Intro:
Some time ago we bought the topoguide GR 128 Wissant – Kemmel (French-Flanders), obviously with the intention to hike this trail one day.
February 14th, 2009 was that day. We hiked the first part of the trail, and believe it or not, with a Mont de Couple (the Couples Mountain) our Valentine day couldn't get any better.
Back and forth:
This time we didn't use public transport to get us to our starting point. We found a willing father to get us from Nieuwpoort to Wissant by car. The ride took about one hour.
At night we found a B&B in Bonningues-les-Calais from where we could continue our hike the next day.
(provisioning: none, unless you want to deviate slightly from the trail to walk into a village or a hamlet where maybe you'll be lucky enough to find an open shop)
The weatherman had forecasted a beautiful Valentine day, sunny with temperatures around 5° Celcius. Perfect hiking weather. On our way to Wissant it looked as if he had been right, but on the horizon, in the direction we were heading to, we noticed a worrying line of dark clouds. And yes, from Calais we drove under a closed sky. During the rest of the day, from time to time the sun came peeping through the clouds, but overall it remained grey. We were happy we didn't get any rain.
Wissant is nicely situated on the coast (Côte d'Opale) between Cap Gris Nez and Cap Blanc Nez. No high buildings here, only normal family houses, a cozy center and almost completely deserted beaches.
We started our trip with a coffee in the only tavern on the beach that opened its doors around 10.00 am. We saw for ourselves that the White Cliffs of Dover were indeed visible from here. A little line of sun over the english coast made a nice contrast between the white cliffs and the almost black sea and clouds. A nice view to start with. What wasn't so nice was the price we had to pay for our 'big' coffee. 'Big' is interpreted as 'double' here, so we had to pay double too: 3 Euro.
The hike doesn't start on the beach, but at the Place Général de Gaulle near the townhall and the church. That meant walking up through the narrow streets. At the square there's a Syndicat d’Initiative (Tourist Office) where we kindly received a list of all possible tourist accomodation in the region. A few phone calls later we knew where to stay that night. All we had to do is go up there.
The trail immediately leads us away from the coast. Wissant soon lies behind us and we are confronted with a wide open and hilly landscape. For quite some time the GR 128 trail coincides with the french GRP 120, a loop of 120 km. through the hinterland of Boulogne. The GR 120 trail is known as the Tour du Boulonnais and is signposted with yellow-red markings. According to our topoguide the white-red signs of the GR 128 would also be visible everywhere, but more often than not that was clearly not the case. We were happy to have the Tour du Boulonnais to cling to.
7 km. later we find ourselves on top of the Mont de Couple, at 162 m. above sea level and thus considerably higher then the 2 Caps that lie in front of us. The views on the region and over the sea with in the distance the cliffs of Dover are impressive. It's a (positive) miracle that this place can't be reached by car. We're all alone with the orientation table showing us even where to look for St-Petersburg, Nice and Rome.
After this first solid climb we were completely in the mood for the rest of the hike. Constantly going up and down we're heading back towards the coastline, but instead of reaching it, we stay on a parallel road at about 1 km. from it. We come along some hamlets (Sombre, Haute-Escalles), walk behind Cap Blanc Nez and arrive close to Sangatte, the little coast place where the Chunnel starts its undersea's journey. We're on the edge of the Fond de la Forge, some humble chalk-cliffs separating the lowland plain of Sangatte from the higher hinterland. Up to now our hike has progressed almost exclusively over dirt roads. Sadly enough there don't seem to be any restrictions here on the use of those monstrous 4x4 vehicles. The result is that some parts of the hiking path have been turned into almost inaccessible mud pools. Near the Fond de la Gorge we can admire some guys that are proudly manouvering their steel horses in the midst of enormous mud spraying. We nod a meek hello at these superior earthlings as they quietly go on destroying nature from within their leather seats. A sad and painful sight ...
We're approaching the enormous highway and railway complex that gives access to the Eurotunnel. A few kilometers further lies Calais. The GR 128 trail can only turn inland. We walk by the little village Peuplingues and arrive at the A16 highway. The trail follows the highway in the direction of Boulogne and crosses it at the Bonningues-les-Calais exit. The last mile we follow the rising asphalt road leading us to the center of this village.
In Bonningues there's one café / shop. No restaurant, no snackbar. However, we were lucky that a mobile pizza stall visited the place that night, right in front of the café. We were allowed to eat the pizza inside the café, with a nice bottle of wine we could buy in the shop nextdoor. What a difference between this quiet rural place and tourist-focussed Wissant. The bottle of wine cost us just a little more then the coffee: 3,5 Euro … How long will this still be possible?
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