Saturday, May 29, 2010

Berck, France

Its difficult to imagine anything more depressing than a seaside resort on a freezing cold, miserable spring afternoon. But at least it had a lighthouse. Original towers had been destroyed by the retreating Germans in 1944, but this 1951 effort appears on all the merchandise in the town's souvenir shops.
To find it, head to the front, turn left and drive as far as you can. Shortly after the road bends left, you will see it to your right at the end of a school car park.

Le Crotoy, France

For a very small fishing village located on the northern entrance to the Somme estuary, it was actually quite difficult to find the front! More by luck than judgement, we found ourselves in a tight dead end and I dodged the raindrops to run to the estuary wall to see if I could look and down the front to see where it was. No sign of it all!
Then, walking back to the car, I fell over it.
Like Le Hourdel, this stood on the site of an older 1851 light. This sci-fi construction went up in 1951 after WW2.


Le Hourdel, France

Okay apologies for the poor quality of this photo. This is Le Hourdel lighthouse on the south side of the Somme estuary in northern France. It was taken on a gloomy late afternoon from Le Crotoy on the northern side of the estuary, from the Le Crotoy lighthouse.
A light had stood here since 1840 but like many lighthouses along this coast, it was destroyed during WW2. Rebuilt 1848.