A quick day trip to the beach, Calais LFAC September 2022

I had a quick outing to Calais in September 2022, just for lunch, a few FR-only bits from the supermarket, and to go to the beach.

There are very few French food items you now can’t get in English supermarkets, but the absence of rillettes and maroilles still justify the occasional shopping trip. I’d also never been to the beach, so took the folding bike.

I did all the paperwork the night before because of the new 2 hour requirement for the GAR. I resented this, but in retrospect it was better as it saved a bit of time on the day. In reality I had to delay takeoff for an hour or so, so there wasn’t really any time gained.

The outbound flight didn’t have a great forecast for VFR, and around GWC I was forced under a line of cloud by the class alpha above; after an uncomfortable few minutes down to 900ft agl it was cavok again over the English Channel so I could climb back up to the floor of the class A. Now I have a UK licence I’m planning to get an IR(R) for exactly this UK scenario where avoiding both airspace and cloud becomes unsafe.

On arrival I skipped Lille and changed straight from London info to Calais. It was actually quite busy and I slotted between two club Robins doing circuits, overtook a TB9 sightseeing along the coast on the downwind, and agreed to go in front of a helicopter on IFR approach.

Once landed, not much had changed at the airport since my last visit in 2020 at the start of Covid, except the douane are now in presence and stamped my passport in and out. The Vol au Vent restaurant is still doing well. A speedy exit on the folding bike to make the supermarket before the 12:30 Sunday closing time, then lunch.

Parked. Lots of people at the parachuting hangar

Google maps had an error and the suggested route to the sea had gates across the road to prevent access to the runway. The next route was only a couple of minutes slower so not a problem. Les Hemmes de Marck was having a vide grenier, ‘attic emptying’ or flea market along the whole length of the village. It was nice to walk along, and despite being tempted by a mounted stag’s head I didn’t buy anything. It would have been difficult to carry on the bike and probably impossible to get the antlers through the PA28 door. The beach is enormous with nothing there except sand and grasses. There was a sandyacht station, but it was closed. I cycled back to the west along the canal, and as the land is very flat it was interesting to watch the airport as I approached.

Google is wrong

No entry. Parachute plane landing in the background.

The lanes to the sea

The vide grenier in Les Hemmes de Marck

The path to the beach

No issues leaving. On the return flight, my transponder burned out, with a dramatic plume of smoke from the allen key hole in the front. It stopped as soon as I turned it off, but the burning plastic smell lingered unpleasantly. London information were excellent and looked after me the whole way home.

Better weather on the return

In conclusion, a short day out to a couple of places at Marck I’d not been before, made possible by the folding bike. There is automated bicycle hire in the Marck village square again, now by OuiBike. I was ‘forced’ to upgrade to mode S, which is a positive move, and I’m planning to to get an IR(R).

There’s a guide to the area published by the Calais tourist office here.