Saint-Valery-sur-Somme

Eglise Saint-Martin, 13th-16th century. While the modern part and the area around the marina of Saint-Valery-sur-Somme are mostly forbidden zone for anybody looking for a stress-free stroll, the old medieval quarter offers attractive and quiet ancient streets and squares, reminding us of the historical importance of the town as a harbour.

Saint-Valery-sur-Somme

Tours Guillaume, medieval gate and walls. Dating back to the 11th century and named after William the Conqueror, whose invasion fleet assembled at Saint-Valery in 1066 before setting sail for England.

Saint-Valery-sur-Somme

Quai Jeanne d'Arc. Villa de la Tour (1885).

Saint-Valery-sur-Somme

View from the medieval part of Saint-Valery across the Somme estuary towards Le Crotoy.

Somme canal linking Abbeville with Saint-Valery-sur-Somme

Planned in the last quarter of the 18th century, yet only completed in 1827, the canalised Somme downstream of Abbeville is the final part of the waterway connecting Saint-Valery with the canal du Nord in Péronne.

Livestock and Cattle egrets

Originally an African species, the Cattle egret is now more frequently spotted in Western Europe. As their name implies they are most often seen with livestock, foraging on insects disturbed by their grazing.

Sandwich tern

Terns and gulls abound in the bay area. Shier than most gulls, the Sandwich terns can be recognized by their characteristic sharp, grating calls.

Seal at Le Hourdel

The small community of Le Hourdel (part of Cayeux) is said to have more seals than people. This common seal in 'banana' position has the company of a Ringed plover.

Le Hourdel

The Pointe du Hourdel offers this fine view across the Somme estuary and Le Crotoy.

Le Hourdel

A collapsed bunker.

Le Hourdel

The Somme Bay has some of the most spectacular tidal range in Europe. The sea retreats up to 12 km twice a day, displaying for a few hours this ever changing sandy landscape.

Le Hourdel

These endless stretches of sandbanks are a tricky place and you better venture on them well-prepared. The sea comes back in at a speed of 10 km/h.

Le Hourdel

A remnant of the Atlantik Wall litterally swallowed by the sands of time.

Le Crotoy

Maison Le Souvenir (nowadays Hotel Les Tourelles) (1897-1900).

Spoonbills in the marshes of Le Crotoy

The Somme Bay is famous for its variety of bird species. Many migratory species use it as a fuel stop on their way south, or vice versa. Spoonbills feel perfectly at home in the marshes around Le Crotoy. They breed in Western Europe in spring and early summer, to return to West Africa for the winter. The Eurasian Spoonbill is a protected species and although globally it is not considered endangered, numbers have been decreasing in Europe in the 20th century.

Little egret in the marshes of Le Crotoy

Herons are also frequent guests in the area. Little egrets, in immaculate white plumage (and yellow socks), feed mainly on aquatic insects, crustaceans, fish and amphibians.

Common ringed plover on the beach of Le Hourdel

Plenty of smaller birds can be spotted foraging on the sand banks at low tide, such as Sanderlings and these funny Ringed plovers.

Le Hourdel

The Somme Bay at low tide.

Ault

When driving southwards from the Somme Bay the coast changes dramatically in Ault, where chalk cliffs appear again, mirroring the south coast of England across the Channel.

Ault