Baie de Somme
Wide Tidal Estuary Of The Somme On The Channel Coast, Home To France'S Largest Colony Of Seals And A Major Bird Migration Route; The Marquenterre Bird Park Lies On Its Shore · Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, Hauts-de-France
The Baie de Somme is the wide tidal estuary where the river Somme meets the Channel, a landscape of sand, mud, salt marsh and channels that fills and empties with every tide under a big grey sky. It shelters the largest seal colony in France, both harbour seals and grey seals, which haul out on the sandbanks near Le Hourdel at low tide. The bay lies on a major bird migration route, and the Parc du Marquenterre on its northern shore is one of the best places in France to watch storks, spoonbills, avocets and waders from hides. Around the bay are small towns with real character: Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, with its walled upper town and quays; Le Crotoy, a resort that faces south across the bay; and Cayeux-sur-Mer, with its long boardwalk and pebble beach. A heritage steam railway links them in season. Crossing the bay on foot is possible only with a licensed guide, because the tide comes in fast and there is quicksand. Salt-marsh lamb is the local dish, and the wind off the sea is cold for much of the year.
Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, Le Crotoy and Le Hourdel, Somme, Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, Hauts-de-France, France
The bay, the beaches and the paths are open ground and can be visited at any hour and in every season, but what you see depends on the tide, so check the tide table before anything else; seals are best seen from Le Hourdel around low tide. The Parc du Marquenterre is open most of the year, daily in the main season and on a reduced pattern in winter, with the last entry well before closing and some closures on winter weekdays or over the Christmas period; confirm. The Baie de Somme steam railway runs from roughly April to early November, with more trains in summer and on weekends, plus some special winter services; the timetable changes by date, so check it and book at busy times. Guided bay crossings on foot run through much of the year but only at times set by the tides, often early morning or evening, and must be booked with licensed guides; they are cancelled in storms or fog. Seal-watching walks with guides also depend on the tide. Restaurants in Saint-Valery and Le Crotoy are busy on weekends and many close one or two days a week out of season.