Discovering Picardy

"Take it from me," asserted the novelist and Francophile, Nancy Mitford, "PURE HAPPINESS begins the moment you cross the Channel." A recent invitation to Picardy, northern France, offered a chance to put this theory to the test. Picardy is a true "Next County" territory - easy to reach via Euro-tunnel, utterly French and ticking all the right boxes for great architecture, sport, scenery and good food. The past is ever present in this forward-looking region, glimpsed in Gothic Cathedrals, stunning 18th Century Chateaux, and in haunting place names, like the Somme, which recall the epic battlefields of WWI.

Our history lesson began at St Valery-sur-Somme and with a date drilled into us from schooldays - 1066. It was from this final port, not neighbouring Normandy, that William the Conqueror left France to take the English crown, his vast fleet harboured in the deep-watered Somme estuary - today a haven for wind and sand surfers. Visit the Herbarium des Remparts garden, where over 1000 species of medicinal or sea plants are reared without pesticides. The nearby Au Velocipede cafe dispenses delicious brews, trouncing the legend that the French can't make tea!

Pride of Amiens, Picardy's capital, is the magnificent 13th-century Cathedral of Notre Dame. Built in only 70 years, and twice the size of Notre Dame de Paris, the Cathedral is the largest Gothic structure in the world. It houses many treasured relics, including the head of John the Baptist, and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Not least of the attractions of Amiens is gastronomy, with its famous Les Halles in the lee of the Cathedral and the Marche sur L'eau near the Venice-like canals of Saint-Leu. Amiens macaroons, and Gateau Battu are among local specialities.

Discovering the beautiful Chateau de Chantilly, originally home of the Conde family, ensures its history is as easy to follow as swallowing cream - literally. We strolled through the classically laid out grounds designed by Le Notre, landscape gardener of Versailles, and marvelled at the wonders of the chateau, destroyed during the Revolution, but perfectly reconstructed in 1830 by the Duke d'Aumale to house his magnificent collection of paintings, drawings and works of art. Here we tasted the authentic Crème Chantilly, a delicious confection of crème fraiche and icing sugar, famed around the world and served by owner Jean Michel Duda, "Ambassador of Crème Chantilly." The nearby forests which have seen 40 Kings of France pass beneath their branches, is also the setting for the elegant Dolce Chantilly, a stunning golf course and leisure complex, themed to relate to the Picardien passion for horse breeding and polo. A gourmet meal at the Etoile Restaurant included spider crab and vintage wines served with memorable 5-Star flair.

A visit to "the prettiest town in France" ended our Picardy stay. Senlis elegantly wraps 2000 years of history within its lovely walled enclosure. The birthplace of the Capetian dynasty producing the Kings of France until the Revolution, Senlis traces its history back to Gallo-Roman times, and can be toured with ease on foot, or, better still, by horse and carriage.

For information on attractions mentioned visit our website or view: www.picardietourisme.com