Cycling Holidays in Le Touquet

Cycling-Le Touquet

Cycling In Le Touquet

Le Touquet is a great place to base yourself for a cycling holiday.  The town boasts over 10km of cycling trails around the town and forest areas.  There is a great choice of routes depending on if you want to go for a few hours or fancy something more challenging.
 
Rent a bike from one of the many hire shops in town and head towards the airport and riding stables. On route you will experience some great views of the Canche Bay. Riding through the residential part of the town  is very pleasurable, marvel at the beauty of the multi million Euro Art Deco Villas.  Alternatively head out of town along Avenue Francois Godin towards the beach at Stella Plage.  Stella Plage is another small beach resort sharing the same stretch of golden sand with Le Touquet. The advantage is that Stella is always much quieter than Le Touquet. You will find  some small intimate cafes and restaurants with a family feel.
 
Traffic in Le Touquet is light so even if you are not on a cycle path you should never feel intimidated. There are lots of other cyclist around so generally motorists are more aware of your presence.
 
Another notable route, recommended at sunset,  runs from the Thalassa  Sea Water Spa Centre along the beach to the yachting centre at La Baie de Canche.  En route there are many worthy stopping points to admire the sunset.
Cycling LeTouquet Sunset

If you are renting one of our villas such as LOpale in Allée de Jonquilles then it is possible to gently cruise all the way to the beach, stress free on a great cycle route. Alternatively if you are staying in the Lakeside development of May Village just filter into the cycle lane passing by the entrance.

Cycle Route Map Le Touquet

Le Touquet Cycle Route

The Best Water Sports in Le Touquet

Wakeboarding Le Touquet

Some of the best water sports in Le Touquet are to found right on the beach. With the introduction of the wake boarding pool its thrills and excitement all the way. A new sensational aquatic sports activity is born.
The Le Touquet Wake Park is a pool 25m wide and 100m long. Beginners and professionals can learn and improve their wake boarding. A water sport that combines the techniques of water skiing, snowboarding and surfing. The boarder is towed by a water ski cable and slides on the water while ideally staying on a the board.

Wake Boarding Tricks

Unlike other water sports such as surfing or kite surfing, wake boarding has a relatively steep learning curve. But once you have fallen off quite a few times you will be feeling confident and want to try some tricks.
With trick names like Fruit Loop, Slurpee and Special K you could be forgiven for believing you were reading a Le Touquet Cocktail menu.

Some of the simpler wake boarding manoeuvres to get you started are:

Surfing the Wake
Crossing the Wake
Surface 180 – Surface spins are a great way to branch into the world of beginners wakeboarding tricks. You don’t leave the surface of the water, so it is ideal for getting more comfortable on the board before taking things further
Surface 360 – Once you’ve got 180s mastered string your front and back 180’s together.
Ollie – A nice trick for beginners learning to jump, a foundation for all other tricks.
Tail Grab – Grabbing the board with your hand while in the air.

Even if you don’t feel like having a go the Wake Park is a great place to spend an hour or so watching some great sport.

Wakeboard Action

Le Touquet Wake Park is open daily from April until November.  The pool is resurrected every year being a  temporary construction. So you won’t see it when visiting for the Enduro beach race at the end of January.

Information and reservations at the Bertrand Lambert Channel Nautical Center 
Boulevard Jules Pouget – 03.21.05.33.51.

 

The Best Show Jumping in Le Touquet

Show Jumping Le Touquet
International Show Jumping comes to Le Touquet between  the 3rd and 6th  May. Riders compete in the amateur Derby and all the action takes place at the Centre Equestre du Touquet. The event promises to deliver an exciting few days of great show jumping. The jumping event is presented by the governing body the  Fédération Equestre Internationale and runs between  9 AM through to around 5PM. However long you choose to visit there is plenty to watch and do with over 30 exhibitor’s allowing you to shop and maybe have a glass of champagne. If you haven’t managed to find accommodation in Le Touquet try are our special offers page for some discounted deals.
 
The Equestrian Park covers (65 hectares) and is one of best complexes in France. It includes the equestrian center, the racecourse and the jumping fields. Renovated from 2009 to 2011 to be an advanced base of the London Olympics. 
 
The  equestrian centre can accommodate  any rider or group who wish to practice horse riding or attend equestrian events. All levels and  disciplines are catered for in exceptional facilities and surroundings .

