Trip to Le Touquet

[Mike C]

I thought I would share some of the sights of my recent trip across the channel….

Both myself and my wife had a fairly rare chance for a long weekend in good weather, so French food beckoned….. Our original plan was a trip in company for Sunday & Monday to Gravelines, but work commitments intervened on the company aspect…. and then we discovered that Gravelines is shut on a Sunday evening! So having done Boulogne several times, the two of us opted for Le Touquet.

The River Canche estuary is very tidal and although I believe there are some drying berths in Le Touquet itself, I opted to go up-river a couple of miles to the port of Etaples. I telephoned ahead and the lady I spoke to in my appalling French… and a bit of English was very helpful. No problem she said. Just come at high water.

The estuary is passable about 2 hours either side of high water, but it is best to begin entry about half an hour to an hour or so before, so you arrive in Etaples at high water slack. This is because the river really races through the pontoons and mooring is difficult even in a RIB. As far as I could tell, ‘slack’ lasted about 5 minutes before the water started to rush back the other way!!! Thank heaven for bouncy tubes!!!!


Photos
1) The Dover Straight taken Saturday night from our Dover hotel room. France is easily visible

2) Dover slip. (The slipway from Hell) about 1 foot between trailer wheel and drop!

3) Entering the River Canche

4) Prime Rib II gets a bed for the night

5) Etaples Marina

[Mike C]

Anyway, we were soon found a pontoon and we had a nice lunch in a nearby street café before our taxi arrived to take us the 15 minute ride to Le Touquet for the sand dunes… and of course the ‘open on a Sunday evening’ restaurants!

Then on Monday it was a trip back to Dover, departing at 13:00 French time from Etaples to catch the tide…. So lunch was had at Boulogne on the way back, pulling out at Dover at about 5pm BST.

A great weekend…. If only the weather could always be that good!


Photos

1) Sand Hills

2) Food!

[Richard B]

Great stuff Mike!

Interesting to learn of a more unusual cross-channel destination.

[Shaggy]

Nice photos, lloks like you had great weather for the trip.

Shaggy

[Mike C]

Originally Posted by Richard B

Great stuff Mike!

Interesting to learn of a more unusual cross-channel destination.

You and Louise will have to join me next time.... though getting Blue Ice down the Dover slip would be a challenge!

Originally Posted by Shaggy

Nice photos, lloks like you had great weather for the trip.

Yes, it was great! Warm, (hot) and very little wind. Though if you remember, Friday and Saturday last week got very windy, particularly in the west. But all the forecasts said it would die down in the Dover Straight by Saturday midnight so we thought we'd go.

In the event, we left home here (near Heathrow) Saturday afternoon with some very strong gusts around thinking this wasn’t a good idea, but by the time we reached Dover, everything was totally still.

The crossing on Sunday was fine - just a few bumps from left over stuff as we crossed the TSS. A bit of wind round Cap Griz Nez with a few tiny white horses, then a reasonable run down to Boulogne. Once we got beyond Boulogne it was totally flat all the way to Le Touquet. Coming back on the Monday was flat almost all the way.

We should abolish wind!

Mike C