A Weekend At The Opal Coast (Côte d'Opale)

The Côte d'Opale is a French coastal region bordering Belgium, located opposite the cliffs of southeastern England, overlooking the Channel and the North Sea. The coastline contains varied landscapes such as beaches, dunes, swamps and cliffs.

The Côte d'Opale is characterized by the presence of two large cliffs located between Calais and Boulogne-sur-Mer: the Cap Gris Nez and the Cap Blanc Nez.

After a 3 hour drive we arrive in Condette. We did make a coffee stop along the way and enjoyed a delicious croissant at Boulangerie Marie Blachère in Dunkirk.

We had lunch at restaurant L'Ocean Bistro de la Mer in Hardelot. We choose the Moules Frites in a local way. The mussels are prepared with a soft local cheese (Maroilles). We paired the dish with an excellent white wine, the Sancerre AOP from Chateau de Sancerre.

"Located on the left bank of the Loire, a unique terroir of 4 different soils dominates, the latter has 55 hectares of vineyards, planted with vines with an average age of 25 years. The rolling hills and semi-continental climate of the region produce Sauvignon Blancs with a great structure, crisp and fresh, evoking aromas of ripe gooseberries, smoky notes and flint."(website Chateau de Sancerre)

After our extensive lunch we continued our route to the Chateau d'Hardelot. The castle is located in the town of Condette. The current (mini) castle was built by the order of the captain Henry Guy and was completed in the mid-19th century, it was built on the foundations dating from 1222. For €3 entrance fee you can visit the inside of the castle and I would recommend doing it, as it has a beautiful interior.

We then continue our way to Boulogne-sur-Mer, but stoped at the Collone de la Grande Armée on the way. The initiative to erect this monument was taken in 1804, after Napoleon Bonaparte had awarded the first crosses of honor of the Légion d'Honneur. A marble column was provided with a statue (4m75) of Napoleon Bonaparte himself on top. For €4 (and a lot of exercise) you can take the stairs up and enjoy the view at a height of 54 meters. You have a beautiful view over the city of Boulogne-sur-Mer.

Boulogne-sur-Mer, is full of historical treasures. The city consists of two parts.

The first part is the high city (Ville Haute), formed by city walls built between 1227 and 1231. Within the city walls, several remarkable buildings follow one another; such as the Notre-Dame basilica, which rises above the city at a height of 100m. It was built in the 19th century, on the ruins of a medieval cathedral. In addition to the largest burial chamber in France, it also has a prestigious work of art: a reliquary with the Holy Blood, dating from the 14th century.

You can also admire the belfry, a medieval relic and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the count's castle. The latter is particularly interesting, as it is part of the rare castles in the region, and is a good example of the Medieval era in Boulogne-sur-Mer.

Then the low city (ville basse); it consists of fishing, pleasure and freight ports. Here you will find the largest aquarium in Europe dedicated to the world of the sea and oceans: Nausicaá - French National Center of the Sea. We walk along the harbor and stop at Beers'n Paradise for a nice thirst-quenching aperitif. A western IPA from Gallia.

On the way back, we ordered a pizza at Pizza Roma in Condette and end the evening with various cheeses and fruit from the local market and a nice summer sweet red wine (Gamellión Roble). We head off to bed in time as there is a long hike that awaits us in the morning.

We get up early and pack our backpacks and drive towards the coast. We park in Wissant and start our walk (22km) towards Le Cap-Blanc-Nez. We walk a short distance on the beach and then climb up to follow the path. To our right we come across many cows, they seem to be used to seeing a lot of hikers and were therefore not very impressed as we passed.

Upon reaching the obelisk on top of the Cap-Blanc-Nez we took a short break and enjoyed the view from the top of the cliff. We then continued our walk towards Sangatte. Here we had lunch at Le Blanc-Nez which is a very good fish restaurant. After a nice meal we finished off with a Cafe Gourmande.

With our bellies full we headed back to Wissant. We walked onto the beach in Sangatte and walked along the fantastically beautiful cliffs. On the beach we walked past several impressive bunkers from the 2nd World War. You will also come across many beautiful stones and fossils on the beach. We celebrated the end of our hike with some whiskey from Stanley flask and stainless steel shot glasses.

In the evening we drove to Hardelot-plage to dine at Le Grand Café. Here we choose the Bavette with a pepper sauce and a red wine. The wine "Plan de Dieu, Les belles Échappées" from Marrenon is a rich and intense red wine from the Rhône valley, which paired nicely with the Bavette. This is how we ended our weekend in the Opal coast.

#opalcoast #cotedopale #boulognesurmer #boulogne #Calais #maroilles #capblancnez #hike #france #hautdefrance #pasdecalais #opaalkust #Condette #Hardelot #Hardelotplage #Wissant #Sangatte #Escalles #BlancNez #chateaudhardelot