History? A nature reserve? Mechanical beasts? There’s far more to this spot than hypermarkets and ferry ports
The summer holidays are in full swing. Your mission? To get across the Channel and hit the toll roads to wherever in France you are going. Well, when it is four hours from Calais to the mesmerising Mont-St Michel in Normandy, five hours to the wine villages of Burgundy, and a long old slog to the south, there is no time for hanging about.
As French tourism minister Olivia Gregoire recently highlighted, overtourism is a problem at many of France’s major sites – but there are lots of other parts of the country, such as the Opal Coast, screaming out for attention. Here, just a hop across the Channel, you will find everything from street theatre and ancient artworks to historic sites and nature encounters, all served up with fresh seafood that will rival many of the more in-demand coastal regions.
Take Calais, for instance: the city we all skip over on our way to “better things” has had major investment in recent years with a seafront in its final stages of development. While the new esplanade lined with artworks, play areas and a skate park is very pleasant, the main draw here isn’t the impressive beach but the 40ft-tall fire-breathing dragon that prowls the area and carries up to 48 passengers on its back.
This mechanical sculpture is made of wood, steel, leather and copper and was commissioned by Calais mayor Natacha Bouchart as a public artwork designed to be part of the urban landscape. While paid-for rides on the dragon are popular, it is better appreciated for free from the ground as it interacts with its audience, sneezing, snorting, growling and spraying water at them. This unique piece of street theatre makes the Calais seafront worth a visit in its own right.