Camping Les Étangs

Start your wanderings at the pretty seaside town of Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, to amble through the medieval streets and check out the colourful cottages behind the harbour, once home to the town's fishermen. Have a taste of what life might have been like for them by stepping into the Picarvie Museum, which has a reconstruction of 19th-century village life and a huge display of old crafts and tools. Heading out for a closer look at the Bay of the Somme is a must; depending on your desired level of activity you can walk or cycle along 45 kilometres of coastal path, take a boat trip or join a guided sea kayaking expedition. Other ways to get around include chugging through the countryside on the Bay of the Somme steam train or taking a horseback trek around and along the beach from Friville-Escarbotin, 15 minutes away by car. Active types can take to the waters for kitesurfing from Cayeux-sur-Mer, 20 minutes’ drive away, or head up to Fort-Mahon-Plage, half an hour away, for windsurfing, sailing and land yachting. If your small ones have a taste for adventure, take them over to Quad en Baie, 10 minutes away, for quad bike tours; if they prefer something a bit more placid, drive 10 minutes in the other direction to meet the donkeys at Escap’Ânes.