The sport of show-jumping is a true test for horse and rider. The aim of the horse and rider is to make it around a course of fences without dropping any rails. A show jumping course will typically have between 10 and 15 fences of varying levels of difficulty. Riders who clear their first round clear will be able to continue to the final “jump off.” For the jump off the course is shorter and the competition becomes more about speed and completing the course with the least number of penalties. If you are new to Show Jumping and struggling with the terminology in the bar, here are a few names you should be familiar with.

Verticals: An upright jump.

Triple bars: Three verticals placed together gradually increasing in height.

Liverpools: A a pool of water on the ground normally placed under a fence.

Combinations: A group of fences that are placed in close sequence to one another, usually one to two strides apart.

Walls: Walls are upright and solid, but are constructed so that they break if hit, preventing injury to the horse.

Bagatelle Parc d’attraction Berck – Le Touquet

Le Triops - Bagatelle Parc

Bagatelle Theme Parc Family Day Out.

Fill up with family fun at the Bagatelle Theme park with over 40 attractions and shows.  A perfect crazy family day out that won’t break the bank. With tickets from around €18.50 it offers great value for money. If you book online in advance save even more.  Bagatelle Theme Parc is just a short 15 minute drive from many of our  holiday rental properties in Le Touquet.

Bagatelle opens on the 21st April until 30 September 2018. You will find the parc very clean with excellent staff who speak English. The food is really good but if you take your own there are plenty of places to have a nice picnic. There is plenty of parking  but you do have to pay for this at €5.

Bagatelle is split into 3 areas:
Baggy land for small kids.  10 attractions for the little ones including a Ball Pool, Adventure trail, Kidz Coaster, The Captain Baggy. A children’s swing boat echoing the larger Pearl Bag ride for Adults. 

Baggy Family – Universe for Young and old
Baggy Fun – A good dose of thrills 9 attractions for the more adventurous!

I personally enjoyed the Pearl Bag Swing boat especially if you are at the Bow or Stern. It gives a great sense of fun together as everyone competes to make the loudest wooo! noise

Bagatelle Swing Boat Pearl Bag

Le Triops - The Big Ride

One of Bagatelle’s flagship attractions welcomes you for a thrilling round trip. 45 meters high, 2 tendrils, 1 looping, all suspended in the void! 

Le Triops Bagatelle Parc

The River Splatch

No trip to Bagatelle would be complete without getting wet at least once!  A nice gentle ride on the river in a wooden log with a 10 m drop at the end – great fun for everyone.

Silver Wings

Become the Ace of  the pilots! Ready to fill up with sensations? Enter into the area dedicated to the crazy years of aviation:

Climb aboard your plane and experience the stunning acrobatic flight experience with almost 4G accelerators, weightless dive, looping, spinning … all at 8 meters in height:

Silver Wings Bagatelle

Bagatelle Amusement Parc is open daily from 10:30 AM.

What To Do With The Kids When It Rains in Le Touquet

Smiley Stingray

When it Rains in Le Touquet

There is plenty of things to do and see when it rains  in the Le Touquet area.  The Nausicaa Aquarium in Boulogne sur Mer is an amazing day out. Just a short 30 minute drive up the A16 from our LOpale Holiday Villa.
Alternatively if you have time to kill on your journey home its an easy stop off en route back to Calais Ferry Port. 

What is Nausicaa

Nausicaa 
France’s  Centre National de la Mer is one of the largest public aquariums in Europe. It is a world-class marine research institute, with the focus on conservation and educating people to help preserve the oceans. 
You are invited to plunge into the heart of the oceans to explore the sea. Well laid out attractions and educational displays make your visit a great day out.

Attractions include.

The World Ocean
Island Stories
Tropical lagoon
Shark aquarium
Sea lion reserve
Touch pool
The submerged Tropical Forest
Penguin beach

Popular Attractions

Shark Aquarium

Sharks Nausicaa

Get up close and personal with Jaws
Embark on a sea journey to meet the ultimate marine animal, the shark. View the sharks fascinating strength and elegance in front of a giant aquarium.

Discover a creature that has inhabited the earth for 400 million years. You’ll never feel quite the same about sharks again.

Penguin Beach

It is an  unforgettable experience from these cheeky chappies.  Children’s faces grin with delight as the penguins dive in and out of the water.

