I recently hopped over the channel to visit a beautiful French seaside town of Le Touquet. Flying on a small plane from Lydd, it took just 15 minutes to get there… that’s 45 minutes shorter than my daily commute!
Le Touquet is a well-to-do town on the Northern coast of France. It is incredibly well kept, with pristine streets, all properties are well maintained and there is an abundance of restaurants and bars. Le Touquet is the holiday destination for many Parisians and also where many second homers retreat to at weekends. And I can absolutely see why.
The beach is apparently the longest sandy beach in Europe. In keeping with the rest of Le Touquet, it was pristine and well maintained. The occasional beach bar sitting on the sands, marks the perfect spot for a sundowner.
On the sands, ‘sand sailors’ whizzed about in their buggy’s. Gaining some serious speed, they expertly manoeuvred around cones and special marks. On the beach front, a training pool for wake boarders looked very inviting. Watching the wake boarders holding on to a handle and getting pulled along, tackling jumps and twists was electrifying. I love the way in which the locals have embraced their best asset, the beach.
Gently sloping down to meet the sands of the beach, the dunes where mammoth. Home to an abundance of wildlife and a beautiful variety of wild grasses which twitched gently in the breeze, the dunes also housed a beautiful boardwalk. The meandering path protects the dunes that it serves, but allows explorers and walkers to enjoy their beauty nonetheless. I commend the French for this. We should learn from this excellent example of dune maintenance and protection and embrace it in the UK.
Pretty markers on poles, gave a nod to perhaps just how busy Le Touquet beach might get in the height of the Summer. But they also added to it’s charming appeal.
Nestled on top of the sand, there were shells aplenty. Beautiful grey and white shells like I’ve never seen before. My eyes tracked the sand looking for some to take home with me, and I then went on a little shell collecting mission. I have honestly never seen so many shells just laying on top of the sand. I now have a pretty line of shells on a shelf in my bathroom.
Cats and mono hulls were resting up, not many people were out sailing. The occasional wind surfer, but mainly it seemed that ‘the season was over’.
Le Touquet, a beautiful place that I would definitely re-visit.