GREAT DESTINATIONS ❘ HAUTS-DE-FRANCE


stand proud in peaceful rolling countryside, each one worthy of a visit: Thiepval and Péronne, the Lochnagar Crater, the Ulster Tower and many more. And at the heart of it all is Amiens, regional capital and a must-see, not just for its stunning Gothic cathedral and old quarter, but for Les Hortillonnages, an area of market garden plots divided by navigable waterways and accessible to all on guided boat tours.


Clockwise from top: Hesdin Forest is a delight to explore; the Ulster Memorial Tower, which stands on what was the German front line during the Battle of the Somme; the stunning Château de Compiègne; walking in the Sept Vallées


My route passes close to the Forest of Crécy where English forces devastated French troops in 1346, before I slip seamlessly back into Pas-de- Calais and the lush Seven Valleys, now marketed to visitors as the Vallées d’Opale. Inland from Le-Touquet-Paris-Plage on the Opal Coast, this undulating area of farmland and river valleys is one of the department’s best-kept secrets. Take a canoe excursion on its two main rivers, the Canche and the Authie, or enjoy a


❯❯


“THIS UNDULATING AREA OF FARMLAND AND RIVER VALLEYS IS ONE OF THE DEPARTMENT’S BEST-KEPT SECRETS”


100 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Jun/Jul 2023


IMAGES © GILLIAN THORNTON


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132