A few facts you may not know know about penguins. Penguins can drink sea water. The birds spend around half their time in water and the other half on land. The Emperor Penguin is the tallest of all penguin species. Emperor Penguins can stay underwater for around 20 minutes at a time.  Oh and of course there are no penguins in the North Pole. The Galapagos Penguin is the only one that makes it North of the equator.
Penguin Nausicaa

Touch pool

A unique experience for the kids where they can pett the stingrays. Waggle your hand and the rays will come over and rub against you. They often will lift there heads out of the water as if to say “come on in the waters fine”
 
Stingrays have no bones in their body – their skeleton is made up of flexible cartilage. Different types of ray include electric rays, butterfly rays, round rays, manta rays, guitar fish and sawfish. Rays vary in size hugely. The smallest ray is the electric ray which is approximately 10cm across and weighs about 400g. The oceanic manta ray is the largest ray reaching up to 7m in wing span and weighs 2,000kg.
Sting_Ray Aquarium Nausicca Boulogne

How To Get To Nausicaa - Boulogne

Located 200 metres from the town centre Nausicaa is easily accessible and well signposted from all the major routes. There is ample parking close by.

A Recommended Day Trip in Le Touquet

LabyParc-LeTouquet-Maze

Day Trip in Le Touquet

Why not go and visit the Laby’Parc Maze a fun activity Parc just a few miles from Le Touquet and only 3 km from our holiday rental home in St Josse. The parc consists of a large maze made out of sweetcorn plants, a smaller maze made out of fence panels, several bouncy castles, an assault course, climbing cage  with zip lines, 9 hole mini golf, a kids play area, a pedal go-kart track and some water balls. With over 42,000 visitors last year the Parc offers a fun day out with something for everyone.

The Labyrinth maze is grown every year with a different theme and is available from July until September.  This year’s maze covers Dinosaurs and Pre History. Take a pen and your guide to solve the puzzles and mysteries.

Spend a pleasant day, without worrying about your meal, the Laby’Parc offers snack’s sandwiches, chips, burgers, salads, waffles, pancakes, ice cream and drinks.

Laby Parc-Map Le Touquet

Some Fun Things To Enjoy

INFLATABLE STRUCTURES
Jump, move and laugh. Activity reserved for children up to 12 years old. Unlimited duration

THE LABY’KART
Pedal kart tracks for children and adults, to race and have fun.

THE LABY’BOIS
A labyrinth in wood fences covering 1500m ² in which you will have to find terminals to punch and solve 6 riddles, in order to try to open a safe. Accessible to everyone. Average time: 45min

THE TRAMPOLINE CAGE
32m² of trampoline nets to jump to the stars.  Average duration: 10 minutes.

THE STREET FOREST
A metal structure containing an assault course 2m from the ground. With 24 workshops, visitors measuring at least 1 meter and weighing up to 80 kg can discover the joys of high-altitude courses in complete safety. Shoes type sneakers MANDATORY. Average duration: unlimited

THE LABY’MAÏS
35000m² of  Plant labyrinth on a different theme every year. Find the code of the safe to solve the puzzle. Duration: 1h30

THE MINI GOLF 9 TRACKS
Mini golf course with 9 tracks. Accessible to everyone

THE LABY’OUISTITI
Mini obstacle course 30cm from the ground. Only for children from 1m to 1m20. Unlimited duration

The XTREME JUMP
Do you dare to drop from 6m high into the void? Jump from a height onto a huge trampoline. Accessible to children from 1m20 and adults. Unlimited duration

ACRO-SPIDER
A ropes course 6m from the ground with net. Accessible to children from 1m20 and adults up to 95 kilos. Unlimited duration

Open from April 14th , 2018 for fun and adventures.
LABY’PARC OF LE TOUQUET
Road of Etaples
62170 ST-JOSSE
Tel: 06.15.60.31.66 or 06.52.65.78.53

An Afternoon Out in Le Touquet

Light House - Le Touquet

Visit the Le Touquet Lighthouse (Le Phare) for a great afternoon out.

Come and feel the breeze and the cleanness of air as your eyes wander the amazing panorama before you. With 274 steps it’s a challenging climb but perfect for tiring the children out.  The view from the inland lighthouse is stunning and it is definitely one of the top selfie spots in Le Touquet.  Also known as the Canche lighthouse it’s impressive structure of 57.6 meters has guarded the Canche Estuary since 1949.

From the top of the Lighthouse with good visibility you can expect to see the bay of Canche with the Norman cliffs,  the ramparts of the city of Montreuil and, the wooded dunes of the Opal Coast.

