What to do the day after the wedding of the century?

At two thirds strength, the youngest member having succumbed to a harsh 12-hour Polish-liqueur induced wedding flu along with most of the other young people who attended the Wedding of the Century the previous day, Team Beck decided it might be a good day to tour the local surroundings.

For insights into our adventures on Days 1 through 7, have a look at the posts listed at the end of this article.

Why not take a drive?

All and sundry had told us that Le Touquet was the equivalent to Nice on the Côte d’Opale, on this stretch of coastline considered the Côte d’Azur of northern France.

Well, not too far

By now we were pros at roundabouting, and Le Touquet is just over 18km, around half an hour on the D940, a coastal road with many roundabouts but no views of the sea, just a wide corridor rimmed with low, lush coastal vegetation.

Wending our way around the last roundabout into town

Driving into Le Touquet, the first impression was of a town where people go to live to be healthy. Expansive lawns, beautiful but not ostentatious gardens, wide and beautifully maintained roads, wide and beautifully maintained pedestrian/canine walkways and bicycle paths, and a lot of mature trees give a sense of genteel calm. There seemed to be many paths into the woods and it looked like a town where dogs take their humans for walks. There was plenty of canine activity, and they all looked happy to be promenading along the manicured avenues.

Windy!

We parked in a beach parking lot and were nearly knocked over by the wind when we got out of the car. For August, it was pretty chilly and our thoughts turned from cold beers to hot cappuccinos and extra jackets within seconds. However, we were rewarded with this expansive view which got our walking bug going.

Look right:

Check out that glass pyramid in the far distance. The Louvre!

Look left:

Look right again....

Here’s a bad full panorama I made by stitching those two photos together for you – even though it’s technically, er, flawed, it gives you an idea of how long the beach is and how many were out enjoying the wind, sun and surf.

The beach has many different ways of keeping families entertained, and this pyramid seemed to be quite a centrepiece. We didn't check it out, so I can't tell you what it is, but it's certainly a landmark along the beach. That's the building you can just see at the far right of the "look right" photo.

We walked past colourful changing cabins and play areas for under-10s, getting battered by the wind all the way. Eventually @kiligirl lost her patience with the wind and getting sand in her teeth, so @tim-beck mercifully agreed it was time to seek shelter from the elements. We headed away from the beach and into the town.

Walkabout

As we walked away from the beach into the relative protection of the beachside highrises and town-centre lowrises, we realised the town was crawling with British tourists. Some of the main streets were closed to vehicular traffic, and there was a festival atmosphere as tourists crammed the roads, popping in and out of pubs, chocolatiers and high end shops.

We walked around the old town for a while, drinking in the charming northern French architecture.

We checked out a couple of cool buildings, and...

Look at the sidewalk in front of that building. Le Touquet is full of details like that, which give it a "much-loved" feel.

...we found the market, which bustles and thrives on Saturdays.

This was a Thursday.

Don't look for any merchandise in that market. There's nothing there. Nada. Not a feesh. Eet was empty.

Well, what next?

Team Beck got serious about the goal of replenishing our fluids. After all, our cells had taken somewhat of a beating at the grand event yesterday, and even with our years of training we were in a somewhat weakened state (although not as weak as the twenty-somethings!). In a marathon such as the Beck Trek, it’s important to know when to conserve and when to expend energy.

Warmer

Therefore beer and wine, at a sheltered pub table, drenched in sunlight. Aaaah....

Oh, it's finished.

Welcome meal in Hardelot, to finish off a perfect day

We drove back along the same route we had come from Hardelot, marvelling as we so often do at how different the same route looks going the other way.

We reunited with the third member of our tribe (now nearly recovered) back at the hotel, Googled “restaurants in Hardelot”, found the delightful Côte Rôtie near the beach in Hardelot, and enjoyed a peaceful evening of great food, wonderful wine and delightful atmosphere at this special place recently started by a young French couple.

Here Emma captured @kiligirl and @tim-beck through the restaurant window.

A funky place, complete with adorable bulldog pup (which unfortunately you can't see, but he entertained us for the whole evening).

And isn't that a happy Beck mit Affligem?

What would a travel post be without pictures of food?

Frogs' legs! We were in France. I had to.

@kiligirl's seared tuna with sweet potato mousse was the bee's knees at restoring any flagging strength, and @tim-beck enjoyed his, ummm, his...oh dear, I can't remember now.

Mmmmm...sea bass for Emma.

Winding down for the evening

The intrepid and knowledgeable waitress (that speeding person behind Emma's head) gamely engaged in English conversation with the Team Beck contingent of origine sud-africaine, so at least they were reasonably confident this time that they knew what they were eating.

Wait - there's even a South African connection

In conversation with the husband, we quickly discovered that – of course – he had a South African connection, through sea-kayaking. Scratch a traveller, and you’ll probably find they have a South African link somewhere in their not too distant past.

Images by @kiligirl, @tim-beck and Emma Beck.

Team South Africa banner designed by @bearone

Day 8 - Team Beck does a bit of rest and restoration in Le Touquet and Hardelot