Côte d'Opale (Opal Coast)

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Côte d'Opale (Opal Coast)

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A short section of the Opal Coast This coastline was named by the Impressionists, who were enthralled by the quality of the light. © Philippe Turpin / Age Fotostock

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This stretch of English Channel and North Sea coastline was given its name by the impressionists, who saw in its changing and peculiar light the iridescent bluish highlights of the precious stone of the same name. However, the Côte d'Opale has not always existed.
10,000 years ago, a huge channel made it possible to cross the North Sea and the Channel, and it was only some 2,000 years before the birth of Christ that the gradually rising sea reached its current level.
The Nord-Pas-de-Calais coastline is a varied stretch of landscape, with the famous cliffs of Cap Blanc-Nez (433 ft), Cap Gris-Nez (164 ft) and long fine sand beaches broken only by the bays of Conche, Authie and the Somme.
In the spring and autumn, the landscape fills up with hikers who come here to admire the coastal scenery.
Visitors also come all year round to make the most of the relief and climatic advantages of the region to practice two particular passions: sand -yachting and kite-flying (an International Kite Festival is held every spring at Berck sur Mer).