Day trip: Le Touquet, Abbeville or Eu Mer, which to choose?

[Aussie Andy]

Hi guys,

Planning a day-trip to France with my mate Alex in his Arrow (or maybe Warrior) from Shoreham on Saturday week, weather permitting!

I have flown in France before, but never been to Le Touquet. But then, everyone seems to go there, so am wondering about other airfields in spitting distance.

Would be interested to hear from others who may have an opinion re- most fun place to head to, and get a decent lunch at, for this trip.

If you care to vote, use the buttons. Any comments much appreciated.


Best,


Andy

P.S. I now see I spelled "Eu Mers" wrong in the poll.. apologies to our French friends!

[Lowtimer]

Lots of good food at Abbeville, and it's only about half an hour further on than Le Touquet. It's all available within the boundaries of the aerodrome - the restaurant on site, attached to a motel, is very good indeed, and reasonably priced. Makes a good overnight stop if you want to come back next day, but don't want to mess about with hire cars.

[Gerry Actrick]

Le Touquet needs a taxi into town, but worth it. Abbeville, you can eat in (almost) on site restaurant and motel mentioned by lowtimer (spent 3 days there in the rain) but you need to think about customs.

Le T, big with fuel and radio and stuff, you'll be lucky to get radio at Abbeville. There is fuel, if you can find the man.

I'd go for Le T.
Gerry

[Keef]

Eu and Abbeville don't have resident Customs, so you need either to arrange Customs, or to stop off at a Customs airfield on arrival.

If you've never been to Le Touq, it's worth a visit. The restaurant on site (L'Escale) is not bad. A taxi into town isn't expensive, or if you're feeling fit, you can walk it or hire bicycles.

Abbeville is a delightful town, but you will have fun trying to get a taxi. There's often nobody about.

[Chilli Monster]

As it's a Saturday you're going then Le Touquet. Get yourself into town and do the market before lunchtime - especially for cheese.

[rustle]

Andy,

P.S. I now see I spelled "Eu Mers" wrong in the poll.. apologies to our French friends!

You also spelled "other" wrong ("wondering about toerh airfields") - so maybe you should apologise to your English friends as well :D

[Aussie Andy]

Thanks rustle - typo corrected!

And thanks everyone else - very helpful. I think best plan sounds like to go to Le Touquet for customs purposes, and to complete the rite-of-passage, pop into town briefly to get the cheese(!), then if time permits see if we can't make it to one of the other airfields.

Fabulous guys - thanks a lot!

Andy :)

[eyeinthesky]

What about Deauville? Honfleur is a 15 Euro taxi ride away and has a lovely mediaeval port surrounded by restaurants and shops. The restaurant in about the 8 o'clock position (if you consider looking down on it from above, and the main road enters at the 6 o'clock position) does a wonderful seafood platter...

It is a bit further if you go via Dover, but straight across from GWC to Etretat missing the danger areas is OK and you can get up to FL 74 underneath the A34 airway for the crossing. Class E airspace in France allows you to stay up there as well. Remember that VFR flights in airways in France are semicircular levels plus 500ft and IFR are at whole semicircular levels. Time from WAP is about 1 hr 20 in a 172.

L'Escale restaurant at L2K the other day was not as good as the meal I had in Honfleur. L2K was about 45 Euros a head for 3 courses and drinks.

[Aussie Andy]

Thanks eye, but have crossed that side before so the goal is to go via Dover / Cap Gris Nez route this time.

Cheers,

[bluskis]

Don't forget to start early enough to arrive at the restaurant before 12 UK time, they usually close at 2pm French time, and can be offhanded if you arrive only a half hour before closing.

I would join in with the recomendations for Le Touq. the airport eatery is very good, and better than taking pot luck in the town when you are a bit late.

[BEagle]

Abbeville - excellent restaurant most certainly!

But radio is a bit "Allo, allo - who eez thees?". Customs is a variable feast though......

[Biggles Flies Undone]

Lucky you didn't go to Le Touquet last weekend - there was a bikers convention there and the whole place was packed with motorcycles and some very dodgy looking geezers with tattoos!

If you want some good, reasonably priced grub you could turn left out of the airport (i.e. away from Le Touq), over the bridge into Etaples, left at the roundabout and keep the river on your left. About 100 metres from the end of the road there is a Pizza/Pasta place on the right - rather understated but very good food. Starts to fill up with locals at around 1300L on Saturdays and certainly keeps serving after 1400.

[Papa Charlie]

Le Touquet gets my vote. Easy to find airport, short taxi ride, nice restaurants, good bars (for your passengers), great sandy beaches, no hypermarkets but a few places to buy wine etc, go for it!

:)

[Aussie Andy]

Good on ya ppruner's!

Le Touquet it is then - as over 70% of you have voted! - and then onto Abbeville if time / wx permit!

Andy

[FNG]

If you stroll into Le Touquet (about 20 mins walking) there is a pleasant restaurant more or less opposite the casino, with outside seating for fine weather. The Hotel Westminster has a charming faded grandeur if you swish to stop over.

[Wrong Stuff]

Biggles...
Lucky you didn't go to Le Touquet last weekend - there was a bikers convention there and the whole place was packed with motorcycles and some very dodgy looking geezers with tattoos!

That was no convention. That was the world famous Enduro du Touquet (http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPhotoPresentation.jhtml?type=motorSportsNews&imageID=1000374922) endurance race along the beach. Quite a big sport in France and meant to be quite a spectacle. I presume you missed it then :)

[CBG]

None of the above mate.

Why don't you come to Bernay (LFPD)? I'll buy you guys lunch (we have a great restaurant on the airfield). I am gonna have to organise a PPRUNE fly-in in Bernay one of these days. Probably in the spring/summer (any takers?)

You fly straight to Deauville, clear customs there, 153 from Deauville VOR, 17 nm out and that's us.

I have a friend who regularly does the trip for Sundays lunch and he is back home late afternoon.

e-mail me at [email protected] if you are interested (this invitation is open to all PPrunners).

PS: all I'd ask would be for you to bring me the Sunday papers. cannot get them over here!!

[Aussie Andy]

CBG - what a kind offer! I'd love to, but I reckon we'll take you up on this on a subsequent trip... times a bit tight for this trip, and we're set on the short crossing this time (as I haven't been that way before). But I am sure there'll be another chance later this year!

Besides, I bet we get rained off - sometimes it seems that the chances of good VMC conditions are inversely proportional to the amount of planning effort! :)

Andy

[sennadog]

Andy, how was your steak avec pommes frites (that's pomme, not pom). Abbeville was an interesting trek apart from the restaurant being closed so we ended up back at Le2K for a baguette and coffee - my stomach was grumbling.

[Aussie Andy]

G'day!

The walk into town was well worth it - its a surprisingly beautiful town, and I wasn't expecting that!

We had a good lunch and really enjoyed ourselve. we departed abot 15 minutes or so after you guys - good flight back, but < 5000m visibility when we got back to Shoreham, and the usual 20 arrivals stacked up at once, but no dramas - a couple of pints when we landed made for a good end to a great day!

Good to see you two over there - hope we can catch up again :O

Andy

[Holloway]

Never Flown to Le Touquet but spent a lot of time there!! I love the place, loads of good resturants and bars and even a water park. I like the Crepes sold in the High Street! :) As soon as i do my PPL its one of the first places i want to fly to :)