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Regional
Nature Park: |
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Quiet hills and miles of
beaches The park contains beautiful downland hills and valleys,
and a spectacular natural coastline with miles of cliffs,
wide sandy beaches, sand-dunes and marshes. There are a
variety of reserves preserving valuable habitats and their
wildlife. Exploring the nature park Cap Gris-Nez, a bird-watchers
paradise Gannets, sterns, skuas, puffins as well as wading birds
large and small, sea ducks and penguins fly past the Cap
from mid-August to mid-November. Later, at the first signs
of approaching cold in the North, you can spot the loons,
geese and ducks as they flee to the warm south. |
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Old industries Heritage of traditional farming This is an area of dairy farming, and a few farmers are now reviving traditional arts of cheese-making. |
 Marble quarries near Marquise |
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Fields were traditionally enclosed with hedges to keep the stock from wandering - first by monks who cleared the old forests leaving small woods and developing the craft of weaving dense hedges from woodland saplings. When this area became French from the 16th century, royal edicts allowed farmers and landowners to enclose more fields, with the planting of new hedgerows. Now the Park runs a tour (starting from Desvres) across the heart of the Boulonnais "copse land" past typical sheltered 17th century manors and whitewashed farmhouses. For over a century, flavoursome strawberries have been
cultivated on the warmer sandy soils around Samer, where you
buy them fresh May-August, or take away delicious
fruit-packed jams. |
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    Cheese-making on the farm at Wierre-Effroy. Farm-bottles cider. Sausages made from local foie-gras from specially-fattened geese; strawberries from Samer. |
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"A Stroll through the Nature Park" - illustrated booklet to download |
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© Copyright Parc naturel régional des Caps et Marais Opale This page features the coast between Calais and Boulogne, where the Park has worked hard to protect the environment and wildlife, and to improve access for everyone, with footpaths and cycle routes, as well as information- just one of 16 pages in the booklet. |
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The Park has produced this lovely booklet of sketches and notes by the talented artist Michel Kokot. With handwritten notes in English, he takes you on a stroll through the varied natural, cultural and scenic heritage of the Regional Nature Park. You'll see just how much there is to explore. |
Kokot vividly captures the landscapes of the Park: the mists over the marshes, the chalk valleys of the rivers Aa and Hem, the wooded countryside around Boulogne region, and the magnificent coast… |
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...or see more Park publications here: http://www.parc-opale.fr/bibliotheque.asp?rub=1 |
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Weblink: |
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Background
information |
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Other nature parks: |
Exploring
farm-producers in the park: |
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Places to
visit in the park: |
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Desvres |