March 11, 2018

A Day Trip To Boulogne & Le Touquet

Le Touquet at sunset

The humble day trip, whether at home or abroad, has untold powers to invigorate and inspire us: it offers us all the joys and refreshment of a new place compacted down into a short time frame, and without any of the stresses and hassles of organising a full blown holiday. In short, the day trip is the travel equivalent of a power nap.

One of the reasons I’m so evangelical about travel is because I believe it is a positive power in our lives.

‘A change is as good as a rest’ they say – and there’s nothing like a change of scene to give you a different perspective on life, improve your mood and refresh your thought processes.

Le Touquet’s sandy beach

Being spontaneous and experiencing a novel setting has been scientifically proven to help our brains make new connections, stimulating fresh thoughts and activating circuits within the mind.

Travel really can help us in our everyday lives and have a positive influence even after our return, rather than just being an indulgence or a treat to be enjoyed in the moment.

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A Day Trip To Boulogne & Le Touquet

A classic day out for those in the South East is the day trip to Calais. Often misdiagnosed as purely the preserve of the booze cruise brigade, day trips to Calais don’t always have the best reputation. Many people suffer from childhood memories of a few hours spent waiting for parents to stock up on cheap plonk in an ugly industrialised warehouse, all sandwiched between two boring ferry journeys.

Day trip to Boulogne and Le Touquet

But savvy southerners have realised that only a couple of hours from London there actually lies a part of coastal France that is packed with delights.

Now so easily and cheaply accessible via the Eurotunnel as well as the ferry, and happily with both services competing on price to lure us, the Côte d’Opale offers an inspiring and economical day trip, that leaves you wanting to come back for more.

Day trip to Boulogne and Le Touquet

There are many ways to enjoy a day on ‘The Other Side’ depending on your tastes, the season and whether you want to spend your time in France itself or Belgium, which is equally accessible from Calais.

You could wind your way through small and charming villages, taking in the view of the White Cliffs of Dover from a new angle, and visit anything from war memorials and churches to beaches or breweries.

Day trip to Boulogne and Le Touquet

One possible itinerary which I tried out with great success involves heading to the Saturday morning market which centres around Place Dalton in the heart of Boulogne.

Here you can stock up on champagne, cheese, pastries and other locally produced French fayre and put together a picnic fit for une reine.

A quick walking tour of this surprisingly picturesque town to work up an appetite and it’s off to the seaside town of Le Touquet to enjoy that picnic on the vast white powder-sand beach.

Day trip to Boulogne and Le Touquet

A further half hour drive West of Boulogne, Le Touquet is Parisians’ favourite seaside playground, but one which they have to share with the English, given its proximity to the UK. The town does a first rate job of living up to any expectations you may have of Paris-Sur-Mer (the beach is literally called Le Touquet Paris-plage).

A chic resort town packed with restaurants, boutiques, plenty of sporting activities and even a waterpark, there’s enough to keep you entertained but in the summer months the town clearly comes into its own, packing in the crowds which spill out onto the streets outside lively eateries, creperies and bars.

Le Touquet by night

Le Touquet as a resort was actually invented and patronised by British high society types back in 1912, and well over 100 years later this small corner of a foreign land remains simultaneously forever England, yet relentlessly and delightfully French.