The Somme bay, one of France’s listed Natural Wonders, is within easy reach of London yet worlds away from modern life and where wildlife spotting and foraging for wild foods is 100% natural.
The Bay of Somme: a natural wonder in France
Getting away from it all doesn’t have to mean boarding a plane. Just over an hour from Calais, the Bay of Somme is an otherworldly setting for a change of scene in the great outdoors. You don’t even need a car – you can walk everywhere, refuelling on healthy local produce. Nor do you need to go to a restaurant to sample the region’s gastronomic delights. Take a walk with Olivier Hernandez of Sens Naturel and you may taste wild plants such as oreilles de cochon (sea asters), samphire and sea purslane on the Bay’s salt marshes. Olivier will also let you in on secrets about the creatures that live under the sand and those that cross it by night (including wild boar), as well as the birds, salt marsh sheep and seal colonies for which the bay is renowned.
Walk among birds and horses, then return by steam train
Pure, unique natural sites is what this place is all about. To the north of the bay, the ornithological park of Le Marquenterre features nearly 300 different species of bird.
Among marshes, dunes and reed beds, thousands of birds come to breed or rest during the great migrations between Scandinavia and Mauritania.
The observation posts and telescopes of the nature guides allow you to discover herons, white spoonbills, gravelbacks, storks and elegant avocets. You’ll also spot little horses with isabelline coats, which sometimes graze with their feet in the water. These Henson horses are born here. They’re rustic and calm; even beginners can ride them over the sandy tracks.
A lot of fun awaits children visiting the area: rides in horse-drawn carriages, trips around the bay by bicycle (or e-bike), crossing it on foot with a guide (English-speaking ones are not hard to find), feeling that the world’s just beginning, tasting sea asparagus or pig’s ear along the way. Breathe in and savour the sea air…
In the distance you’ll hear the whistle of the little steam train that takes you from Le Crotoy to Saint-Valery and Cayeux-sur-Mer. You can take your bike on board if you want to rest your legs and just enjoy the scenery on the way back. A little tip: back at Saint-Valery, the engine room that allows the locomotive to turn around is a permanent attraction.
Make time to stroll along the quays and to push on to the Chapelle des Marins (Saint Valery’s sailor’s Chapel). Return via Cap Hornu, stopping off for some legendary mussels and chips accompanied by a panoramic view. Wander through the Sundaymorning market, and walk in the footsteps of William the Conqueror (who set sail for England from here) and Joan of Arc (who passed through the gate of the upper town). At the very end of the quay that bears her name, you reach the Buvette de la Plage, this is the ideal spot to enjoy a drink against the backdrop of the setting sun, while the children are still having fun in the sand.
Living local...
Local seafood should be high on anyone’s agenda – and there’s nowhere better to taste it than the Auberge de la Marine in charming Le Crotoy, where Jules Verne wrote 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Here, chef Pascal Lefebre, son of a butcher, works on a zero-carbon philosophy that has included dispensing with paper menus in favour of two-metre-tall chalkboards. Or nearby, the characterful Hôtel des Tourelles also offers inventive fish dishes on the shore’s edge.
Even the shopping is green in the Somme Bay! Browse the rederies (fleamarkets) or antiques shops of St-Valery-en-Somme to find a memory of France to bring home and give a second life…
The gardens of Valloires: beauty and goodness
Prepare to be enchanted. The Abbey of Valloires, founded in the 12th century, is surrounded by sumptuous gardens much-loved by the actress Catherine Deneuve (there’s even a rose bearing her name). It’s in this rose garden that the famous Picardy Rose was created, celebrating the friendship between England and France.
More than 5,000 species make up this garden, one of the most beautiful of its kind in France. Go from the blue garden to the white garden, from the lilac island to the golden island, from the Garden of Evolution to the Garden of the Five Senses. Kids caress the thorns and foliage, listen to the bamboos rustling in the wind, and taste the edible flowers. At the onsite restaurant, La Table du Jardinier [The Gardener’s Table], the chef cooks daffodils, violets, roses and pansies in omelettes, floral salads and floral sorbets. The result is utterly unexpected and very photogenic dishes - and above all, a delight for young and old alike.
The Gardens of Valloires in Argoules
Useful information
Quai Lejoille
F-80230 Saint-Valery-sur-Somme
Tel: + 33 3 22 60 93 50
Staying over
A charming 3-bedroom seaside mansion with a garden, a pond and a chicken coop. Sandy beaches are only a 5-minute drive away...
51 route de la Plage,
Quend
Hôtel-Restaurant Le Cap Hornu: A family-friendly hotel in a former farm with bay views and a swimming pool. You can hire bicycles on-site for a car-free break.
1350 chaussée du Cap Hornu,
Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme
5-star Le Domaine de Diane: A highly comfortable modern campsite perfect for a chilled family holiday, only a 10-minute bike ride from sandy beaches.
2 avenue des Pins,
Quend-Plage-les-Pins
Refine the search
