The beautiful Opal Coast

We awoke to another grey, foggy and murky day. Outside our bedroom window the traffic was streaming into the port and it looked like an endless row of lorries. We quickly showered and told Soph and Mike we were going down for breakfast as we were getting a little worried we'd be late for our 9.30am ferry.

Fortunately, the breakfast staff were a lot friendlier and more efficient than the crew on last night in the restaurant, and while we waited for the children to arrive we enjoyed good coffee, cereals, fruit and toast.

Sophie and Mike appeared and we made them choose their cooked breakfast really quickly, poor things! Our choices arrived about 15 minutes later and we all tucked in to eggs, bacon, sausages, hash browns and baked beans. It certainly set us up for the day!

After we'd eaten we dashed back to our rooms, gathered up all our belongings and checked out. While I packed the car with the help of the children, Keith had a word with the receptionist about last night's fiasco so at least they're warned I'll be mentioning the situation when they send me their survey!

Luckily, the traffic had died down a bit but by the time we reached the P&O check in point we were told to board straight away. I had to drive up a steep corrugated ramp which was a bit hairy (I was terrified I'd stall the engine) but soon we were parked and heading up to find some seats.

Outside we couldn't see a thing...

Once the ferry left the port we went and bought a pack of playing cards and sat in the restaurant with a coffee playing our favourite game, which was very pleasant. I actually felt like I was on holiday! We'd had a meander around the Duty Free shop but nothing caught our eye - some of the prices were more expensive than Tesco!

After about an hour and a half we arrived in Calais and we were really pleased to see the sun come out. Hooray! We drove onto the A16 and headed towards Boulogne, hoping to see a sign for the D940, the coast road that runs almost parallel to the motorway. We didn't so we took a chance and came off the A16, heading into Calais. We were delighted to see a sign for Sangatte and realised we'd picked up the road we wanted.

This road wound its way along the coast through some pretty villages and dramatic countryside. At one point we were climbing really high and when the road opened out we had tremendous views of the cliffs and rolling fields. Unfortunately, the fog still lingered, especially over the sea, so we couldn't see as much as we'd liked. We passed Cap Blanc Nez (Cape White Nose) and drove on to Cap Gris Nez (Cape Grey Nose) which juts out into the sea and from where, on a clear day, you can see the white cliffs of Dover. We'd passed some lovely villages on the way - Escalles, Wissant and Tardinghen - and I'd love to come back and explore some more one day.

We took the road to Cap Gris Nez and parked in the quiet car park. We were able to follow several paths to the viewing point and although we couldn't see much of the sea, the area had a lovely, quiet feel to it which we loved.

There were a few other people about and we could see a lighthouse in the distance. This area has a lot of history from the first and second world wars and the information boards were very good at telling us what had happened here as well as describing the local flora and fauna.

I wanted to go to the lighthouse but we realised we didn't have a great deal of time so we returned to the car and pushed on to the gorgeous seaside town of Wimereux. We managed to park on the main street and walked down to the front where we found a beautiful esplanade adorned with bars, hotels and beach huts. The weather had improved dramatically and we saw blue sky and sunshine. It was lovely!

We stood and gazed out to sea and thought we saw seals but later we discovered they were rocks! It was very pleasant and it was wonderful to see the sun shining after the morning's fog.

The sea came right up to the promenade but the tide was going out.

I loved this large house, but it needs some tlc!

The quality of light here was beautiful.

We meandered along the promenade and came to a slip leading straight into the sea so Sophie and I had a paddle. The water was freezing cold!

A couple of children were playing on the rocks next to the slip and were collecting sea water in a little bucket. There was a lovely atmosphere to the quaint little town and no doubt it gets very busy in the high season. We saw a smart hotel on the front called the Hotel Atlantic and looked at the price of the rooms - from about 180 euros!

By now it was quite warm and we fancied a sit down and a drink so we wandered back the way we'd come and went a bit further. There were two bars near to where we'd first arrived on the promenade, but I wanted to explore a bit more! However there was only a bridge with a river running underneath it and an ice-cream and waffle stall at the end of the promenade, so after visiting the public loos (no toilet seats!), we went back to the first bar we'd seen.

It was called Les Oyats (beachgrasses, I think) and we sat and enjoyed a beer in the gorgeous sunshine. We picked a beer called La Chouffe which was similar to Leffe but lighter and more floral. It was very pleasant indeed sitting in the sun and soaking up the warmth and ambience. I hope one day we'll be able to go back for longer.

As it was now about 3pm we returned to the car and set off back to Calais, deciding to take the A16 half way along so we could gain a bit of time. After a quick, but very embarrassing detour to the freight terminal for the Euro Tunnel, we finally found the entrance to Cite Europe and parked the car among a sea of British number plates. Our first stop was Carrefour where we bought beer, wine, chocolates and smoked sausage and after taking all our shopping back to the car we headed for the restaurant quarter. The place we normally visit was empty but The Black Bull pub opposite was busy with people eating and waiters dashing to and fro. The menu looked OK so we sat down and ordered some beers and made our choices.

Sophie and I went for the chicken breast in a mushroom sauce served with frites and salad. Keith went for half a chicken while Mike opted for the safe spaghetti bolognese. We enjoyed garlic bread to start and the food was very good. We liked the addition of a bread basket to go with our mains!

Sophie and I also indulged in a dessert of crepes with cream and chocolate so we waddled back to the car! Getting back to the ferry terminal at Calais took a bit longer than we'd anticipated and when we arrived at the check-in we were told there was an hour's delay because of the fog, which was still, like a bad smell, hanging about!

We parked in our designated line and waited for an age to board. As we waited the fog became even thicker and I dreaded it being the same in Kent. However, after a noisy crossing when I tried in vain to have a nap, the weather was clear but we did encounter some foggy spots on the way home. I'm just glad it wasn't too bad!

We arrived home at 1am, three hours after we drove off the ferry in Dover. It had been a very enjoyable day and I'm really hoping that one day we visit this beautiful area of France again!