The beaches of the Opal Coast

Two beaches keep coming up in press rankings: Escalles beach, at the foot of Cap Blanc-Nez, named France’s most beautiful beach by Paris-Match in 2016, and Wissant beach, seventeenth in Vogue’s ranking of France’s most beautiful beaches. They’re opposites: Escalles is wild with no shops, Wissant is a proper seaside resort. If the measure is water cleanliness rather than scenery, six beaches on the coast are rated “excellent” by the regional health agency.

Six beaches are rated excellent: Zuydcoote beach, Petit-Fort-Philippe beach, Tardinghen beach, Wimereux beach, Stella-Plage beach and Merlimont beach. The rating covers the last four seasons of health monitoring. At the other end, Boulogne-sur-Mer beach is the only one on the coast rated poor.

Most beaches are monitored from 15 June to 15 September. Camiers Sainte-Cécile beach, Stella-Plage beach, Le Touquet and Merlimont beach open earlier, from May. Note: the water quality monitoring period isn't the same as lifeguard supervision, which is set by each council.

It depends on the beach, the season and often the time of day: 12 of our 23 beaches allow dogs for at least part of the year. Oye-Plage beach — on a lead on Les Hemmes d'Oye beach, on the campsite beach, and in the Platier d'Oye reserve. Banned from the Les Escardines swimming area from 1 July to 31 August. Calais beach — on a lead along the promenade all year round, and from 7pm to 9am. Banned between 15 May and 15 October. Sangatte-Blériot beach — off the lead from the end of the promenade to the VVF steps, on the lead elsewhere. Banned from the supervised swimming area and the Aire des Mouettes as far as Calais beach. Escalles beach — allowed on a lead on the gully. Banned from 15 May to 15 September. Wissant beach — on a lead along the Dune d'Aval, and allowed after 7pm on all beaches. Banned from 15 June to 15 September. Wimereux beach — off the lead on unsupervised beaches, particularly north of the Pointe aux Oies. On the lead at the ends of the promenade outside swimming areas, and from 1 October to 14 April. Banned all year round on the promenade, and on the beach from 15 April to 30 September between the sailing centre and the north promenade. Boulogne-sur-Mer beach — banned from 1 May to 30 September. Allowed the rest of the year. Le Portel beach — off the lead beyond the barriers and the hoverport. Banned on the main beach and the lower promenade from 1 May to 30 September. Équihen beach — banned from 1 June to 30 September on the main beach and the supervised swimming areas. Allowed the rest of the year. Hardelot beach — on a lead everywhere, with a bag for droppings. Banned in the swimming area from 1 July to 15 September. Stella-Plage beach — allowed on a lead in unsupervised areas. Le Touquet-Paris-Plage beach — on a lead south of the thalassotherapy centre and to the north, at the start of the dunes. Banned from the February half-term to the autumn half-term, and in front of the bathing huts and the promenade patios. These are council orders: they change, and the signs on site have the final say.

The beaches where watersports are practised — kitesurfing, sand yachting, windsurfing — are Bray-Dunes beach, Malo-les-Bains beach, Sangatte-Blériot beach, Wissant beach, Ambleteuse beach, Wimereux beach, Boulogne-sur-Mer beach, Hardelot beach, Le Touquet and Berck-sur-Mer beach. Wissant is considered one of the best windsurfing spots in northern Europe.

The beaches at Bray-Dunes beach, Malo-les-Bains beach, Petit-Fort-Philippe beach, Calais beach and Wissant beach are the best suited to families: fine sand, space at low tide and, at several of them, facilities on the seafront. At both Wissant and Calais, the shallow pools left by the tide are ideal for little ones.