Spacious holiday farmhouse/cottage ideally located in Inxent, Nord Pas de Calais, for attractions such as the golf courses, beaches, boutiques & casinos of Le Touquet, Citi Europe, Boulogne, Nausicaa, Picardy & the Somme Estuary with its famous beaches. L'Abbey de Valoise & gardens are nearby.
Inxent is in the Valley de la Course. The Auberge d'Inxent is a 2 minute walk and you can visit an equestrian centre for horse riding just round the corner. Other than that, it has a church, town hall & houses, many with beautifully kept gardens. Montreuil-sur-Mer, an old fortified town that centuries ago was a sea port, is our nearest town. You can walk the ramparts and stroll cobbled streets with a multitude of bars, cafes and good restaurants to choose from. Outside the town are the main supermarkets, all just a short drive from the house.
Food & Drink!!
One of the great things to do in France is to eat out and in our region you are spoiled for choice.
You may want to splash out on a Michelin starred restaurant such as the Auberge de le Grenouilliere in La Madelaine-sous-Montreuil, Le Chateau or Le Jeraboam, (in the Hermitage Hotel), in Montreuil sur Mer or slightly further afield in Le Touquet, The Westminster or the Swiss House.
Alternatively you might prefer something more traditional such as L'Auberge de Cormont in Cormont, (10 mins away on the other side of the D901), which is set on a working farm, or Le Moulin in Bournonville, just outside of Devres:- very rustic and hefty portions!!
A few hundred yards from our front door is the Auberge d'Inxent, very friendly and welcomes children. They serve good food and have an exceptionally good wine list.
Other than those mentioned here, there are many good places to eat and drink in the area ranging from small local cafes to elegant restaurants.
Buying food locally
If the weather is fine, it is nice to eat at the house. As well as the kitchen there are BBQs in the garden.
Attin, next to Montreuil, has supermarkets selling most things you may need. However, you could visit some of the local markets, heaped with regional produce, a pleasure to walk round.
Maybe you like sea food, in which case a short drive to Etaples, (next to Le Touquet), would pay dividends as they have some of the best fish markets in France.
For meat, veg, watercress,(Cresson), fruit, honey and cheese, (miel & fromage), you have only to drive around the small roads along and around the valley to see signs where you can buy direct from the producer.
For chocolate, some of the very best is made right on our doorstep in the Choclaterie de Beussent, (go out the front door, turn right and carry on about a mile - it's on the right). Fantastic!
Golf, theme & amusement parks & steam train
There are excellent golf courses in this part of France. Competition standard St Omer is about 35 minutes by car, but other well known golf courses close by are Le Touquet, Hardelot and Wimereux.
The children's amusement theme park Dennlys Park is at Dennebroeucq about 40 minutes from Inxent & Bagatelle amusement park at Berck Plage is only a short drive away.
Catch the Vallée de l'Aa steam train at St Omer to Lumbres and back then spend the day around the old town and canal area. The region's most visited attraction is the marine world Nausicaa at Boulogne, 30 minutes drive.
War Graves & historic sites
Mon Desir is ideally located for those interested in war graves, historic sites & military history. Agincourt and Crecy are very close. Arras, Vimy, Bethune, the Somme, Albert and many others can be visited easily. At Etaples, a working fishing port across the bridge from Le Touquet, there is a beatifully maintained graveyard and there are still concrete WW2 gun emplacements in the forest.
Boulogne & surrounding area
Many people think of Boulogne simply as a port of entry and somewhere to drive straight through en route south. However, this is a mistake as it is a vibrant interesting area with all sorts of discoveries waiting to be made.
Boulogne: as well as the port and marina there is a large shopping area running up the hill towards the Haute Ville, the Old Town, a maze of small roads and walkways full of restaurants, bars, antique shops and old houses. The Cathedral of Notre Dame dominates the Old Town and looks out over Boulogne. Inside, it has the 2nd largest dome in Europe and is well worth a visit as is the old chateau, (which is now a museum).
Outside of Boulogne are the hypermarkets, Citi Europe and the Designer Outlet. There are all types of shops where you can get the latest fashion wear, furniture, bedding etc. At Carrefour & Tesco, in Citi Europe, there is a vast choice of wines/spirits & beers from around the world. There is another huge selection at Auchan in Boulogne St. Martin.
Le Touquet is close by, a bustling trendy town full of boutiques, bars and restaurants plus a fabulous beach & Aqualud water park. On the outskirts are the golf courses