We awoke after a great night's sleep (beautifully quiet and dark), and after breakfast of pains au chocolat and coffee, we were ready to leave by 9:45am. Our house is in a very rural setting, and before we could reach the main road, we had to wait for a herd of cows to cross! They all trundled across the road, and the very last one hobbled after the rest of the herd. She was a bit thin, but she seemed happy enough, bless her! The farmer waved his thanks as we edged forward, and we waved back. It was lovely to see!
Jeeves provided the directions to St Valery-sur-Somme, and we passed through the centre of Boulogne, which we didn't realise had so many steep roads! No wonder the Tour de France was held here last year!
From Boulogne, we headed out into the countryside on the D940, driving through flat farmland interspersed with little villages. We crisscrossed a railway line all the way to St Valery-sur-Somme but never saw a train, much to Keith's disappointment.
Soon, we reached Étaples, where a "coquilles" or shellfish festival was taking place. It was hectically busy, and we drove along the street we visited back in 2023, where we had a meal overlooking the River Canche. We drove across the river and left the mayhem behind us as we continued through the lovely, quiet countryside. The weather had deteriorated a little, and the earlier sunshine had been replaced with grey cloud and drizzle.
We came across a supermarket petrol station and topped up. Before we'd left for France, I'd heard stories of fuel shortages, but we didn't have any problem finding petrol, despite the prices being higher than in the UK.
We continued on our way and soon saw signs for the town. We approached St Valery-sur-Somme across very flat marshland, grazed by sheep and cows on long, straight roads bordered by trees. As we neared the town, the traffic grew heavier, and it soon became apparent that a lot of people had had the same idea as us!
We had planned on parking in the centre of St Valery-sur-Somme, but soon realised that was a foolish dream! We drove along a cobbled street right next to the river, then turned left into the car park. I drove in but soon realised there was no way out. A French car had followed me, so we both had to reverse. By now, I was mightily fed up!
I made the mistake of turning left again, so I had to repeat the circuit along the river. There were a couple of spaces, but I had a driver right behind me, making it difficult to back in and parallel park. Back at the car park, there were still no spaces, so we decided to drive out of the town and park on the outskirts. However, as I drove along the Quai du Romerel, I spotted a space! It was right next to a parking meter, and I nearly took out a whole crowd of people and children on bikes as I manoeuvred into the space. Phew! Mission accomplished!
We donned coats and walked towards the centre of town. Both Keith and Sophie needed the loo, so we stopped at the first bar we came to for a drink. The tables inside were set up for lunch, so we had to sit outside on wooden decking. The chairs were a little dirty (bird poo), but we eventually found three that were clean, and a waitress gave us the drinks menu. Sophie chose a rosé, I ordered a glass of Chardonnay, and Keith had a beer. As we sat and waited for our drinks to arrive, it started to drizzle... it was fine at first, but then it grew heavier, so we were forced to descend to another area of the garden and sit under an umbrella.
We sat with our drinks, but we didn't touch the small bowl of olives that the waitress had brought with the drinks. Normally, we would have dived in, but we noticed olive stones in the bowl that had clearly been nibbled by someone else... Ewww! No thanks!
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| NOT nibbled by us! |
Despite the drizzle and the loud cawing of rooks in nearby trees, we enjoyed our drinks sitting in the garden. I admired the beautiful houses nearby, and it was great to sit and relax and look forward to lunch.
A black bun
We finished our drinks, paid the bill inside, where the restaurant had filled up considerably, and walked into the town via the promenade. We were mindful of the time and picked almost the first restaurant we came to, as the ones we passed looked very busy indeed.
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| The moody River Somme |
The menu at Le Bistro de St Val looked good, they had a table free, and the place was packed with locals and tourists alike. We sat at a table by the window and had a good look at the menu, choosing a terrine (me), cheese on toast (Keith) and salmon (Sophie). Keith had another beer, while Sophie and I shared a pichet of rosé. For our main courses, I opted for a beef burger (quite daring in France!), Sophie ordered more salmon, while Keith was tempted by the pork ribs and barbecue sauce.
As the restaurant was so busy, we did have a little wait for our starters, but we didn't mind. It was great to chat, people-watch and soak up the cheerful ambience of the place as large family groups enjoyed their lunches.
When our starters arrived, I immediately regretted ordering mine, as I had two thick slabs of terrine, gherkins and a heap of salad, covered in a delicious dressing. We'd already devoured a basket of bread, and I hoped I'd be able to do justice to my burger! My starter was delicious, and Keith and Sophie were equally satisfied with their choices.
Thankfully, there was a decent interval between the starters and main courses, and by now, the restaurant had emptied out. People were still coming in, though, so obviously they weren't sticking to the 12pm-2pm rule.
My burger arrived inside a black, seeded bun, something I'd never seen before! I had a mound of freshly cooked French fries, and yet more salad. Sophie's salmon was in a parsley sauce and served with two yellow potatoes and a wedge of vegetable flan. Predictably, Keith's pork ribs were substantial and also served with crispy fries.
The food was very good, and my burger was most definitely beef, not another variety of meat! We made our way through the meals, but we all confessed defeat when it came to dessert. Sophie and Keith had digestifs - a glass each of Cointreau and Cognac - to round off the meal.
As we were finishing, the man who had played his guitar at another restaurant we visited last September attempted to come in, but was briskly turned away by the owner! No argument, go! I watched as he crossed the road, head down and morose, and unlocked a scooter to ride home on!
We drool over property!
We paid the bill, used the loos and waved Keith off back to the car so he could digest his lunch. The sun had come out, and it was lovely and warm, so Sophie and I walked into the town and along the main high street.
We wandered along, looking in the shops and taking pics of the lovely old buildings.
We then cut through to the promenade by using a narrow alleyway, and walked along the river. It was gorgeous, and I took my coat off as I was so warm! Crowds of people were out enjoying the sunshine, and the outdoor tables were heaving.
We strolled back to the car and, on the way, noticed a house for sale. It looked empty, and the garden was overgrown and needed attention. It was beautiful, though, and we both fell in love with it!
The office of the estate agents handling the sale was opposite, but we couldn't find out the price. I should imagine it would be well over 400,000 euros, though, as the town is a popular place and attracts a lot of tourists.
Sitting in the sun
Reluctantly, we returned to the car and set the satnav for Offrethun. We drove through beautiful countryside and pretty villages for about 15 kms and then turned onto the A16, which was a lot quicker! The traffic was light, and it only cost us about 6 euros for the toll.
Back at the house, we relaxed, and as it was sunny, we wrapped ourselves up in our throws and sat outside with our books to read. Perfect!
As we were reading, a car arrived, and we discovered we had new neighbours! We said hello, and later found out they were Belgian. It grew a little chillier, so we retreated indoors to play Scrabble and finally had something to eat at about 8:30pm, a repeat of the lovely salad we'd enjoyed yesterday, with chicken.
Before bed, we watched a French show about traffic police near Paris. We used subtitles to try to understand what it was all about! It was a good way of improving our French!
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| Sunset and pines |
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