I
live in the heart of the
Pas-de-Calais countryside,
which is stocked full of pretty
villages, bustling market
towns, and beautiful rolling
hills. It is one of the most
densely populated departments
in France, yet we don't have any
sprawling cities. Instead, I have a
superb choice of beautiful places to
shop, dine, and generally enjoy life.
My home is in the middle of a circle
with Le Touquet, Lens, Lille, and
Calais on the circumference - what a
contrast in those four towns alone.
Lens is home to a satellite of the
Louvre Museum and, as such, hosts
exhibitions which change every three
months - the fi rst included Leonardo
da Vinci's "The Virgin and Child
with St. Anne" and the second was
dedicated to Rubens - some start!
Lille is architecturally beautiful,
Brenda Leblond lives in the Pas-de-Calais and tells us why it's an area popular with
both domestic and international buyers.
with a Flemish infl uence, and has
a pretty cathedral, dating back to
1854. Of course, it's also a Eurostar
stop off, which gives easy access
to and from the UK. Calais, too, is
well known to visitors from across
the channel, as the ferry port is the
fi rst point of entry for thousands
of tourists every year. Many people
just use it as a landing point, which
is a shame. The old town is on
an artifi cial island, surrounded by
canals and harbours and it plays
host to some wonderful seafood
restaurants. Finally, Le Touquet (or
Le Touquet-Paris-Plage as it prefers
to be known) is a chic town, famous
for its racecourse, casino, beaches,
and championship golf courses. It is
the perfect place to sit in a bar and
watch the rich and famous go about
their business.
The Hauts-de-France consists of
Cap Gris Nez
HAUTS DE FRANCE
60 LEGGETTFRANCE.COM
Lille