The Côte d'Opale is the stretch of Channel coast between Calais and the mouth of the River Somme, characterized by huge, wild and windswept sandy beaches. In the northern part, as far as Boulogne, the beaches are fringed, as on the English side of the Channel, by white chalk cliffs. Here, between the prominent headlands of Cap Blanc-Nez and Cap Gris-Nez, the D940 coast road winds high above the sea, allowing you to appreciate the "opal" in the name – the sea and sky merging in an opalescent, oyster-grey continuum. The southern part of the coast is flatter, and the beach, uninterrupted for 40km, is backed by a landscape of pine-anchored dunes and brackish tarns, punctuated every few hundred metres by solid German pillboxes now toppled on their noses by the shifting sand foundations. An organization called Eden 62 publishes ten free leaflets detailing walks around the area, which you can get hold of by either writing to them or telephoning (Eden 62, B.P.65–62930 Wimereux; tel 03.21.32.13.74, fax 03.21.87.33.07).
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