Guest writer: Anna Nilsson Spets
Despite the fact that I live a stone's throw from the French border, France is a country I've been to far too little, I hardly dare say I haven't been to Paris yet.
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Well, a couple of days on the Opal Coast isn't bad, and outside the tourist season it's extremely quiet.
Just as the Belgian coast is packed in the summer, it's probably the same here. The Opal Coast is a great destination by car, motorhome or motorbike. Accommodation options are wide-ranging.
Wissant is a small village located in the rather barren area between the Cap gris nez and Cap blanc nez cliffs.
If you're handy with your French, the Cap Gris cliffs are grey-dark and Cap Blanc has white cliffs. Cap gris nez is the closest European point to the UK.
A fish-themed lunch of course, a walk on the beach.
The cliffs yes, just hold on to your hat, a stormy brisk walk was rewarded with beautiful scenery, glimpsing the white cliffs of Dover far away in the mist.
The winding road is lined with great swathes of sea buckthorn, ready to be harvested.
The wind is gusting and the body is swaying in the wind, checking into a small hotel in Wimereux, the oldest seaside resort on the Opal Coast. Spend twilight in the hotel's wonderfully cosy restaurant with garlic-bathing snails and a glass of red wine.
Wimereux has wonderfully beautiful Belle Epoque style houses, carpentry and beautiful windows, cheerful colours that light up the grey weather.
A long promenade lined with bathing huts and restaurants.
Along the coast there is of course much to see for those interested in the Second World War. Bunkers, memorials and a small museum.
Bolougne sur Mere, the 'town by the sea', is home to Europe's largest aquarium, Nausica, with 10 000 cubic metres of water and an 18-metre long tunnel. 60 000 animals in 1200 different species.
I have to say I was impressed, really. This takes a whole day. You travel through the world's oceans, can rest in front of extremely large aquariums with manta rays and sharks. The largest aquarium takes 6 weeks to fill up with water.
A coffee overlooking pools of penguins. Almost a neck brace in the 18 metre long tunnel with a glass roof.
Nausica is handicapped accessible, there are eating and drinking facilities, a shop with all kinds of things to buy. Admission costs between 18-24 euros and is definitely worth a visit.
Even Bolougne sur mere has a long beach, the blue bathing huts are empty for the day. So is the carousel. I can see why. Great risk of flying away.
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Jossu says:
I have also spent far too little time in France. The charming houses with their shutters and colours make my desire to go there really strong.
21 May 2023 - 18:13
Anna Nilsson Spets says:
Yes, that's how I think too, and I live so close. The most ridiculous thing is that I've never been to Paris.
21 May 2023 - 19:51
BP says:
Well, I didn't know that coast was called the Opal Coast. You always learn something new. Funny!
The landscape with its large boulders was completely unexpected, I must say. Dover and Calais are widely known, partly thanks to a ballad song. But it never occurred to me that nature could be so "rocky" there.
Snails - so 1980s, but oh soooooo good! It's very lucky that Picard and sometimes Lidl sell this delicacy:-) The underground aquarium is very impressive with cheap entry.
21 May 2023 - 20:05
Anna Nilsson Spets says:
Yes the coast was exciting but very windy then. And yes, I love snails too. The aquarium is not actually underground, it's all ground level, but impressive.
22 May 2023 - 5:41
Solan says:
The Opal Coast, where the motorhome has travelled x number of times. But I did not know that the coast had a name!
What a nice stopover at the
Freedom, would love to read more from you. Love France, although the language is only enough to understand the menus! 😉
22 May 2023 - 8:15
Anna Nilsson Spets says:
Thank you for reading. The French... I deeply regret that I was not so involved in the French lessons at school... I live in Flemish-speaking Belgium, but come into contact with many French-speaking people as well. My French is not that good, I'm Swedish !
22 May 2023 - 19:20