Pull up at Nord-Pas-de-Calais

Usually they race through by car. On their way to the sunny south many holidaymakers pass by single-mindedly and are blind to the possibilities nearby. The golfing holidaymaker on the other hand looks for great golf opportunities abroad that are not too far away. Nord-Pas-de-Calais, all the way up north in France, is one of those places you usually race through. Every golfer should step on the brakes here.

France has a wide variety of golf courses. Majestic and aristocratic courses with a long history, that look like they walked right out of a picture, and new courses that already make a fully-grown impression. Golfing in this part of France is not hard. .onbekende foto-: 151 There are hardly any differences in height. Dunkirk golf in the far north of this region is a beautifully designed parkland course. In play, the golfer encounters fortified walls, defense towers and numerous water hazards. For many golfers this is a negative, but just put up with it and enjoy the magnificent course with a large variety of flora and fauna and –last but not least- very friendly staff. Dunkirk Golf is being expanded with nine holes.
The Logis de France hotelL'Hirondelle located on the Avenue Faidherbe in Dunkirk is a great operating base when you want to play golf in this part of the area. Price per room starts at € 60; staying here is especially recommended because of the restaurant’s delicious cuisine.

Les Miserables

Golf Les Pins and Golf Les Dunes are situated near Hardelot, further south in Pas-de-Calais. Les Pins is almost 100 years old. Les Dunes is only 15 years old, but as far as playing is concerned it measures up to the elderly neighbor. The course’s countryside has a lot of variety and each hole on Les Dunes is a challenge. Contrary to the north of Nord-Pas-de-Calais the area is somewhat hillier, but the differences in height are easy to manage.
Les Dunes and Les Pines are part of the Opengolfclub. Opengolfclub offers an overview of all kinds of accommodations and attractive special offers.

onbekende foto-: 155The picturesque fortress town Montreuil-sur-Mer is home to the hotelCoq hotel with the excellent restaurant Cocquempot. A new part was added to the hotel in 2005; it features excellent rooms and the prices start at € 95 per night. It is definitely worthwhile to roam around Montreuill-sur-Mer. The town is also known as the Carcasonne of the north. The association with the southern fortified city was not in the least inspired by the well-preserved and restored town ramparts and citadel. However, the town owes most of its fame to Victor Hugo, who wrote Les Miserables here. This famous play is staged every summer, at the end of July, the beginning of August, accompanied by a sound and lightshow. The performance usually starts around 10.30 pm and lasts about an hour and a half. Hopefully this is not too late for golfers who like to tee off at the crack of dawn and the short night’s rest will not be the cause of a poor game of golf.

Logis de France

onbekende foto-: 153Worth visiting is the site of Logis de France for good accommodations near golf courses. About 3,200 hotel-restaurants are associated with this hotel chain. These hotels all have neat and tidy rooms and the price/quality ratio is good. In addition, often the hotels have excellent restaurants. Many Logis de France hotels can be found in Nord-Pas-De-Calais.
Logis de France does not publish a dedicated golf hotel guide any more, unfortunately. The website www.logisdefrance.com however, gives an overview of golf courses near hotels.

Smugglers’ route

Nord-Pas-de-Calais offers many other challenges next to golf. All sorts of interesting cycle routes are plotted through the region’s beautiful countryside. Several hotels offer packages that include both golfing and cycling. For instance Logis de France hotel des Acacias, located in Neuville-enFerrain, close to the Belgian border. The hotel’s proprietor (who speaks Dutch as well) plotted some very nice cycle routes, among which a smugglers’ route that takes you along and across the Belgian border.
About eight golf courses are located in the vicinity of the hotel. Golf de Bodues is the one best known. This 36 hole course is very popular with the Dutch. We even met Dutch people who have a membership here.