simple life

Tuesday 2nd June 2026 – moving further north to Le Portel….

/ freedombird / Leave a comment

Well this is not on – we awoke this morning to the pitter patter of rain, to be fair the BBC weather app has been telling me that it has been raining on and off for several days but even so. It did ease off just after 9 so we scurried out for a quick “essentials” walk and then loitered in the van until around 11.30 as we are not travelling far.

After a quick (final) trip to the supermarket, we drove the short distance to Le Portel a coastal town neighbouring Boulogne and were soon settled into our Aire for the next couple of nights. Mid afternoon the sun came out to play and though pretty blustery we set out for a nice walk along the coastal path which passes very close to the Aire. Heading south we were greeted with spectacular views towards Boulogne Port in the north and out towards the ruins of Fort de l’Heurt built on a rocky islet by Napoleon in the early 1800’s with the Germans adding an anti-aircraft platform to the top during WWII….

A lovely long stretch of white sandy beach running from below the centre of town to the Port of Boulogne….

The central part of the beach is not open to dogs from 1st May so instead of going down we continued along the coastal path passed the town to the unusual light house perched up high on the cliffs…

We continued along the coast a bit further but were getting quite battered by the winds so soon decided to make our return….

Taking a little wander through the tidy but fairly unremarkable village….

One thing that really struck a chord with us was this memorial to all those lost at sea from 1877 to 1995 – I’m not sure how many but way too many and many of them in their early teens. I couldn’t find anything out about it so not sure if they were all local but you could see incidences of 3 or 4 members of the same family being lost – so sad and reminiscent of the many memorials we have found on our travels around the UK coastline – RIP….

With the cobwebs well and truly blown away and our hunger peaking we retruned to the van for the evening.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 22
  • Miles walked – 5
  • Beaches – 1
  • Groceries – £29.43
  • O/N – £13.79

Monday 1st June 2026 – a lovely walk along the beach to Le Touquet….

/ freedombird / Leave a comment

A dull and breezy start to the day but our morning walk took us down onto the beach with the added bonus of being able to watch some kite karting…..

By about half eleven the sun started to break through and we set off to walk along the beach to Le Touquet at the northern end of this section of coastline. As we join the beach at the northern edge of the village the beach here is backed by a large area of dunes…

A mile or so along is Cucq and Plage de Stella, looking a lot more colourful today with it’s brightly painted beach huts, that we didn’t even notice in yesterday’s gloom…

Another couple of miles of dune area follows and we start to see Le Touquet in the distance….

Arriving in Le Touquet we have to leave the beach (dog ban) and as we wander along the promenade and look down on this beautifully manicured white soft sand beach you can sort of understand why….

We sit for a while with the town a mix of old and new behind us and this stunning beach dominating our eye line as I enjoy a coffee and Tilly has a drink and rests in the shade underneath the bench….

We return the way we came enjoying the combination of sun and breeze and as the tide has receded there is plenty of beach to go around and Tilly can enjoy being off lead without getting anxious about approaching dogs. A lovely afternoon walk doing our favourite thing – beach walking….

Today’s stats:

  • Miles walked – 9
  • Beaches – 3
  • O/N – £15.40

Sunday 31st May 2026 – moving up the coast a bit to Merlimont….

/ freedombird / Leave a comment

A mostly overcast and breezy day for us today – even needed a jumper! Moving a little further up the coast we stopped off briefly for a wander around Rang-du-Fliers….

A peaceful but lived in village with an amazing Boulangerie (see below) and the makings of a pleasant stroll to fill in a bit of time before arriving at our pre-booked Aire at midday.

The Aire was pretty full when we arrived (it had been full over the weekend as I had originally planned to come here yesterday) but during the afternoon it mostly emptied out with only a couple of other arrivals.

We headed straight out and down to the somewhat windswept and grey beach choosing to walk southwards towards Berck and something we haven’t seen for a while – remnants of WWII bunkers…

The receding tide has left the beach scattered with seafoam and Tilly has a blast chasing the bubbles. After a mile or so we turn about and on arriving back at the village of Merlimont, wander along the promenade looking down on the main beach (which has a dog ban) and then northwards towards Le Touquet which is lost in the distant mist…

We return to the van for something to eat but decide to venture out again after 6 as the sky is clearing, this time heading northwards to the next village along Cucq and Plage de Stella…

On the way back we follow the kite surfers along the sea’s edge…

Clambering back up through the dunes we are excited to capture today’s ‘money’ shots….

Thoughts of the day:

  • Two reasons why I don’t visit a Boulangerie very often, the other (a croissant) already having been consumed….
  • Well that is at least 1 of my five a day – probably 2 really.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 16
  • Miles walked – 7
  • Beaches – 2
  • O/N – £15.49 (EHU) CCP Merlimont

Saturday 30th May 2026 – an inland walk to Fort Mahon and back along the beach….

/ freedombird / Leave a comment

Ok so yesterday morning’s slight coolness was just a passing fancy and the temperatures soar with the rising sun, though to be fair there is a little bit of breeze blowing, and so after a shortish morning walk we settle down for the bulk of the day to be spent doing odds and sods in and around the van and completing our planning.

Mid afternoon it appears to cloud over a bit so having had enough admin for a while we make a break for it and make our way along the footpath through the pin trees to Fort Mahon, meandering in and out of this vast and very pretty holiday village on the way….

By the time we have made it down to the beach at Fort Mahon it is late afternoon and we are feeling the presence of pretty much full sun again and the beach is pretty busy being a Saturday….

Down on the beach it is most pleasant with a nice bit of breeze so we enjoy a sit and Tilly soon finds a stick to chase before we make our way back paddling through all the water rivulets and pools left on the sand by the receding tide….

Today’s stats:

  • Miles walked – 5
  • Beaches – 2
  • O/N – £8.70

Friday 29th May 2026 – a lovely walk along the beach to Fort Mahon….

/ freedombird / Leave a comment

I hate to say this, but waking up this morning and finding that it is a cloudy and considerably cooler day, is quite a relief. To be on the safe side we still aim for an early walk and head straight down through the village to Plage de Quend and begin walking along the vast expanse of damp firm sand northwards….

It is probably less than a mile to Fort Mahon, a slightly larger and possibly a little more lived in village….

We leave the beach to wander up through the village and whilst there is certainly more to it in the way of shops and the like, it is not particularly interesting or attractive and we soon return to the beach as it has gotten quite a bit warmer and the beach at least offers a slight breeze and of course the option to paddle in the shallows….

Rather than press on any further up the beach we make a slow return the way we came, with Tilly being able to enjoy a nice run around on the sand and with some encouragement a little paddle…

Before heading back to Quend Plage as the tide is rising….

Back at the van we find ourselves a little shade and slight breeze and I settle down to make plans for the rest of our time in France and the areas of coast we plan to cover in the UK before heading back to Cornwall for the summer. As for Tilly – well she just makes herself a little well in the sand/ dust in the shade and relaxes.

We do take another stroll down to the beach in the early evening and Tilly gets to enjoy chasing the ball in the cooler air before settling down for the evening….

Today’s stats:

  • Miles walked – 6.5
  • Beaches – 2
  • O/N – £8.70