Domaine du Groene Veld

While roaming around the rural surrounds, it’s a fine idea to plan stops in Bergues (a fortified town with an ancient abbey, ramparts and bell tower) and Cassel (for another hint of Dutch influence at the wooden windmill and cobbled main square) – both are 15 minutes' drive away. You’re likely to want to a good chunk of time over at the coast, too: there are sandy beaches at Bray-Dunes (half an hour) and de Panne (35 minutes) and also around Dunkirk (25 minutes) – which has a zoo and several museums to mix things up a bit too. Turn away from the sea and there are more water-based days out around Saint-Omer (25 minutes), launching point for boat trips in the surrounding salt marshes. Venturing over the border to Ypres (40 minutes) is bound to be a moving experience – the site of some of World War I’s darkest battles is now home to In Flanders Fields Museum and several memorials; stick around until 8pm if you can, to hear the Last Post being played (as it has been every evening since 1928).