Autumn in Northern France 24th - 27th of September 2025

And off to France we go!

We were up, showered and dressed by 4.15am, and after a quick return to the house to put down more food for the cats, we had a good journey to Folkestone on the A14, M11, M25 and M20. Sophie had prepared coffee, and Keith had made egg sandwiches the night before to eat on the train. We chose an earlier slot but had time to pop into Duty-Free first, where I bought a bottle of Black Bush Irish Whisky for Keith. It's his birthday today! We also took advantage of the "2 for £18" offer on vodka! We would have been mad not to!

Once on the train, we ate breakfast, and I took a nap for the entire journey, which revived me wonderfully. We set Jeeves to find the village of Wissant on the coast, as we wanted to take the leisurely, scenic route to Wimereux, where we were hoping to have lunch. Jeeves navigated me expertly to Sangatte and then along the D940 passing through Wissant and into the pretty village of Tardinghen, where we headed for the beach. 

We parked near the dunes and walked the short distance to the beach. A man in the car next to us was unloading a toddler and a homemade dune buggy, and went ahead of us. They had a Labrador with them, who was enormously excited about everything and became even more so when the man unfurled a sail and stood on the buggy, leaving his son to toddle after him!

It felt very bracing on the beach, and I began to regret not bringing a coat... We could see the coast of Britain clearly, and it brought it home to me how close the UK is to France. We hadn't seen any signs of asylum seekers at all on our journey along the coast, but the sea was rough and there were numerous ships and ferries out on the Channel. The thought of taking a small dinghy across the busy stretch of rough sea was shocking.

We returned to the car and carried on the road to Audinghen, where we stopped for coffee at Le Vent du Nord, a lovely, cosy brasserie where we've eaten before. As it was his birthday, Keith had a glass of Goudale Ambrée, I chose a café au lait, and Sophie enjoyed a hot chocolate. 

Happy Birthday, Keith!

Our new friend

It was lovely to sit and chat in the friendly little bar, but Wimereux was calling, so we paid the bill and set off. The countryside was stunning with rolling hills, glimpses of the sea and pretty villages. At Audreselles we stopped again, parked in a small car park and walked to the beach. The tide was way out, and we saw something dead on the beach, which looked either like a large fish or a small dolphin. A couple of dogs found it immensely interesting! A lot of people were walking with dogs, and every other car seemed to be Belgian or Dutch.

The pebbly beach at Audresselles

Sophie picked up a couple of flat, round pebbles to put in the garden to help Mooney navigate his way through the gravel garden, and we set off again. Soon, we were on the outskirts of Wimereux and decided to do a shop before lunch. We needed essentials such as more milk, bread, and food for breakfasts and dinners.

We had visited this Carrefour before, on the hunt for a loo and Cracksters, and we found everything we needed. Sophie and I chose a couple of bottles of red - a Gigondas and an Hermitage, as well as a bottle of sparkling wine for tonight. Need I say that a few boxes of Cracksters went into the trolley as well?

When we emerged, we discovered that a school opposite was finishing and there were hordes of children everywhere! We drove into Wimereux and found a space on the street for three hours, near the front.  We knew that Les Oyats was closed until Friday, so we had lunch at Le JFK instead, which was doing brisk business! We opted to sit inside and had a good look at the menu, choosing an omelette (me) and escalopes in a mushroom sauce (Keith and Sophie). Keith had a pint of Affligem while Sophie and I had the beer of the moment, which we suspected was Affligem as well.

The restaurant gradually filled up with diners, and we watched the tide creep ever closer to the seawall. Out at sea, we could see huge container ships and what looked like a floating island, moving very slowly. The Sussex coast was immediately opposite us, and for one mad moment, we thought the large mass was Dungeness Power Station, but then we realised it had moved!

I noticed a chocolate fondant on the menu, so, as the law states, I was forced into having it for dessert, along with Sophie. It was served with a tiny pot of custard and whipped cream and was perfect. The French certainly know how to cook fondants! 

Sophie paid the bill of 86 euros as a treat for Keith, and we made our way outside. The tide was now in, and waves were lashing the sea wall, causing great arcs of water to hit the wall and the walkway. Sophie went over to a set of steps leading into the sea to get a better look and was hit by a wave! The power of the sea was immense, and it was invigorating walking along the promenade back to the car.

We put the Airbnb address into Jeeves and set off along the coast road again, passing through ugly, sprawling Boulogne before heading inland. It was then a leisurely drive through beautiful countryside with wide-open fields, roads bordered by trees, and small villages. At one point, I had to make a right turn and realised the way was blocked by train tracks. Ahead of us was the slowest train in existence, and as it passed, we smiled at the passengers who smiled back.

Heading deeper into the countryside, we soon came to the hamlet of Zoteux, near Acheux-en-Vimeu and our home for the next three nights. We unpacked the car and the shopping and explored. Opposite was an enclosure with deer!

It was very rural with a couple of houses nearby, and we saw large tractors lumbering past. I had the strangest feeling when we first went in, and the house reminded me of a dream I'd had a few weeks ago. Very odd!

Once unpacked and everything sorted (the laptop, Alexa, and wifi), we relaxed and enjoyed the peaceful surroundings. Sophie went over to chat to the deer, and Mike called to wish Keith a happy birthday. We didn't have anything for dinner, but enjoyed a couple of glasses of fizz and beer, a bowl of Cracksters and some little cheeses. We were all shattered, to be honest!

As it grew darker, we all felt chilly, so we had no choice but to contact the host and ask about the heating. Even I felt cold! A man came out to turn it on for us, and we set the thermostat to 22 °C. We half-heartedly watched a new Icelandic crime drama, but we were so tired that it was an early night!