France: Nord-Pas-de-Calais

Overview

The Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in the far north is one of France’s smallest regions, containing just two departments: Nord (59) and Pas-de Calais (62). It shares a border with Belgium, from where it derives its Flemish influence and beer-producing traditions. Nord-Pas-de-Calais (along with Picardy) was the birthplace of 19th century manufacturing in France and contains the country’s only major conurbation outside Paris, that of Lille.

Although derided as being industrialised and over-populated (and with high unemployment) and having a flat, uninspiring landscape and the country’s worst climate, Nord-Pas-de-Calais has many beautiful areas and is noted for its clean beaches, undulating countryside, secluded woods, scenic river valleys (particularly the Canche and Authie), colourful market gardens, fine golf courses and many pretty, peaceful villages. For Belgian, British and Dutch second home-buyers, its principal attraction is its proximity, offering the opportunity to enjoy a French lifestyle every weekend.

The region experiences no extremes of temperature on account of the influence of the warm Gulf Stream flowing up the Channel from the North Atlantic, but the weather is changeable and often cloudy and wet. In fact Nord-Pas-de-Calais has the least sunshine of any part of France, with only 1,600 hours per year and around 120 days’ rain annually. Particularly rainy areas are Artois, Haut-Boulonnais and Avenois. There’s seldom snow or ice, although the hills of Ardennes, on the Belgian border, have some. The average for the region is 18 days of snow per year. Average maximum/minimum temperatures along the coast are around 20/14ºC (56/67ºF) in summer and 6/2ºC (43/36ºF) in winter.

The region’s main towns include Arras, Boulogne, Calais, Cambrai, Dunkerque, Lille (the regional capital), Montreuil, Roubaix, Saint-Omer, Tourcoing and Valenciennes. The region’s coastline, known as the Côte opale (‘Opal Coast’), has a number of pleasant resorts, including Berck, Boulogne, Etaples, Hardelot, Le Touquet (the most fashionable and known as ‘Paris Plage’) and Wimereux.

The region’s popularity among British buyers in particular means that house prices have risen quite quickly, particularly at the lower end of the market, where there are few small farmhouses left for renovation. Nevertheless, homes in the region remain inexpensive compared with those in most parts of Normandy and Brittany, although coastal areas are naturally more expensive than the interior.

As well as frequent ferry services to the UK via Boulogne, Calais and the Channel Tunnel (Tunnel sous la Manche), the area has excellent road connections with Paris and the rest of France via the A26 and A25 motorways, and with Belgium and northern Europe, and is also linked with Brussels, London, Paris and the rest of France by TGV and Eurostar trains. Paris CDG airport is accessible from southern parts of the region, offering flights to most world-wide destinations. Lille airport (59) offers flights throughout France, and to and from Frankfurt, Munich and towns in Italy, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland, but no direct flights to and from the UK. There’s a TGV connection to the city centre.

© Survival Books Limited 2005

“Buying a Home in France 2006” 6th Edition, David Hampshire.

Reproduced with the permission of Survival Books Limited.

Further information on this topic can be found in “Buying a Home in France 2006” 6th edition, by David Hampshire.

For extensive, annually updated information about buying a property in France, you can purchase this book at www.survivalbooks.net