Le Crotoy

Le Crotoy is situated on the D143 and D71 crossroads, on the estuary of the river Somme, some 10 miles northwest of Abbeville.
Today, the town is a lively seaside resort whose beach is undoubtedly one of its main assets. It also benefits from the proximity of Marquentera (Park of Marquenterre), an area of natural beauty, with lakes, marshes and a rich flora and fauna.
The beach is highly unusual for northern French beaches in that it faces south.
In terms of wildlife the bay supports a population of seals and shags.

[edit] Places of interest

The preserved railway, the Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme
Le port and town of Crotoy

[edit] Activities

There are numerous restaurants in the village and it is well equipped with shops and a petrol station. Bed & breakfast accommodation is also available.
Le Crotoy is one terminus of the narrow gauge "Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme" (Somme Bay Railway), which is now largely a tourist attraction. Running around the entire length of the bay, this railway connects Le Crotoy with Noyelles-sur-Mer, Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, and Cayeux-sur-Mer and the sands at Brighton Plage.
Main line trains to Paris take about 2 hours and cost about 48Euro return for an adult. They run from the nearby (15 mins by car) station of Noyelles-sur-Mer, which is also a station on the "Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme" narrow gauge railway.

The bay of the river Somme has interesting tides in that they are both fast and have a high rise and fall. At low tide it is possible to walk across the sand and mud flats from Le Crotoy to Saint-Valery-sur-Somme. Care needs to be taken as the tides come in very quickly.

[edit] Occupations

Fishing predominates, both for seafish and shellfish (mostly cockles and mussels) and from the coastal saltmarshes, samphire and sea-aster. Hunting and shooting, for both game and wildfowl provides food for locals and visitors alike. Sheep-rearing, on salty pastures, produces a unique flavour. The sheep of the Somme bay have been credited ‘appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC)’ .

[edit] People linked with the town

Le Crotoy has had lengthy visits from some famous figures of French history: Joan of Arc (who was imprisoned there), Jules Verne (who wrote 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea here), the perfumer Guerlain, the painter Toulouse-Lautrec, and the novelist Colette.