On a clear day looking Northwest from the viewing point you can see England and the White Cliffs of Dover approximately 70Km away.

For such a dominating light across Le Touquet you would expect a very powerful bulb. However each lamp is only 250 Watts giving a range of up to 25 nautical miles.
The optical lenses used today were recovered from the lighthouses war damaged predecessor dating from 1900.

Le Touquet Lighthouse

Le Touquet Lighthouse Le Phare - FAQ

Where is it?
407 Avenue des Phares –  Le Touquet-Paris-Plage

Are there any restrictions on the number of people in each visit?
The maximum per visit is 18.

Do my children need to be a certain height to go up?
No but there is an age limit of 6.

How long does the guided tour take – About 1 Hour

When Is it Open?
Closed Mondays
Every day from 14h00 to 18h00
Visiting hours: 14:00, 15:00, 16:00 and 17:00.

How much does it cost?
Rates (guided tour: lighthouse + Maison des Phares): 
Adult: 5 € 
Child / student: 3 € 
Pass-family (2 adults + 2 children): 13 € (3 € per next child) 
Combined lighthouse / museum visit: 7 € / person 

Group without reservation (from 10 people): 
adult: € 4.50 – child: € 2.70 Groups are formed in the order of arrival of visitors.

The tour also includes a visit to the house of the old lighthouse keepers. Formally office accommodation, this museum provides a fascinating insight into Le Touquet and the history of the lighthouse.

There is also a selection of historical photo’s in the Light house garden that show interesting aspects of Le Touquet through the years.

LeTouquet Postcard
LeTouquet Postcard
LeTouquet Postcard

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Places to See and Things To Do in Le Touquet

Le Touquet Newsletter

Going on Holiday In Le Touquet?

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Etaples Cemetery – Visit War Graves Close to Le Touquet

Etaples Military Cemetery

L’Opale Villa provides an excellent base if you wish to visit some of the historic sites of “The Great War”. The Somme is about 45 minutes away, Arras a little more, and Ypres about an hour and a half.  In Montreuil-sur-Mer, 25 minutes drive, there is a famous equestrian statue of Sir Douglas Haig.
ETAPLES MILITARY CEMETERY Pas de Calais, is the closest site of historic interest being approximately 15 minutes drive from Le Touquet. The largest of its kind in France, it overlooks the Canche Estuary on the Boulogne road as you leave Etaples.

Etaples cemetery, was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens famous for the design of numerous country houses in England. The cemetery contains 10,769 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, and some 119 Second World War burials. As a reminder of the huge loss of life on both sides Etaples Military Cemetery also contains 658 German burials.

Notable burials or memorials include:

Private Jim Bonella, Australian Machine Gun Corps
Brigadier Edgar William Cox, DSO, FRGS, General Staff.
Lieutenant Colonel William Robert Aufrere Dawson DSO, Royal West Kent Regiment
Captain Noel Forbes Humphreys, Tank Corps
Major Douglas Reynolds, VC, Royal Field Artillery.

During the First World War, the area around Etaples was the scene of huge concentrations of British soldiers destined for the western front. In 1917, 100,000 troops were camped among the sand dunes. The town became a giant hospital with a number of facilities established by the Australians, New Zealanders and British. Typically up to 22000 men could be treated for their injuries.
Other local historical sites of interest.
La Coupole- A Second World War museum with presentations in English. It is located in St Omer.

Rallye Automobile – Le Touquet

Rally Car Le Touquet Rally

When: 15th - 17th March

The 2018, 58th Rally of Le Touquet is almost here. Eighty two competitors are already registered for what promises to be an exciting 3 days. The rally is the 1st round of the French championships and is always a great way to start the season. With the addition of the Junior and Renault Clio R3 trophy it should be fantastic.

The roads are characteristic of the Pas de Calais region, dust or mud according to the weather. Drivers experience both narrow and fast roads with some particularly impressive big jumps. The stages are generally short 13 – 15km and some take place on Friday night.
Popular sections of the race for spectators are located at Clenleu , Bourthes, Camiers, or Beussent and of course the beachfront event in Le Touquet. The Rallye Automobile Le Touquet is a popular event with around 100,000 attending over the 3 days depending on the weather.
Its a popular friendly atmosphere so go along and enjoy the race.

Frenchman Éric Brunson last years 4 times winner is a favorite this year.

Le Touquet Rally 2018

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