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Motorhoming in Nord
Nord is one of the two departments of the region of Nord Pas de Calais and is in the extreme north east of France. Its territories stretch for 200km from north west to south east and run along the border with Belgium from where Nord draws some of it culture and identity not to mention the inevitable historical links with the English. It is a land that has resisted against invasions, battles and wars from earliest times and has survived to become an important region economically and a region rich in history and interest. Nord is a good starting point for motorhome travel in France and if you’re hiring a motorhome in England and you don’t want to go too far, it’s relatively close to home. Find out how to cross the channel with your motorhome or consider hiring a motorhome in France. Whichever solution you choose, you can use the Aires de Service in Nord for overnight stays.
Voted European Capital in 2004, Lille is an astonishing town, a real passage between the middle ages and the twentieth century with for example ‘Euralille’, its huge shopping centre and the Tower of the Bank Credit Lyonnais, showing how Lille has managed to keep its authenticity whilst successfully marrying several styles. The 17th century Flemish architecture is exuberant and the buildings in old Lille are charming. Lille also has its own gastronomy which includes ‘bière blanche’, what the French call beer and the ‘Potjevlesch’, the origins of which is disputed between Dunkirk and Belgium and is composed of pieces of chicken, rabbit, pork and veal which are ‘potted’ in gelatin and served cold with ‘Dunkirk’ potatoes. Other towns worth a visit are Valenciennes, which at one point in history passed through the hands of the Spanish; Dunkirk, Flemish for ‘church in the sand dunes’, large industrial port town, the last French town to be liberated; or Cambrai, a town of art and history much fought over until it became attached to France in 1677. It has preserved much of its heritage from the middle ages, the Renaissance and the classical period. The ‘Spanish’ house built in 1595 houses the tourist office and also has a boutique where you can buy local specialities such as the ‘Bêtise’, a boiled sweet originally flavoured with mint and caramel made by accident but which has survived two centuries and is today exported throughout the world in several different flavours, or Andouillette, a type of sausage.
For a family seaside experience, visit the northern most tip of France, Bray Dunes, with its fine sandy beaches which stretch for 15kms as far as Dunkirk, and its protected sand dunes. It is a much chosen destination for family holidays and proposes numerous beach sports as well as being a charming seaside resort.
Carry on the experience and go motorhoming in Pas de Calais, motorhoming in Champagne Ardenne or motorhoming in Picardie.
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