Camping Les Dondaines

Set forth for the seaside – it’s a 25-minute drive from the site to Grand-Fort-Philippe for strolls among the sand dunes, fishing from its harbour piers and nature walks in the Platier D’Oye Nature Reserve. If you’ve not been lucky with your wildlife sightings, you’re guaranteed to spot animals a few minutes further along at Fort-Mardyck zoo. Dunkirk (25 minutes’ drive) is a place that cemented its role in history during World War II, and that piece of the past is suitably commemorated at the Dunkirk 1940 Museum; the museum tells the eye-opening story of the evacuation of more than 300,000 soldiers through exhibits, models and film reels. If you need a bit of quiet contemplation after that, head over the road to the contemporary art museum or leave the town behind to paddle a boat through the peaceful Audomarois marshes 15 minutes away. You’re only 30 kilometres from the Belgian border here too, so you can zip over there in half an hour or so to feast on waffles and beer or take the kids to popular Plopsaland amusement park.