In this blog I will cover the two additional towns we visited in the Baie de Somme region whilst staying in Le Crotoy (covered in a previous blog). The area really is a gem on the northern coast of France, and being only an hour from Calais makes an excellent first or last stop enroute back to the UK.
Despite their proximity to each other, both towns have very different aspects to offer visitors. Saint-Valery-sur-Somme is a medieval town facing the Somme Bay and is steeped in architecture and history, having been visited by both William the Conqueror and Joan of Arc. Whereas Cayeux-sur-Mer is very much a traditional seaside resort which reminded me a little of Sutton-on-Sea in Lincolnshire with its vast array of beach huts. Despite being only 7 miles apart, they are a world away in similarity!
Exploring Saint-Valery-sur-Somme
We drove to Saint-Valery and parked the car in the large car park alongside the marina. This has a height barrier and there was no parking for motorhomes but there was street parking slightly further out of town where several motorhomes were parked, and there is an aire around a mile out of town. However, you can catch the miniature train from Le Crotoy which pulls in on the harbourside, or you can cycle the 9 miles from one town to the other on the safe cycle tracks.
We walked along the main street which runs parallel to the estuary admiring the architecture and array of independent shops. I loved the quirky creperie on the corner of one street and the colourful traditional fishermen’s houses where the cobbled streets are adorned with flowers heading up away from the town.
We followed the signs towards the remains of the old city walls and Harold towers, rising up above the town into the square that houses Saint Martin’s church. Here you will find the City Wall Herbarium which is a little garden where medicinal plants were tended by nuns from the local hospital many years ago but is now used by local chefs to source edible flowers and plants to create original cuisine.
From this spot you have an excellent vantage point to see right out over the estuary back to Le Crotoy. We headed down a trail through the trees to the golden sandy beach which was very unexpected. There was a lovely café where we had lunch, seafood for me of course and a burger for the hubby. You could hire canoes and paddleboards at the beach, and there is a car park directly behind it, but again no motorhomes permitted.
We walked back along the side of the harbour estuary admiring the huge houses set back in vast gardens and came back towards the marina passing a few restaurants and an excellent crazy golf on the promenade, arriving at the mini train station next to the car park.
We really enjoyed our day here and would be happy to stay for a few days as there is plenty to explore. I just felt it was a lot less motorhome friendly than the other places in the Baie de Somme to park in the centre, but there is a good campsite and aire within a 20-minute walk.
Exploring Cayeux-sur-Mer
In contrast, when we parked up on the seafront of this traditional seaside resort, which translates to ‘Pebbly-on-Sea’, it felt a little bit rundown compared to Saint-Valery and Le Crotoy. It is very similar to the seaside resorts nearer to Calais and bizarrely has a huge casino on the seafront which looked like it needed a good lick of paint. We parked at the end of the resort and walked along the longest wooden boardwalk in Europe which is lined with over 400 beach huts in the summer and takes away the pain of walking over the very pebbly beach that is built up from the sea. It is here that you understand where the town gets its name from! Although at low tide there is a huge wet sandy beach that becomes visible for just 1.5 hours, unfortunately we didn’t get to see it.
I love a good beach hut and they were mostly old-fashioned traditional ones, very well painted and cared for, all with individual names. However, it was surprising to see that as it was the end of season, they were dismantling and flat-packing them all to put in storage. In the 3 hours we were there they took down almost half of them. That isn’t something we see much in the UK; they usually weather the storms of winter in situ.
We walked to the end of the boardwalk then headed down into the small town to find lunch, most of the restaurants and cafés were closed but we found one on the seafront. I’m going to be honest here and say it was hunger that forced us to take a seat in the only open eatery as it really didn’t look overly appealing, more like an English greasy spoon café. However, they say you should never judge a book by its cover, and I was proved wrong as I had a fabulous galette and amazing Dame Blanche ice-cream dessert. That will teach me to be a food snob in France!
If you were staying here, then you may want to visit the Pointe du Hourdel lighthouse which is just a 15-minute cycle ride away back towards Saint-Valery-sur-Somme. It is also home to the largest colony of harbour seals in France and said to be the most beautiful kite-surfing spot in northern France at low tide. We didn’t get the chance to go but as always, we like to leave something on the list for next time.
I’m glad we visited Cayeux to see the contrast of a seaside resort compared to other places in the Baie de Somme. In all honesty, I’ve seen it once and that is sufficient to tick the box of having been. Although they were very motorhome friendly and out of season parking was readily available along the seafront and the boardwalk stroll blew the cobwebs away.
Where To Stay
As we stayed in Le Crotoy on this trip we didn’t sample any of the local campsites. However, our friends have stayed at the 4-star Camping Le Walric in Saint-Valery which is 0.7 miles up a steep hill from the centre of town and harbour. They enjoyed it but said the hill gets your heart pumping on the way back from town. The Aire-de-Camping-Car is 0.9 miles out of town but on a mostly flat gradient for walking in. There are a few campsites around Cayeux, but I can’t comment or recommend any at this time.
Where We Ate
In Saint-Valery we ate at La Buvette de la Plage overlooking the beach; highly recommend, great food and service, lots of choice on the menu.
In Cayeux we ate at Creperie de la Plage; good food and service, don’t be put off by the hanging candy floss and neon flashing signs which are unfamiliar to me in France!
Summary
The Baie de Somme region should be on your visit list if you’ve not been before. We loved the history within Saint-Valery-sur-Somme and enjoyed experiencing the contrast of the seaside resort of Cayeux-sur-Mer. We can’t wait to return and explore on our bikes all around the area, and we will be taking a ride on the old-fashioned miniature train and visit the seal colony next time.
Enough waffle for this week, if you have been to the area, please drop me a comment on the blog letting me know what you thought of it. If you enjoy reading my blogs, please like and subscribe to my website so you get notified when the next blog is published. It’s completely free, I don’t fill your inbox with unwanted spam, and it really means the world to me to know my experience has helped someone else.
Happy Travels
As informative and enjoyable as always. As a fellow seafood lover I love reading your reviews of local eateries. Many thanks.