Close encounters

You don’t have to travel far to discover the delights of Nord and Pas-de-Calais, two departments which between them boast beautiful beaches, vibrant cities and world-renowned historical sites, as Lucy Shrimpton discovers

- Lucy Shrimpton

The first time I properly explored this part of northern France I confess to experiencing what I can only describe as a deep and creeping sense of who knew?

Where this Francophile had previously disembarked, then motored on through without so much as a sideways glance, convinced it was a thoroughly missable industrial and post-war sprawl, what I discovered was not only off-the-scale aesthetic virtue in terms of its land, sea and townscapes, but moreover, a distinct combination of community, culture and cool that I hadn’t encountered elsewhere in France.

I’m talking about the tip of France’s hexagon, the two départements of Nord and Pas-de-Calais (59 and 62, as they’re known respectively), bound together until 2016 as one region in their own right (Nord-Pas-de-Calais still rolls off the tongue to most French folk) but they are now joined to the area formerly known as Picardy, making a new region called Hautsde-France.

PROXIMITY AND LIVEABILITY

One of the biggest USPs of Nord and Pas de-Calais is their über-accessibility, with many expats looking to buy here not just because it’s closest to the UK (35 minutes by tunnel, 55 by Eurostar, 90 by ferry) but also — increasingly I’m discovering — because it’s the most sustainable option for anyone pledging to eschew air travel.

Holiday-homeowners too often report that they get far more use out of their investments here than if they’d bought in farther-flung parts of France.

Expat Tim Sage, who works with Leggett Immobilier tells me why Nord and Pas-de-Calais are ideal for commuters too: “A no-brainer!” he declares. “Property prices here tend to be lower than in Belgium or other parts of France [and typically 60-70% cheaper than in the UK], so people understandably choose to live here but work, let’s say, in Paris, London or Brussels.