Opal Coast, a coastline renown for its soft light
The Opal Coast takes its name from the precious stone whose soft colours it shares.
Opals are indeed renowned for their opalescence, fluorescence, and iridescence, which give them a unique pearly lustre.
Renowned artists such as Monet, Manet, and Boudin were captivated by the soft, opalescent light reflected off the chalk cliffs and dunes of this coastline.
Similarly, the writer and painter from Le Touquet, Édouard Lévêque, also found inspiration in this singular luminosity. This naturally led him, in February 1911, to officially name the coastal region extending from Equihen-Plage, south of Boulogne-sur-Mer, to Le Crotoy in the Baie de Somme the Côte d’Opale.
Opal Coast boundaries
The name Côte d’Opale encompasses the 120 kilometres of coastline stretching from Dunkirk, near the Belgian border, to Mers-les-Bains, at the mouth of the Bresle River. However, defining the geographical boundaries of this coastline has been a subject of controversy, with some including inland towns.
The northern part of the Opal Coast, located north of Dunkirk, is also known as the Dunes of Flanders or the Côte des Dunes de Flandres. Boulogne-sur-Mer is considered the capital of the Opal Coast, while the upscale seaside resort of Le Touquet-Paris-Plage is often called the Pearl of the Opal Coast.
Characterised by a diverse landscape of sandy and pebbly beaches, dunes, marshes, and estuaries, the Opal Coast is world-renowned for its spectacular white chalk cliffs between Calais and Boulogne, reminiscent of the famous White Cliffs of Dover. The coast’s landmarks are the 132-meter high Cap Blanc-Nez, in the community of Escalles, about 10 kilometres south of Calais, and the 49-meter high Cap Gris-Nez, the closest point of French land to the English coast. Cap Gris-Nez is located 15 kilometres north of Boulogne-sur-Mer.
Opal Coast’s rankings
The Site des Deux Caps – Two Capes Site was designated a Site Essentiel de la Côte d’Opale in 1987, and elevated to the status of a Grand Site de France in 2011.
The inland coastline is a marshy area offering a great diversity of landscapes and natural habitats. Among these are the Réserve Naturelle de la Baie de Canche – Canche Bay Nature Reserve and the Baie d’Authie (Bay), which are among the many nature reserves established along the Opal Coast.
Just a few hours by car or train from Paris, the Côte d’Opales is a popular destination for weekend getaways and holidays, particularly for Parisians seeking tranquillity away from the hustle and bustle of the city. With its mild winters and cool summers, characteristic of an oceanic climate, it also offers an attractive alternative to the crowded and stifling beaches of the French Riviera.
Department of Pas-de-Calais
Coordinates Le Touquet: Lat 50.521276 – Long 1.590675
Photo via Wikimedia Commons: Coastline at Wimereux by Marc Ryckaert (MJJR) CC BY 3.0
