When conjuring up exotic
holiday locations,
you're unlikely to light
upon the
north of
France. Even among the
French, the most
enthusiastic tourists of
their own country, it
has few adherents.
Artois and Flanders
include the most heavily
industrialized parts of
the country, while
across the wheat fields
of the more sparsely
populated regions of
Picardy and Champagne a
few drops of rain are
all that is required for
total gloom to descend.
It is likely, however,
that you'll arrive and
leave France via this
region, and there are
reasons to stop within
easy reach of the
Channel ports - of which
Boulogne is by
far the most appealing.
The north of France
has been on the path of
various invaders into
the country, from
northern Europe as well
as from Britain, and the
events that have taken
place in Flanders,
Artois and Picardy have
shaped French history.
The bloodiest battles
were those of World War
I, above all the
Battle of the Somme
, which took place north
of Amiens, and Vimy
Ridge , near Arras,
where the trenches have
been preserved in
perpetuity. Throughout
the north, but
particularly around the
villages of the Somme,
monuments and cemeteries
are powerful reminders
of the devastating human
wastage of those years.
Picardy boasts
two of France's finest
cathedrals, at Amiens
and Laon .
Further south, the
maisons , vineyards
and produce of the
Champagne region are
the main draw, for which
the best bases are
Épernay and Reims
, the latter with
another fine cathedral.
Other attractions
include the bird
sanctuary of
Marquenterre ; the
wooded wilderness of the
Ardennes ;
industrial archeology in
the coalfields around
Douai , where Zola's
Germinal was set;
the great medieval
castle of
Coucy-le-Château ;
and the battle sites of
the Middle Ages -
Agincourt and
Crécy - whose names
are so familiar in the
history of Anglo-French
rivalry.
Though the past is
not forgotten, the
present life of the
region does not feed on
it. In city centres from
Lille to
Troyes , you'll find
your fill of food,
culture and
entertainment in the
company of locals
similarly intent on
having a good time; and
in addition to the more
obvious pleasures of the
Champagne region,
there's the possibility
of finding relatively
lucrative employment
during the harvest
season towards the end
of September.
