On the north-east coast of France sits Le Touquet – a quaint seaside town with a curiously English feel. Given that it can be reached from London in just two hours, Le Touquet is a convenient alternative to the British seaside.
It’s hardly surprising, then, that Le Touquet was once the playground of the top echelons of British society. Founded in 1837 by a Parisian, the town was purchased in 1902 by Englishman John Robinson Whitley, who developed it into a gambling and sport resort – the original tennis club, golf club, equestrian centre and two casinos are still in use today.
We fully embraced this sporty philosophy on our trip by taking to two wheels and exploring the town’s very English history on a bicycle tour of the town. The tour takes in the very grand Westminster Hotel, which was once frequented by such luminaries as Noel Coward, PG Wodehouse and Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. According to our guide, Edward VIII was a frequent visitor to the golf club, where he would insist on using only female caddies. In 1909 former Midhurst resident HG Wells fled to Le Touquet with Amber Reeves in an abortive elopement.
This story is from the April 2020 edition of Sussex Life.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 2020 edition of Sussex Life.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
TAKE YOUR TIME
Dean Edwards’ new cookbook features delectable recipes that you can slow cook or stick in the oven. Here’s a selection of the best
Decorative art
Not simply functional, treat your walls like an extension of your personality
ON THE FRONT FOOT
The rugby legend took the reins at Sussex County Cricket Club in 2017, rekindling his love for a sport that first won his heart on the village cricket fields of North Yorkshire
NAKED AMBITION
In the 1980s, Christine and Jennifer Binnie partied with Boy George and Marilyn and bared all as performance art collective The Neo-Naturists. Now they are working together to gain the recognition they feel they deserve
ROCKET MAN
Astronaut Tim Peake has come a long way since growing up in Westbourne and attending Chichester High School for Boys: 248 miles above Earth, to be precise. But, he says, life on the International Space Station has a lot in common with family caravanning holidays
Revolution man
Lewes’ most famous resident Thomas Paine may be the greatest propagandist who ever lived. But how did a humble customs and excise officer ignite the touchpaper for revolution in not one but two countries?
THE DIARY
17 exciting things to do this month in East and West Sussex
All in a day's work
Meet Tim Dummer, who has helped keep Midhurst’s Cowdray Estate shipshape for an impressive five decades
My favourite Sussex
Bruce Fogle is an author and a vet with a practice in London who has lived in West Sussex with his wife, the actress Julia Foster, since 1989. He recently became president of RSPCA Mount Noddy near Chichester
10 OF THE BEST Meat-free restaurants in Brighton and Hove
Brighton is often rated one of the most vegan-friendly cities in the UK. What these restaurants prove is that plant-based food doesn’t have to be puritanical – at all of these places you’ll find big flavours and a desire to push the envelope
