Berck sur Mer to Boulogne sur mer

July 31, 2024

Coasting but with tough bits.

Today we have another quite long hike, with a few hill climbs involved. Boulogne should enable us to reach Calais with one more day’s cycling. We’ve booked a hotel but they haven’t confirmed my query about bikes yet- always adds a frisson of tension, though I don’t think we’ve been refused by a hotel yet.

At reception we pay up, though for what we’re unsure- no showers, and little else. However we slept ok so who’s complaining?

No coffee and no showers, but are we downhearted?

We’re back at Aldi for breakfast- their supermarkets may be a dog’s breakfast, but today they have a special on real fruit flavoured Greek yogurt- breakfast!

The route continues a little like yesterday’s, at the start, but at Ētaples there’s an attractive riverfront with cafes and a display of several posters and images from yesteryear. There’s also an interesting display of the work of local women artists from the past. A skilfully renovated, former red brick fishnet factory, with a dramatic series of sawtooth gables, dominates the riverfront.

The former Fishing Net factory and repair works.

Out of Ētaples we cycle on a separate lane beside a busy road. Across the road is the entrance to Ētaples WWI cemetery. We cross the road and leave our bikes, with some others, among the beautifully shady pines. The cemetery is a massive affair and breathtaking when the significance of all those white gravestones hits you. Couldn’t things have been worked out in a different way? Since we’re living in an age when war continues, it’s hard to get an answer. We’ve been impressed in a past visit to Strasbourg’s EU centre, at the way the EU’s establishment was related to creating peace in Europe. Maurice, our Warmshowers host also explained to us that he consciously decided to learn German in school as a way to create harmony between the two most influential European countries.

The numbers of war dead are mind numbing when set out like this.

There’s a long section of the EV4 which breaks away from the coast and runs between rolling country with pines on one side and beach access roads on the other. But it does follow the road and is very noisy. We make a stop in some shade and replenish our water- kindly provided by a family doing some gardening. At this point a Dutch woman, in long dreads, rolls up on a e-bike towing a trailer. She has her two sons with her on bikes and they are headed back to the Netherlands. What amazes us is the two large setters which bound out of the trailer when she opens the cover. How do you tour and camp and manage two large hounds? The boys look pretty useful at helping, but food and water would be a challenge. She’s very forthright and confident though, and looks like she can manage.

Quite long sections of EV4 run alongside busy roads.

A pattern for later in the day- the path sometimes running through sown or harvested fields with views of distant towns.

The ride continues with us cresting high rolling hills and coasting down. Seaside towns can be seen in the distance. By mid afternoon, it’s ice cream time and happily this coincides with the 3pm end of the lunch break, and our our arrival at Wissant. This is quite a busy spot, but very pleasant with an old church that has been renovated- not too well really, since modernisation has destroyed the simple character. We’ve been impressed at the lack of commercialisation along this coast. Everything seems to have been kept as simple and natural as possible, without gaudy signage, and this is the way it continues. To be honest, it’s not what we expected, having cycled seaside towns in the past.

Our approach to Boulogne sur Mer is along a road that’s up high. From it we can see the coast and Boulogne in the distance. It’s mostly downhill all the way after that and pleasant with the cooling breeze.

The port area of the city is undergoing roadwork of all sorts and looks fairly chaotic but we find our hotel easily. Madame Le Guillotine is there to greet us, wagging a finger and saying ‘No bikes!’ For all that, she relents and lets us stash them to one side of the entrance way. We grovel and thank her as she tsk tsks some more and eventually mellows. There doesn’t exactly seem to lurk a heart of gold under the gruff exterior but she’s not going to throw us out on the street. Besides, she’s filling her rooms. Once we’ve got the bikes sorted, we scuttle to our room, having stuffed the lift to the gunnels with our various bags, and sent them ahead, all under the watchful gaze of Madame.

Later, we eat out at one of the restaurants lining the main pedestrian thoroughfare. Ann enjoys a steak, while I, with restraint, indulge in a Cēsar salad. She allows me a sliver of steak. Chewy, but good flavour.

All is good. In the night, there’s an angry orage as the heavens open, the lightening flashes, and the thunder booms. One boom is so percussive, it’s like a cannon has been fired in the room. My thoughts go to the Dutch woman with her dogs and young boys. Have they found cover from this lot?

Today's ride: 57 km (35 miles)
Total: 1,558 km (968 miles)

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