How to do a UK and France beach holiday in one trip – with just a 35-minute train journey
LOOKING for an affordable break in the summer holidays, my family couldn’t decide whether to stay in the UK or go abroad.
And we were torn between a road trip and just staying in one place.
The solution, it turns out, is to do both.
Two mini-breaks, one either side of the English Channel, linked by a quick flit on the Eurotunnel.
The Marlie Holiday Park in New Romney, Kent, is the first leg on this cross-Channel adventure.
For the grown-ups, the appeal here is in the platinum lodges.
This two-bedroom accommodation is big enough to have an en-suite bath-room in the main room, has surprisingly spacious living areas and an outdoor deck for a glass of wine after the kids have gone to bed.
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For the children, room to stretch out is a secondary consideration to the activity list.
Segway hire, ceramic painting, go-karts and hand painting are all on the menu, and the indoor pool is gleefully splashed in.
The real joy, though, comes from exploring the nearby Kent coast.
The Romney Marsh Nature Reserve is right next to the park, and a looping walking trail here sets the girls off in search of nature.
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They start spotting signs of life, such as big holes in the ground leading to burrows. And, even when no bunnies appear, the girls are mesmerised by the swooping butterflies.
A few minutes away, Dymchurch Beach provides a sandy treat.
Shameless bribery is required to get the girls to leave after a long afternoon jumping waves.
But the surprise highlight is Dungeness. There’s an end-of-the-world feel to this ultra-flat, marshy landscape.
It is sprinkled with wooden huts — the sort you can imagine white-bearded fishermen living in.
The best views come from the top of the black-painted lighthouse.
It’s 169 steps to the top, and the girls fly up them with gusto.
From the top, we look out at the Channel we’ll be crossing the next day.
We’d opted for a quick trip on the Eurotunnel, just 35 minutes to France, but do allow extra time to check in and go through passport control — at least two hours is sensible.
However, the ease of the journey was perfect for our short escape.
The area around Calais is often seen as somewhere to whizz through on the way to somewhere else. But it’s a region of pretty little villages, woodland and terrific coastal scenery.
Our home here is Camping La Bien Assise in the dainty town of Guînes, just 40 minutes’ drive from the Eurotunnel terminal.
The three-bedroom mobile homes are a much tighter squeeze than our lodge in Kent, but most time is spent outside on the decking.
Or, in the girls’ case, repeatedly zooming down the water slide into the pool.
Ironically, the best sight in the Calais region is . . . England.
This isn’t entirely fair on Cap Gris-Nez, however. This rocky headland has great views in all directions. There’s also educational signposting on the birds and marine life.
But Cap Gris-Nez just happens to be the closest point in France to England.
And the girls are stunned to see the white cliffs of Dover on the other side of the water.
The biggest attraction here is Nausicaá, in Boulogne-sur-mer, which boasts that it’s the biggest aquarium in Europe. Go early to avoid parking hell.
Our happy place ends up being a couple of miles to the north, however.
The seaside town of Wimereux has colourful, eccentric buildings and a string of cafés along the waterfront.
Most importantly, it has a walled-off pool in the sea, fed by the tides.
This proves perfect for swimming in without having to worry about Channel currents.
The girls chase each other around in the water, playing some incom-prehensible game about crocodiles and mermaids.
They don’t realise how far they’re swimming in the process, and it’s magical to see two novice swimmers forgetting all nervousness in the water.
By the end of a week on either side of it, we’ve learned that the English Channel isn’t just something to be crossed. It’s a playground to be enjoyed.
GO: Channel twin centre
GETTING THERE: Eurotunnel tickets are from £87 per vehicle with up to nine passengers each way for a Short Stay Saver ticket. See eurotunnel.com.
STAYING THERE: Four nights’ self-catering in a Platinum lodge at Park Holidays’ Marlie Holiday Park is from £299, based on four sharing.
See parkholidays.com. Four nights’ self-catering in a mobile home at Camping La Bien Assise near Calais from £184.80 with Vacanceselect.
See vacanceselect.com.