Camping in the Pas de Calais area? Isn't that a little near home? Well yes and no, it is rather near to the UK we admit but if you have a young family who don't travel well (ours didn't if I remember correctly), then this is a superb place for you to take your camping holidays. Not only that but there is a mass of history in the area to be uncovered, and you are only a stone's throw from Gay Paree should you want to visit. We have linked to a map of the area for you to be able to get your bearings more easily.

Masses of Brits go camping in the Pas de Calais, but many of them use the area as a stepping stone if they are driving down to the west or south coasts, and a night's stop in a campground there isn't going to break the bank but it does allow the driver to get some much needed rest for the rest of the journey.

The Pas de Calais region starts at the French/Belgium border in the north and follows around the coast past Calais and Boulogne sur Mer, once another important port, to Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, a very upmarket and expensive town, the inhabitants of which are none too keen on budget visitors. Carry on down the coast to Berck Plage and that about defines the area north to south, but it is triangular in shape and the two sides meet at a point slightly south east of Cambrai.

The whole area suffered so much in both WW1 and WW11 and the pristine military graveyards from St Omer, Bethune, Arras, Douai, Cambrai are a sobering thought when you see literally hundreds of thousands of white crosses, each one a memorial to a brave soldier from one of those ghastly wars.

The Nord Pas de Calais still has some excellent beaches that make a great destination for a family day out, even though it has a climate similar to that of the UK and good weather cannot always be guaranteed. The Opal Coast is the region's diamond and escapists potter off the secluded to Cap Griz Nez and Cap Blanc Nez where on a clear day you can spot the white cliffs across the Channel. There is golden sand here and it is a delight for fossil hunters.

Surfing enthusiasts can ride Wissant's giant waves or go sea-kayaking. Kite-surfing,and sand-yachting is all the rage on the Opal Coast's string of broad beaches with the more adventurous going with the wind to Wimereux, Boulogne and Etaples. Extreme sport enthusiasts race their kite buggies at Berck-sur-Mer.

Yes, the Pas de Calais is a great place for camping and you will be able to find sites where you can just turn up and hire a pitch (out of season), sites where you can hire a pre-erected tent which contains everything you need for a camping holiday, and of course, you will be able to book into a mobile home for that little extra touch of comfort.