Endless beaches that feature silky sand beaches, shimmering bays, secret coves, and dramatic clifftops. Glorious countryside peppered with welcoming inns and crisscrossed by hiking paths and cycling routes. Fishing, horse riding, water sports and fabulous golf courses. National parks, gorgeous gardens, and historic marshlands. The Pas-de-Calais region is perfect for fans of nature and lovers of the great outdoors and the ideal place to unwind, re-energise, reinvigorate…
Nirvana for nature lovers
Pas-de-Calais is a land of wide-open countryside, uncrowded roads, colourful hillsides, speckled with wildflowers, and a mosaic of fields which run down to the Opal Coast where jagged clifftops overlook beaches where seals relax and frolic in the mineral-rich seawater.
Caps et Marais d’Opale Regional Nature Park
Around 40 minutes by car from Calais lies the market town of Saint-Omer. Well worth a visit for its soaring Cathedral, a Gothic masterpiece full of art including a painting by Rubens, and a vast wooden door which marks the entry of King Louis XIV. It’s a cobble-streeted town of many charms and a fabulous Saturday morning market. It is also home to one of the natural wonders of France – the Audomarois, historic marshlands, part of the Caps et Marais d’Opale Regional Nature Park.
Spread over 22,300 hectares, watered by 700km of canals and home to an abundance of animal species including rare and endangered birds and insects, and hundreds of wildflowers and fauna, the area is a UNESCO listed biosphere reserve.
Monks and Mariners
Uncover the ancient history of the marshes of Saint Omer at the Maison du Marais interpretive centre. Monks in the 7th century carved channels into the rich, peaty soil of the marshlands so that the land could be cultivated, and there’s still a thriving market garden in this horticultural wonderland. You can tour the marshes by boat (O’Marais by Isnor) and spot a wealth of waterfowl and other wild creatures. This area served as a near-impregnable hideaway for the wartime French Resistance and is the only place in France where the post is delivered by boat! And it’s here that you can visit the workshops of the last traditional wooden boat makers of the marshes
Follow all or part of the 120km long walking route of the Audomarois which takes in the marshlands as well as the forest of Eperlecques, the valley of Aa, the countryside and Arques where there is a famous glass factory. Or relax and hire a boat, float along the peaceful canals, admire the vegetable gardens and stop off for a local feast at La Baguernette – where they serve the best, sweetest, beer tart. Ever.
Two steps from Saint-Omer, the Romelaëre Nature Reserve is a small corner of paradise where you can discover 3 trails, in the heart of a preserved nature, where boarded walkways take you through lily ponds and lakes.
The Opal Coast
The Caps et Marais d’Opale Regional Nature Park also takes in the Opal Coast. A Regional Nature Park is different from a National Park, as the area is inhabited, and it’s aims are to showcase natural, cultural, and human heritage and convert them into tangible factors in the sustainable development of the local area. Along the Opal Coast the area includes the Deux Caps, cliffs known as Blanc-Nez and Gris-Nez (White Nose and Grey Nose) which have Grand Site de France status and jut out over the English Channel opposite their cousin the White Cliffs of Dover which you can clearly spot on a clear day. Below these two cliffs lie 10km of sandy beach, and along the top a coastal path offers jaw-dropping views over the sea and countryside.
Visit the Maison du Site des Deux-Caps where you can hire bikes and discover the history and heritage of the area, the culture, and traditions. You can leave your luggage in lockers here, pick up maps for the area and saddle up for a 118km loop of the route of the Velomaritime which runs along the coast all the way from Dunkirk to Roscoff.
Or take your time and meander the coastal paths of the GR120 alongside dunes and sandy beaches, or head inland to discover unspoiled countryside criss-crossed by a network of thousands of miles of maintained and sign posted trails and traffic free roads.
Seals and seaside delights
At the seaside resort of Berck-sur-Mer, head down to the water’s edge on the south side of the beach on the Baie d’Authie, to see a huge colony of more than 100 wild seals splashing about in the water, lazing about on the sandbanks, and calling out to each other.
