opal Coast, inspired by the luminous light and the ever-changing colours of the coastline. “It has opal, a precious milky-coloured stone that shimmers with alternating tones of green and red” he declared. The name stuck.

The route of the Opal Coast reveals enchanting treasures, a land of yesteryear with farming hamlets, little fishing villages, charming village inns and welcoming restaurants, Belle Epoque and art deco hotels, manor houses converted into small hotels, where you feel more like a friend than a guest. There are beaches of great boulders reminiscent of the Giant’s Causeway in Ireland, and beaches where the white silky sand lures you to sit and drink in the wide-open horizon all the way to the White Cliffs of Dover. Seals frolic along the coast, and now and then, when the tides are out, an ancient shipwreck makes its appearance. And everywhere there are traces of the area’s long history, bases from which would-be-conquerors tried for centuries to invade England.

This is a place to relax, enjoy the delicious food, friendly hospitality and take your time. Explore the treasures of this rather secret and surprisingly diverse part of France that’s hardly known outside of the region.

Berck-sur-Mer

In 1861, when this beach resort was already the haunt of artists like Renoir, Manet and Boudin, a local woman who had lost her husband and four children took in some very sick children for a recuperative holiday. The very iodized climate revitalised them and Berck became famous for its rejuvenating air. 12km of breezy beaches, perfect for the annual International Kite Festival (April), and for seals! There’s a large colony here who seem to love to entertain onlookers, by basking on the sand, frolicking in the waves and singing loudly!

There are plenty of restaurants and bars in this traditional seaside resort plus a unique century-old sweet shop, Succès Berckois where you can watch them make their famous boiled sweets in-store!

Nip to the town of Merlimont next door and indulge at restaurant “Sur Mer” owned by Alexandre Gauthier, the 2-star Michelin chef of La Grenouillère (Montreuil-sur-Mer). Overlooking the sea, and a big hit with the locals the menu includes fish and chips and mouth-watering minute-cooked mussel.

Le Touquet Paris-Plage

The “Monaco of the North” as it’s been dubbed, was, at the start of the 20^th century, the place where the rich, famous and infamous holidayed, from Kings, Queens and Maharajas to Winston Churchill. Cole Porter wrote “Anything Goes” here, and the town’s casino inspired Ian Fleming to write Casino Royale. They stayed at the swankiest hotels, like the Westminster which is still there, or The Royal Picardy which was the biggest hotel the world had ever seen, 120 lounges, 500 bedrooms and 50 apartments of up to 10 rooms, each with their own swimming pool (it was largely destroyed during WWII). Much loved by Parisians, Le Touquet’s grandeur is faded but the traces of its glitzy and glamorous past are evident, and with 365 days of sporting and cultural events, exhibitions and fairs every year – there’s always plenty to see and do.

Hardelot

The endless pristine sandy beaches of Hardelot, where aviation legend Louis Bleriot perfected his flying skills, are never packed. Great for families (‘Kid’ resort classification), sports galore from canoeing and sand yachting to horse-riding and an excellent golf course. There’s also a chateau, once owned by English linoleum magnate Sir John Hare in the mid 1800’s (he refashioned it in a pseudo-Gothic style), and the rooms are sumptuously decorated. His neighbour in nearby Condette, Charles Dickens, one of the greatest writers of his era, was a frequent visitor. There’s also a Shakespearian style theatre which the late Queen Elizabeth II said was “amazing”. The tranquil seaside town has plenty of little boutiques and restaurants, an artisan biscuit workshop, delicious ice cream parlours and vast mansion houses.

Wimereux and Wissant

Photo: Colonne de la Grande armee

Wimereux, just a few kilometres from the great city of Boulogne-sur-Mer is an unusual town with its whimsical, colourful Anglo-Norman villas of the Belle Epoque era. Napoleon Bonaparte developed the town intended as a port for his Grand Army to invade England. Now it attracts beach lovers and food lovers – the Art Deco Atlantic hotel with its superb bistro and Michelin starred restaurant is a big lure. Canadian John McCrae died here in 1918 and is buried in the town cemetery. McCrae, the author of the haunting poem “In Flanders Field,” is honoured on Armistice Day, 11th November when children in local schools light candles in his memory and read his poem out loud.

A few kilometres away, Wissant’s beach has long been popular with the locals including President Charles de Gaulle (dressed in suit and tie to sit on the beach) and his family (his wife Yvonne was from nearby Calais).

The Opal Coast Cliffs

At Audinghem discover the Jurassic Era Cap Gris-Nez – Grey Nose Cliff, the closest point on the French Coast to England. Just 19 miles from Dover and a landmark for cross-Channel swimmers to aim for.

Just a few kilometres away, the tiny village of Escalles by the cliff known as Cap Blanc-Nez – White Nose Cliff, has outstanding views across the countryside, the coast and the English Channel, especially at sunset.

The site of les Deux Caps and the surrounding area are listed as a Grande Site de France due to the amazing wealth of landscapes, habitats and coastal villages.

If you love the great outdoors, nature and glorious fresh air, stunning beaches, cosy inns where you’ll be warmly welcomed and served mouth-watering seasonal and the freshest of seafood dishes, authentic and historic villages, hiking, mountain biking, sailing and horse-riding, fields of crimson poppies in spring and swathes of golden rapeseed in summer – you’ll fall head over heels for the Opal Coast…

Discover restaurants, accommodation and what to see and do on the Opal Coast: www.calais-cotedopale.co.uk

10 must-sees along the Opal Coast

Stunning Bay of the Canche near Le Touquet.

Slack dunes – the longest stretch of dunes in the Pas-de-Calais department.

Nausicaa – the largest aquarium in Europe, at Boulogne-sur-Mer.

Atlantic Wall Museum, Batterie Todt, near Cap Griz-Nez.

Cycle the Vélomaritime route which runs from Dunkerque on the Belgian border to Roscoff in Brittany via the Opal Coast (bike hire available from Opale Velo from half-day to a year).

The historic port city of Boulogne-sur-Mer.

Watch the fishermen pull their traditional wooden boats, flobarts, up on the beach and buy your fresh fish direct.

Napoleon’s Column on the site where the French General planned to invade England and awarded the first Legion d’Honneur medals.

Visit Les 2 Caps craft brewery at Tardinghen.

Ride a dragon in Calais.

Find heaps to do and see in Pas-de-Calais at : visit pasdecalais.com