Camping du Bois des Forts

Bike for about 20 to 30 minutes from here to the seaside town of Dunkirk, 10 kilometres from the border with Belgium. The beach here is Malo-les-Bains, the setting of the famed Dunkirk evacuation in World War II, and a vast stretch running all the way to Belgium. Surfing, windsurfing and sand yachting are all popular options at Malo for active times; there's also a big public pool and a bowling alley away from the seafront, and paintball, quad biking and go-karting all within easy reach. The Dunkirk Golf Blue Green course is three kilometres from the site. More excellent beaches are nearby at Zuydcoote, Bray-Dunes, and La Panne: Bray-Dunes, Zuydcoote and one of the Flanders dunes also make up the 83 hectares of the Dune Marchand National Nature Reserve, a breeding ground for seals and a haven for plants and trees. There are marked trails around the dunes if you want to explore, and loads of info at the visitor centre in Zuydcoote to delve deeper into the history, nature and ecology of the reserve. Lille is 70 kilometres from the site.