Discover the Baie de Somme – walking or cycling

By bike :

Between the seafront and the inland, combine the charm of seaside villas and typical farms, small country roads and historic sites.
From the campsite, discover the Somme and its towpaths, which will allow you to go to St Valery sur Somme (15km) or to Abbeville then Amiens (60km).
Take the direction of Cahon-Gouy and Petit-port, 6km from the campsite, to arrive on the banks of the Somme.
When you arrive in Ponthoile, the landscape and buildings will remind you of the English countryside.
Heading towards Romaine, you will discover the memorial of the Caudron brothers, aviation pioneers and the farm where they built their first plane.
Finally, if you head towards the hill of the mill in Le Crotoy, you will get a panoramic view of Saint-Valéry, Le Hourdel and the nature reserve.

On foot:
The GR 125 runs alongside the campsite, allowing you to walk for more than an hour to discover the Picardy countryside and its fields, and perhaps even spot the animals that hide there.

Visit the Gardens of Valloires :
Designed in the heart of the Authie valley in 1987 by Gilles Clément, an internationally renowned landscape architect, the Valloires gardens cover more than 8 hectares. 5 atmospheric gardens showcase a collection of more than 5,000 species of plants throughout the seasons.

Guided tours every Sunday morning at 11am, without reservation.

Visit Valloires Abbey:
The Valloires association was created in 1922 on the initiative of Thérèse Papillon, a Red Cross nurse. Originally the Valloires association was a preventorium. Today, the abbey is a medical and social structure for children. The abbey and the gardens are the property of the Valloires association with separate management.

“The Cistercian abbey of Valloires was founded in Argoules in 1158, 900 years ago with the support of the Counts of Ponthieu. Destroyed over the centuries, it was rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries in a style that was in complete contradiction with Cistercian authority. The architecture of the abbey church is simple and sober, as required by Cistercian principles, but it is in stark contrast to the baroque interior decoration, the work of the Austrian architect Pfaffenhoffen and the ironworker JB Veyren.

On an exceptional 21-hectare site, discover the world of an abbey, its history and its architecture.”

Text and photos from the official website: HERE

Go to the nearby Picardy markets and enjoy the fresh and artisanal products of local producers…

MONDAY
Crécy en Ponthieu (morning), Mers les Bains (morning, all year round), Quend Plage (morning)

TUESDAY
Cayeux sur Mer (morning), Le Crotoy (République street, morning in July and August), Fort-Mahon Plage (morning in summer)

WEDNESDAY
Ault-Onival (morning in July and August), Escarbotin (afternoon), Longprés-les-Corps-Saints (morning at Place du Marquelet), Mers les Bains (night market from 6pm in July and August), Saint Valéry sur Somme (morning at Place du jeu de battoir)

THURSDAY
Abbeville (except last week of the month: Wednesday, place du Grand Marché), Quend Plage (morning in July and August)

FRIDAY
Airaines (afternoon), Cayeux sur Mer (morning), Le Crotoy (morning on Place J. d’Arc all year round), Feuquières en Vimeu (afternoon), Fort-Mahon Plage (morning all year round), Mers-les-Bains (night farmers’ market on the market square at 5pm in July and August), Saint Valéry sur Somme (local produce and craft market in the evening in July and August)

SATURDAY
Abbeville (morning), Ault-Onival (morning, all year round), Gamaches (morning), Oisemont (morning), Rue (morning, Place de Verdun)

SUNDAY
Blangy-sur-Bresle, Cayeux sur Mer, Saint Valéry sur Somme (morning, Place des Pilotes)

Come and discover the castle of Rambures near the campsite le Clos Cacheleux!
Since the 11th century, their fortress has stood in the heart of the Vimeu region, close to the Normandy border.
The discovery of the interiors is done in the company of a guide who will tell you about the daily life during the centuries in this fantastic building.
With him, you will go through the fully furnished rooms of the fortress. In the space of an hour, the guide will take you on a 700-year journey back in time. The castle has been inhabited by the same family for seven centuries, i.e. since its construction.
The park of the castle of Rambures can be defined as a vast romantic space of 15 hectares.
Listed as a historical monument and labelled as a remarkable garden since 2006, the development work began in the 17th century, when the fortress was transformed into a family home.

Here is an idea for a hike that will take your mind off things: Le Hourdel and the seals of the Baie de Somme.
Our campsite le Clos Cacheleux is located 14 km from the seal observation sites of Le Hourdel in the Baie de Somme.

Hiking

The Baie de Somme: a breath of fresh air and a way to see more!

You start from the lighthouse, walk along the pebble beach and reach Cayeux-sur-Mer. The tide goes down little by little leaving the sandbanks to be discovered and creates new landscapes with silver tints. Then you reach the land with a beautiful encounter: the Notre Dame chapel. On the way, many flowers greet you.

In the heart of the Baie de Somme Nature Reserve, the Parc du Marquenterre offers you a privileged space where Man and Nature meet.

For a day, this Mecca of bird migration across the continents of Europe and Africa will seduce you!

According to your wishes, you can:
meet our naturalist guides,
discover the fauna and flora of the Baie de Somme,
share a convivial moment with friends or family over a regional dish, take advantage of the naturalist exhibition area, take a ride in a horse-drawn carriage on the Bay’s long sandy beaches…

A multitude of ideas to make your visit an unforgettable experience in any season!

Text and photo from the official website of the Marquenterre Park:
http://www.baiedesomme.fr/fr/parc-du-marquenterre

More than anywhere else in the Baie de Somme, you will find the tradition of fishing and foot fishermen. Here you can find turbot, grey shrimps to be tasted with a slice of farmhouse bread and a bed of salt butter. These shrimps, also called “Seutrèles”, are sold along the Quai Courbet or rue St Firmin, the patron saint of Picardy. You can also find on the stalls of the fishermen on foot cockles of the bay and mussels of bouchots.
In the distance, you can see the fishermen on foot, with their trousers up, the rake in their hands and the seal.
Here you can feel the authenticity, the facades of the fishermen’s houses are not adorned with any frills. They cohabit with the pretty villas of the Belle Epoque.

The little train of the Baie de Somme welcomes you. In a turn-of-the-century atmosphere, discover the pleasure of travelling on board authentic locomotives.
Located on the Picardy Coast between Cayeux and Le Crotoy, travel by steam train around the Baie de Somme. Amongst mulberry fields, salt meadows, willows and reeds, by the sea or along the Baie de Somme, visit the Réseau des Bains de Mer (Sea Baths Network), founded in 1887, with your family and friends.
Don’t waste another minute, ask for the timetable and take a trip through time by car!

Round-trip tickets Saint Valéry /Le Crotoy on sale at the reception:
12.80€ children aged 4-18
18.50€ adult