Bay of the Somme
A vast estuary opening onto the Channel, the Bay of the Somme is one of the finest maritime landscapes in France. You cross the bay on foot with a guide, watch common seals, and follow in a small steam train the route between Le Crotoy and Saint-Valery-sur-Somme. A refreshing date where the sky takes up as much space as the land, and from which you always return a little calmer.
Marquenterre and fishing villages
North of the bay, the Marquenterre reserve, a vast ornithological park, shelters greylag geese, storks and pied avocets. You walk its paths with binoculars around your neck. In the villages, Le Crotoy, where Jules Verne once stayed, and Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, with its cobbled lanes, offer perfect settings for a seafood lunch facing the rising tide.
Chantilly, Senlis, Compiègne
To the south, the Oise rolls out its royal forests. Chantilly Castle holds paintings and great stables, Senlis cultivates its medieval centre, and Compiègne and its palace recall Napoleon III. A little further, Pierrefonds Castle, restored by Viollet-le-Duc, fascinates period-film lovers. On Lyad, people from Picardy share their finest walks; a chance to find someone to unfold the map with.
Date ideas
- Bay of the Somme
- Saint-Valery-sur-Somme
- Le Crotoy
- Chantilly
- Senlis
- Compiègne
- Pierrefonds
- Marquenterre
