Mark Bibby Jackson stays at Hotel l’escale in Escalles and goes on a coastal walk along the Opal Coast France and returns to his youth for his mother’s birthday.
Northern France has always been a part of the world that is close to me, even when I lived in Asia.
Ever since my childhood, I have returned on repeat visits to this unspoiled and untamed part of the world from where my mother always reminds me our ancestors originated.
I can remember in my youth being driven along the D940 which hugs the coast from Calais to Le Touquet. Along the way, is the village of Escalles. More of a road junction than village, and in the heart of that junction is the Hotel l’escale and its restaurant. I’ve wanted to stay here on numerous occasions, but have not done so until now.
Slow Boat to France
Our brief jaunt to Pas-de-Calais starts as always with the drive to Dover. For once the M25 is not jammed with vehicles so we arrive well before our due departure. The always helpful DFDS check-in staff allows us to travel on the earlier ferry to Dunkirk.
This doesn’t save us any time as the ferry takes half an hour longer than the Calais one, but it does mean we have an hour less hanging around in the Dover Port car park.
This is slow travel at its best, as Mum enjoys a birthday glass of prosecco in the premium lounge, I watch the white cliffs disappear into the blue skies before turning to view the rugged north French coastline emerge on the starboard side as if choreographed.
Slow Food at L’escale Restaurant, Escalles
The drive across northern France was vast and green as always. We painlessly check into our hotel, before discovering that we are in France.
On this side of the Channel workers are respected and restaurants do not open until seven o’clock. This allows sufficient time to explore the hotel and have a couple of drinks in the terrace bar the hotel staff have opened specially due to the brilliant late summer sun. In the distance Cap Blanc Nez stands beckoning me. Tomorrow, we have a date.
One of the great draws of Hotel l’escale is the quality of its restaurant. This is old fashioned French cuisine of the highest order. The cuisine is matched by our fellow customers. For once in my life, I feel positively youthful. We have a plateau de fruits de mer to start washed down with a couple of glasses of birthday champagne, followed by the freshest fish just caught off the shore in the Channel.
After dinner, we retire to the hotel reception and have a whisky, perhaps not as good as on our recent road trip to Scotland, but still eminently reasonable. It night caps off a wonderful first day on our short break in northern France.
Slow and Blustery Walk on the Opal Coast
The following day I set off after breakfast for a walk along the coast path. This is my main reason for coming to the region. I have strolled along the beaches on many an occasion, but prior to this trip, I have never walked along the coast path.
Needless to say, as I finish breakfast the Opal Coast weather has taken a turn for the worse. Clouds roll in and the beautiful sunny day we experienced yesterday has transformed into dark clothes and broody menace.
I walk the short distance through our village and down a path towards the Cap Blanc Nez beach. There I turn right to walk to the obelisk, which marks the point the ‘white nose’ points towards Dover.
As I climb, there is nothing to view. Head down I plough into wind and rain. It feels as if I haven’t left the UK. The great advantage of walking in this weather is I have no rivals for the spectacular view of the south coast of England when I reach the summit 20 minutes later, and both wind and rain have relented. The white cliffs of Dover look quite majestic.
War buffs can note there is some information here about the Dover patrol and the importance that both Cap Blanc Nez and neighbouring Cap Griz Nez, played in the Second World War.
Slow Lunch in Wissant, Opal Coast
As tourists arrive, I descend to the beach. This is not as sandy as some of the other beaches along the coast, but its cliffs are quite spectacular, just like the other side of the Channel.
I return to the hotel to dry off, impressed by the performance of both raincoat and walking boots I recently bought, before we drive the short distance to Wissant.
In my childhood, we used to visit both Wissant and Wimereux, two similar towns in location, but totally dissimilar in the feel. Whereas the latter has a certain sophistication and panache you might expect in France, Wissant felt more like Cornwall. Here people used to come to race the wind, and the food was always basic.
My mother’s main motivation for coming to Pas-de-Calais is always to try the seafood. So, I have some trepidation as to whether we would find a place suitable for her. I need not fear. For at the eastern end of the promenade Les Sirènes lies in wait. A small restaurant cum-beach bar, it specialises in mussels, to which mum is allergic, so she has to settle for an excellent assiette de fruits du mer and some rosé.
I leave her to watch the waves crash into the shore, which judging from the crowds it draws appears to be a most unusual occurrence, rather than the twice daily event caused by the rising of the tide.
Slow Stroll along the Beach at Wissant
I walk west along the promenade to the viewing platform at the far end of the beach.
People huddle here, sheltering from the strong wind which has made this place so popular with kite and wind surfers and the like. By this stage, the waves have submerged the steps leading down to the beach, so I head inland and walk through sand dunes, which remind me very much of my trip to Norfolk the previous year.
