Where have you been? What have you seen?
By highfive
#1901847
I hadn't flown to Calais for many years and that would probably still be the case if it wasn't for the fact that Le Touquet was unavailable this particular weekend. So with Le Touquet blocked and Oostende a little pricey for a lunch trip, Calais it was. The plan was land, a quick snack and then back to Lydd.

There's no radio at the weekend, instead what was described to me on the phone as 'Auto Information' seems to be the same as blind traffic calls in the UK. I was expecting my transmission to trigger an ATIS or similar but it didn't. No problem, armed with LingAero's crib sheet I butchered a few minimalist position reports and before long we were
intégration vingt-quatre vent arrière . A D-reg Saratoga was arriving at the same time and giving position reports in English, so I also did likewise and we quickly had each other in sight.

We were met on the ground by a smiling gentleman with an impressive beard, who advised he had "plan de vol fermé" and "by the way, the administration is closed - enjoy your stay". The Pooley's plate said the airport closed at 15:00 UTC, so we had planned for departure at that time. However, the bearded gentleman advised that the airport does not close and we can leave when we wish!

Off we went to the Vol au Vent restaurant and had an extremely agreeable lunch. Ordering was done by more butchering of the French language, some pointing and hand signals. There was a little confusion when we were asked (what turned out to be) how we would like our burgers. A quick intervention by the adjacent table resolved 'bien fait' to be an appropriate response.

There was a micro interruption when the friendliest customs man ever came looking for our extra-Schengen arrival. There was no question of our meal being disturbed, instead he took our passports and returned with them duly stamped.

As the portions were on the generous side and with more time than expected, we ventured out into the local area. There is a bus stop outside the terminal which seems to run every 30 minutes. Google wasn't my friend on this occasion as I couldn't work out where it goes to, and how easy it is to come back. So instead we elected to walk into Marck and have a nose around there.

Again this was a really pleasant surprise, as I remember the village as being a bit tired looking. Instead, it was quite well made over and seems there are ongoing improvements. A canal path is being revitalised, which I believe runs into central Calais. There was a constant stream of walkers and cyclists in both directions.

There are bikes for rent in Marck square which use the 'Vel-In' app. Deposit (via the app) is 150 Euro and rental is 1 Euro per 30 minutes. This is something that I will definitely revisit, as it might be a practical way to get into Calais without bothering with buses or taxis.

Nonetheless, we continued on foot and immediately found a nice boulangerie patisserie to buy the obligatory tarte au pommes.

Back at the airport, we met our friendly customs man and with exit stamps in place headed onto the apron. Still plenty of activity as the sun was setting, but no sign of any lights - so I expect they are only available when the tower is open. It would be interesting to know more about this though. More butchery of the LingAero phraseology and we were quickly airborne. Our return flight plan was opened by Lille, and 12 minutes later we landed back at Lydd!

All in all, as of Spring 2022, I would say Calais is a very pleasant destination for a lazy lunch and afternoon stroll. I will definitely be back to investigate the bike rental and canal path options soon :thumleft: .
TopCat, archerflyer, TrickyWoo and 20 others liked this
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By alex calais LFAC
#1902230
Thank you for this report and looking forward to seeing you again. :D



Bike informations:
https://www.sitac-calais-opale-bus.fr/page.php?rubrique=1&id=les-velin

Good news ! Since July 1, your Vél’in subscription includes 60 free minutes of travel. Beyond that, races will be charged €2 per additional 60 mins.

Subscription: Free
1st hour: Free
Additional hour: 2€

To ride for free: Before the end of the first hour you put the bike down at another station and take a new bike etc... ;)

Map of bikes stations

Marck Town Hall Station n°32 :compress:
Rob P, Ibra, highfive and 9 others liked this
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By Rob P
#1906851
The bus, which ends in the town centre, and returns of course, became free a couple of years ago.

Rob P
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By Clive
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1909510
Went through on Wednesday and still all good, ATC were on, Douanniers stamped my new dark blue passport, Pompier came out with his Total card but let me do the work, Cafe good and busy. What's not to like.
Going the other way tomorrow.....
Regards, Clive