With P&O Ferries offering you the chance to cross the English Channel for as little as £30 one way, for a car and up to nine people, some of you might be tempted to consider taking advantage of some of the fantastic beaches surrounding Calais. John Hillman looks at the choicest few.

France enjoys a coastline filled with wonderful beaches and, contrary to popular opinion, you don’t have to go all the way to the south of the country to find them.

Even as your ferry coasts in to Calais harbour you can’t help but notice the luxurious curve of rich sandy beach that adorns the front of the town. You’ll also find a wealth of fine local fish restaurants to sample during your stay.

But it is a bit further down that coast where the real beach life begins, starting in the quintessentially Gallic coastal resort of Wissant.

This old fishing village still has that classic old French feel to it and has the added bonus of being so close to England you won’t have to switch your phone over to expensive roaming charges to call home.

The beach in front of the town used to be home to a traditional wooden fishing boat called a flobart, but today you are much more likely to find it populated with the multi-coloured canvass sheets of wind and kite surfers who flock to Wissant every year, making it one of Europe’s most popular wind and kite surfing destinations.

Those of you looking for a beach experience that’s more elegant than extreme should continue down the coast a little bit further until you reach Wimereux. This tranquil town boasts a natty combination of chichi seaside restaurants and gently rolling sandy beaches, a perfect place for a restful weekend.

P&O Ferries can help you on your way to the beaches of Pas de Calais with the Dover to Calais service starting from just £30 for a car and nine people. From Calais it is only a short drive or train ride along the coast.

Image credit: Adrien Paris

Tags: France, P&O Ferries by Gabriel Grant
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All over Europe countries fight for title of the cheesiest nation, and by that I mean that they have the best cheese! Rosie Khdir puts forward Holland as the land of cheese…

Every land has its cheeses; the British have Stilton, the Italians Mozzarella and the French have Camembert and all these nations are famously associated with the food as a result.

But one coutry that is often overlooked is Holland, the birth place of such dairy delights as Edam and Gouda!

If you are a fan of the big yellow wheel, then you would do well to head over to the Netherlands before the month of August ends, to enjoy the famous Alkmaar Cheese market.

Alkmaar is a city in northern Holland that is well known for its cheese market. The famous cheese carriers, in their crisp white ensembles and coloured hats, have the job of carrying thousands of kilos of cheese into Waagplein square every Friday between 10am and 12pm during the summer.

Cheese has been weighed in Alkmaar since 1635 and you can combine your visit to the market with a tour of the monuments and museums of Alkmaar, such as the Holland Cheese Museum.

There are also cheese markets in Edam and Gouda, no prizes for guessing which cheeses are made in these cities! The cheese market in Edam is open on a Wednesday from 9:30am to 12:30pm throughout the rest of August.

In Gouda there is much more to see, with the Cheese Weighing House where visitors can have their weight measured in cheese, test their knowledge of cheese and even sample some cheese! The markets in Gouda are open until the end of August and take place every Thursday from 9.30am to 12:30pm.

P&O Ferries can help on your way to your cheesy dream, with the Hull to Rotterdam overnight ferry service starting from £149 each way.

Image credit: manuel | MC

Tags: History, Lifestyle, Netherlands, P&O Ferries by Rosie Khdir
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