Issue No.26

Real France on your doorstep
Pas-de-Calais, Hauts de France, is a bit of a
secret part of France. Perhaps because it’s so
easy to get to, there’s a tendency to dismiss
it as not real France - but nothing could be
further from the truth. This is authentic
France at its best.
A short drive from the busy port town of
Calais you’ll find enchanting fishing villages,
verdant farming hamlets, ancient forests,
historic towns and magnificent coastal
towns.
The weather is similar to that of Devon or
Cornwall. Agriculture is one of the main
industries. There are vast fields of
vegetables, wheat and maize, sugar beet and
chicory. The marshlands of Saint Omer are
famous for their vegetable growing
properties. This is hop (beer) country, more
than vineyards, but wine and champagne are
grown in the region, in Picardy, and
neighbouring Champagne is easy to get to.
Pas-de-Calais is said to be one of the
friendliest places in France and the locals
have an enduring passion for their heritage
and long history. The land is marked by a
strong connection with England which once
ruled Calais, and by battles going back
thousands of years. Julius Caesar launched
his conquest of Britain from Boulogne, one of
the most famous battles of the Hundred
Years War took place at Agincourt and Henry
VIII met his rival, French King Francis I, on
the so-called Field of the Cloth of Gold near
Guines. And the scars of WWI and WWII will
remain forever.
These days the department is home to a
cultural centre dedicated to Entente Cordiale,
at Hardelot, the only one of its kind in
France.