Well, we’ve returned so here are some notes on our experiences.
We had one of the best holidays ever.
At the beginning of the thread I referred to the north as a relatively dull part of France. This is an impression that is particularly easy for us British to get as we hurry away southwards from the channel ports on roads that generally run straight over fairly flat plains covered with wide arable fields. Where the roads pass through towns and villages these often seem drab, and of course many suffered severe damage in the World Wars.
However, we have found that as soon as you get away from the main roads there is just as much to delight in as anywhere in France. In fact, the concentration of places of interest is probably greater than in most regions because the population has historically been relatively high and the area has experienced (or suffered from) more history!
Apart from all the places listed in the guide books it is remarkable how many chateaux there are. Searching them out on the Michelin map, or having them pop up unexpectedly as you round a bend, is one of the greatest joys of French travel.
And one of the most remarkable things is that there hardly any tourists, so the region makes for great travelling.
France is (by European standards) a large country and even in more densely populated parts there is plenty of nature to enjoy. We love the forests and rivers and lakes and rolling country lanes and we spent much of our time “pottering” around. Another of the great joys of France is how easy it is to park on the roadside verges and lay-bys, especially beside rivers and lakes, so we spent happy hours just sitting and waiting to see what wild-life appeared. Even the coast is accessible. When we were in Normandy we nearly didn’t go to the coast for fear of July crowds, but last week in the summer sunshine we found ourselves in a nearly deserted car-park (free!) beside a little bay looking along the fabulous chalk cliffs of the “Alabaster Coast.”
The whole region is so lovely, it is difficult to pick out specific areas to recommend, but here are a few suggestions:
- the river valleys near Montreuil-sur-Mer (the Course running down from the north and the Canche from the south-east); these are fast-flowing, clear trout streams running through delightful villages
- the limestone country between Senlis and Beauvais; the country is pleasantly undulating and the villages are built of the beautiful golden stone
- more limestone country (the Vexin region) north of the Seine around les Andelys, Giverny, La Roche-Guyon, Gisors, etc.
- the Valois region east of Senlis; the countryside is not quite so pretty perhaps, but the villages seemed a bit smarter (perhaps because they are closer to Paris)
- the Bray region south-east of Dieppe
- the Alabaster Coast where chalk cliffs run almost unbroken, except for harbours and bays, from near the Somme estuary to Le Havre.
Chantilly was the outstanding tourist attraction we visited and it exceeded all expectations. For anyone interested in art we could not recommend it too highly and we imagine the same would be true for horse lovers.
Valloires abbey was worth a visit for the chapel alone. The other two abbeys we visited were disappointing. Royaumont did not deserve the two stars awarded by Michelin and Moncel scarcely deserved a mention in the guide let alone the star. We paid for visits to a few other places which probably don’t deserve special mention here. However, we generally enjoyed these visits and learned the lesson that we should not be afraid of guided tours, which in the past we have often tended to avoid. Sometimes the guide will do the tour in English or offer occasional explanations in English, but even where the guide speaks no English it is generally possible to pick up enough of the gist of what he or she is saying.
The towns we remember enjoying best for their atmosphere included:
- Montreuil-sur-Mer (a lovely centre, and great views from the rampart walk)
- Clermont (east of Beauvais) (an attractive market town)
- Senlis (a beautiful, calm old city with a fine cathedral, albeit not one of the most exciting)
- les Andelys (especially for its setting beside the Seine, below Richard the Lionheart’s castle)
- St-Valéry-sur-Mer (watching the fishermen and the yachts)
- Fécamp (a real town with a harbour, not just a seaside resort)
- St-Saens (near the Forest of Eawy; it felt like an attractive and typical small town, however was enlivened for us by watching two brides turn up within a few minutes of each other outside the same church!)
I have written in separate threads about the
churches and
museums we visited.
) 
