I love walking through the city or through the forest. It all started when we first had a dog, and instead of walking it with a leash, I trained it to follow me when I was running. This made me visit Le Touquet inside out, that it be:
- the city centre, a rectangle in between Boulevard Daloz, the covered market, the beach and rue Saint-Jean,
- the Quentovic district flanked by the Canche river on one side, and the centre on the other,
- the 800 hectare centennial pine forest linking the International Park (Equestrian Centre and racetrack) and the Airport - both along the Canche, through the Sports centre and the Palais de l’Europe, all the way to the Golf courses. This area of town can be said to be built in the forest, which forms gorgeous scenery to the great villas of Le Touquet.
When anything urban strikes me as being too much, and that I long for the feeling of being alone on this planet, I head for the northern part of the beach, to the area in between the last parking lot after the Aqualud water amusement park, and the Canche estuary.
- the city centre, a rectangle in between Boulevard Daloz, the covered market, the beach and rue Saint-Jean,
- the Quentovic district flanked by the Canche river on one side, and the centre on the other,
- the 800 hectare centennial pine forest linking the International Park (Equestrian Centre and racetrack) and the Airport - both along the Canche, through the Sports centre and the Palais de l’Europe, all the way to the Golf courses. This area of town can be said to be built in the forest, which forms gorgeous scenery to the great villas of Le Touquet.
When anything urban strikes me as being too much, and that I long for the feeling of being alone on this planet, I head for the northern part of the beach, to the area in between the last parking lot after the Aqualud water amusement park, and the Canche estuary.
The “Parc de l’Estuaire” is an amazing conservation area of 42 hectares, where one can wander along the beaches, the Oyat covered dunes and amidst the scent of pine trees. The views on the city, the forest, the sea and the mouth of the Canche River can be flabbergasting. Three marked discovery paths help discover this spot and make one’s walk easier.
Please do not walk on the grass ! The plants which grow on top of the dunes, and are known under the name of Oyats in French ( Marram or beach grass in English) are in fact a species of grass. They are native to the area, and very useful in that their long roots help stabilize the dunes. You are therefore asked to keep to the pathways.
The Canche estuary is an important site for passage and wintering ducks and gulls. According to Birdlife International, it holds up to 20,000 or more waterbirds in winter. Even if a lot of the birds will keep to the marshes and wet meadows of the 5000ha Canche estuary, of which the Estuary Park is just one part, one's chances to come across some interesting birds are high.
Please do not walk on the grass ! The plants which grow on top of the dunes, and are known under the name of Oyats in French ( Marram or beach grass in English) are in fact a species of grass. They are native to the area, and very useful in that their long roots help stabilize the dunes. You are therefore asked to keep to the pathways.
The Canche estuary is an important site for passage and wintering ducks and gulls. According to Birdlife International, it holds up to 20,000 or more waterbirds in winter. Even if a lot of the birds will keep to the marshes and wet meadows of the 5000ha Canche estuary, of which the Estuary Park is just one part, one's chances to come across some interesting birds are high.
One should not forget that, not very long ago, developers had signed a program of 200 flats right in the middle of the area, and that it took nearly 15 years to have the conservation area enforced and the project abandoned. Probably the sons of the developers who took care of the wonderful seafront in the 60's and 70's !
As old as we may become, my dog and I will not spend time in le Touquet without going there.
As old as we may become, my dog and I will not spend time in le Touquet without going there.
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