Cosy up under a blanket on the hills of the Deux Caps, the Two Cliffs, which overlook the White Cliffs of Dover and enjoy a picnic. Nothing says France more than a baguette with a chunk of cheese or some tasty charcuterie with a glass of wine – or a flask of coffee.
Take in the coastal scenery that inspired the great painter JM Turner and see where Charles Dickens lived in Hardelot where you can visit a castle, Elizabethan-style theatre, and gorgeous gardens. Follow the ‘Painter’s Path’ at Wissant or the ‘Fisherman’s Trail’ at Audresselles. Head to Le Touquet Paris-Plage, where little has changed since the heady days of the early 19th century, when this little resort was the place to go for the jet setters of the world. Climb the great dunes of Slack, ride an e-bike along the coastal roads and suck in the invigorating sea air. Stop off for some heavenly grub – a fishy dish at a traditional fishermen’s café, a rich and robust stew at a Flemish Inn, or a local beer.
Explore the countryside
Explore the steadily expanding network of Voies Vertes cycling trails criss-crossing Pas-de-Calais’s countryside. Take it easy pootling along Béthune and Aire-sur-la-Lys’s gentle canal towpaths; or combine nature and history on the Véloroute 32 Remembrance Trail, which winds its way past key memorial sites, war cemeteries, monuments, and museums from Arras to the city of Amiens in the neighbouring Somme department.
Wherever you’re headed, keep your eyes peeled for the Accueil Vélo© signs flagging up bike-friendly accommodation and restaurants, charging points and rental and repair shops.
For somewhere a bit different, Lens’ UNESCO listed slag heaps, left behind after the demise of the mining industry are now a haven of nature. You walk, cycle, explore nature and inspect the vines – yes vines are growing on these inky rockscapes, and even ski! Perched 129m atop one of Noeux-les-Mines’ slag, it may not rival the Alps’ powdery pistes, but it is the only run in Europe open year-round.
Fresh air and forests
Meanwhile forest fans will enjoy the wooded wonders of Pas-de-Calais from the immense forest of Desvres where ash trees, oaks, beeches, and hornbeams thrive (and legend has is that the Romans planted the garlic that carpets the forest floor), to the Rihoult forest in Clairmarais, Saint Omer where with luck you’ll spot the deer and herons who drink from the ponds. The national forest of Guînes is an Instagrammer’s joy with its colourful flowerbeds dotted with chestnut trees make it perfect for beautiful photos, as is the great forest of Hesdin which is at its best in autumn – full of vibrant jewel-like colour.
In the wooded hills behind Calais and Boulogne, tinkling brooks course through the picturesque Seven Valleys, a rural idyll where cows graze in lush meadows and are driven down the narrow lanes to the milking parlour while roses seem to grow around every cottage doorway and rolling fields are seasonally filled with blood red poppies in one of Mother Nature’s most spectacular displays.
The countryside of Pas-de-Calais is just perfect for picnics and country walks and cycling.
Relax and unwind on the golf course
This region is great for golfers with a dozen golf courses to choose from. Crowd-free fairways, stunning coast, glorious countryside, sea views that stop you in your tracks, or deep in the forest and valleys. Golf course La Mer in Le Touquet (18 holes) is rated in the top one 100 courses in continental Europe. It has fabulous views over the sea, plus a great clubhouse. Also along the coast you’ll find La Forêt (18 holes), Le Manoir (9 holes) and Wimereux (see the website golfencotedopale.com), while at Arras, just a few minutes from the historic city, the French Women’s Open has been hosted on numerous occasions at the 18-hole La Vallée, plus there is also the 9-hole Les Aubébines.
Pick up a Golf Pass which covers a round of golf at five of the seven 18-hole courses along the Opal Coast (€290, valid for 15 days, 2023).
Discover loads to see and do, the authentic, unusual and wow factor places of the great outdoors in Pas-de-Calais: visitpasdecalais.com
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