Day 7 - Calais to Abbeville

Pub Welcome Sign

Today we leave Calais but I have to share one last photo before we go.

For a moment, I thought I might have done a bit a time-travel á la Diana Galbadon and Outlander.  Had I gone back in time to my previous life in California? (picture right)

As many of you know, logistics planning for this trip was challenging. I anticipated cold, wet weather and shortened daylight hours. However, I underestimated how short ... the sun doesn't rise here until 8:15 AM!

We loaded the car,  programmed Sangatte into the GPS and headed west.  I wanted to travel the coast road rather than take a more direct route south because, during the siege of Calais, there was no dock for English ships which meant that when Queen Philippa and her ladies arrived (including Joan of Kent), they had to contend with a beach landing. I had imagined seabirds squawking and diving in the erratic wind, sand pitting the ladies' faces and a treacherous slog up the shingle.

Reality and imagination merged and I spent a few minutes just absorbing the atmosphere.  The scene I had written was vivid in my mind.

Sangatte Beach

The wind was biting and we jumped back into the warmth of the car. The land south of town is mainly agricultural and you can see a ridge building from east to west. We continued on our westward journey toward Wissant.

Just a few kilometers down the road that ridge rises to a considerable height and then drops precipitously into the sea.  That peak is called Cap Nez Blanc and is mentioned in chronicles of the time.  I had set another scene under its heights and wanted to see it for myself and again, the scene I had written came alive.

Cap Nez Blanc

The road along this stretch of the Opal Coast rolls over miles of cultivated farmland now since the tide flows have been 'managed' but during Edward's time, much of the lower elevations would have consisted of ever-shifting dunes and marsh. The chronicles describe the one levee road running from Gravelines (Flanders) to Sangatte and one small bridge over the Hames River referred to as the Nieulay bridge.

View from the top of the Cap

We followed our GPS route through the small, farming villages of Estaples and Wissant making our way to the largest town along the coast Boulogne sur Mer. By this time,  not only were were desperate for a cup of coffee (the French idea of 'grande' is about half the size of an American small, we needed food!  Parking karma was with us; the car just ahead backed out of a free parking spot.  After a jambon omelet (definitely not worth a photo) we headed to old town.

Although this town was not on Edward's march I wanted to stop there to explore the old town walls and castle, built in the 13th century.  Exploring the old cobblestone streets and the castle itself, complete with working moat, was well worth the extra time but if we were to get to Crécy and have enough time to explore before dark, we did need to get a move on.  This post will end here because Crécy deserves its own dedicated post.

Gate to Old Town - Ramparts Above

Boulogne Sur Mer Castle - 13th Century