Just like on that walk I tire quickly of walking through the sand and head down to the beach. A shallow strip provides me with the opportunity to carry on my walk towards the ‘grey nose’.
Eventually, realising I will not be able to reach it and get back in time to take mother to our inevitable dinner, I retrace my steps along the beach. Somehow, I manage to climb up onto the partially submerged steps to return to the promenade.
By the steps, wooden piles are submerged in the sand to protect it from the sea. They could be an art installation at the Turner Contemporary. The following day, I will return here in order to take some pictures to try to capture its immensity, but this time, I content myself with walking back along the promenade to find mum still watching the crashing waves.
Slow Spa at Hotel L’escale, Escalles
We return to the hotel in time for me to explore the spa. Here, I relax in sauna, steam room and jacuzzi before taking a few leisurely lengths of the pool.
The spa itself is protected from the elements, so I hardly notice as the rain resumes, and my mother has to take shelter with her glass of rosé before our dinner.
This being a Wednesday, the other two restaurants in in Escalles are closed, so we return to the restaurant at Hotel l’escale, which is hardly a burden. As the earliest we can get a table is 8.30pm I am compelled to have a couple of beers to fill the gap. More fish and some excellent wine ensure a night’s peaceful rest.
Slow Walk along the GR120
The Grande Randonnée (GR) system of signed walks covers the whole of France. The GR120 stretches from the Belgium border to Berck-sur-Mer with its amazing seals. I have briefly walked on it the previous morning when visiting the Cap Blanc Nez obelisk. After breakfast, as mum packs, I turn left at the beach and head towards Wissant.
Although the weather is pleasant, the wind is strong; it’s a bracing walk. I manage to make it to Le Petit Blanc Nez, where Blockhaus WN 112 Duisburg, has been left as a testament to more troubled times in this region. The view down to Wissant, its beach now apparent is spectacular. The White Cliffs still await my return on the other side of the waters.
One of the attractions of the GR120 is the variety of the terrain through which you can walk. Sand dunes, beaches, coastal paths and salt marshes.
Slow Bird Spotting in Le Platier d’Oye
After bidding our farewells to the pleasant staff at Hotel l’escale, we drive back along the D940 beyond Calais to Le Platier d’Oye nature reserve. This is a polder created by the emergence of sand banks in the 17th century. Now, it is home to migratory birds.
I leave mum in L’abricotier brasserie to practice her French, and enjoy what she says is the most wonderful lamb for lunch, while I head to the bird sanctuary.
While the heavens open, and I take sanctuary in one of the hides, mum chats to the patron of the brasserie, whose English is impeccable. She informs mums that the birds are as fond of the rain as humans, and there is no chance I will see any while it is raining.
Naturally, she is right.
I return to the brasserie having notched up a couple of seagulls for my visit. I could have had a very pleasant lunch instead. My French ancestors no doubt would have been horrified by my choice.
However, I have learned from my travels that everything deserves a second chance. I park the car around the corner from the brasserie and walk towards the beach.
The polder is to my right, and I walk along a raised path above the wetlands. It is wonderfully tranquil and deserted.
The solitude gives me the opportunity to reflect not just upon this trip, but the many ventures I have made to Northern France, one which changing immigration rules and the arrival of Brexit have undiminished. There are still no birds, but this is the most beautiful, deserted coastal landscape.
It has now become a tradition of ours to stop off at Calais Vins before departing by ferry back to England. Jérôme, its owner, has become something of a friend, and knows exactly what we require. Our boot replenished sufficiently for a belated birthday celebration for my mother the following weekend, we clunk our way back to Calais.
The sun is still out, but the waves have picked up. I take my customary position on the deck of my DFDS ferry and watch Calais, Sangatte and the two Caps disappear into the distance. Our brief and slow trip to the Opal Coast has passed by far too quickly. But I am sure we will be back again soon. Adieu.
Opal Coast Hotels
While travelling along the Opal Coast France, we highly recommend staying at Hotel l’escale Cap Blanc Nez in Escalles, and dining at its excellent restaurant. The hotel has a very pleasant garden, lovely spa and the most amazing flowers.
DFDS Ferries
Our return ferry to France was with DFDS. We opted for priority boarding and the premium lounge, ideal for a celebratory birthday prosecco. Once we arrived in Dover we decided to sail to Dunkirk instead, and the staff arranged this without hesitation, speeding up our overall journey time.
Things to Do in Pas-de-Calais and the Opal Coast France
To discover all the things to do in Pas-de-Calais and the Opal Coast France, visit the local tourism website.
All photos of the Opal Coast, Wissant and Escalles by Mark Bibby Jackson
