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British Mensa Travel Special Interest Group |
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Guidebooks:
how good are they? Guidebooks come in a wide range of subjects, sizes and prices, but they always leave me with a feeling of dissatisfaction. Why are some places left out whilst some not-very-interesting places are included? Space is one consideration of course. A guidebook that included every place that could possibly be visited would be the size of an encyclopaedia, too large to carry around easily and prohibitively expensive as well. Even specialist books suffer to some extent from the “one size fits all” syndrome. One has to wade through pages of text, maps and pictures in the hopes of finding exactly what one is looking for. It is especially frustrating when one sees a place signposted but can find no trace of it in one’s guidebook. What to do? Carry on, and possibly miss a real find, or explore and risk ending up in some dump that well deserves its obscurity? Or that hotel or restaurant that looks tempting but again, doesn’t get a mention? Does one take a gamble with one’s hard earned cash and precious holiday time? On this occasion I decided to take a gamble and chose three places that don’t get a mention in the local Michelin green guide. The first was Etaples, between Boulogne and Le Touquet. I had passed through it on previous visits to France, but hadn’t had the opportunity to explore. A trawl on the Internet came up with a meagre web page. It wasn’t very informative, but that in itself was not enough to form an opinion either way. Etaples is an hour’s easy drive down from Calais. A wander round the town proved disappointing. Even allowing for the fact that it was a Sunday, it was obvious that many of the shops didn’t rise above the ordinary. The only exception appeared to be the restaurant Pecheur d’Etaples, set above the fish market in the port. There are two or three reasonable looking hotels and a sprinkling of bars and cafes. My overall impression was of a not very pretty town with very little to do or see there. The only reason to stay there would be because accommodation was unavailable in Boulogne or Le Touquet. Verdict: I agree with Michelin. Leave it out. Next stop Rue, about ¾ of an hour’s drive south of Etaples. A search on the Internet brought up an even scrappier webpage than Etaples. I had originally seen the place mentioned in the Pays du Nord, one of the regional magazines published in France. I later passed through it by rail and had a fleeting impression of a small pretty town, which might be worth a visit. Situated near the mouth of the Somme, it was once a port and also one of the four most heavily fortified towns in northern France. Over a period of centuries the river mouth silted up, leaving Rue several miles from the coast. Much of the town’s former glory has faded, but a certain quiet charm remains. There seems to be very little to do here unless one has a taste for fishing, walking or wish to visit the local bird sanctuary of Marquenterre. Verdict: a reluctant point to Michelin. The charm is there, but the appeal is limited. Accommodation seems to be very thin on the ground. From there to Hesdin, another hour or so’s drive past the battlefield of Crecy. Although not mentioned by Michelin, Hesdin did get a mention in the “French Entrée” books, which were so popular in the eighties and early nineties. It also has quite a good web page. The first sight of Hesdin was quite disappointing. The outskirts, like those of so many towns, form the industrial zone. The town centre, however, was a pleasure to behold. It has the look of an old town with a visible Spanish influence, having been part of the Spanish Netherlands in the middle ages. Tradition has it that the town was pulled down and rebuilt on its present site on the orders of the Emperor Charles V, who wanted to build a fort on the old site. There were enough cafes and restaurants to fortify the inner man (and woman). The Hotel Flandres was comfortable enough, but a bit dark and creaky. The buffet style breakfast was adequate but a little disappointing. Verdict: I would have given Hesdin a mention as interesting. It does have a certain old world charm, and boasts several hotels. Although little in itself to keep a visitor for more than a couple of nights at most, it might make a centre for walking in the nearby forest or for a bit of local exploration before moving on to greener pastures. (The battlefield of Agincourt is nearby. This is well signposted and has an excellent visitors centre.) Two points to one in favour of Michelin. My own conclusions are (1) that there are gems waiting to be found if one is prepared to take time, trouble and the occasional gamble, and (2) the only worthwhile guidebook is the one that you write for yourself. I accept, of course, that a do it yourself job is only feasible for those who are taking an interest in a particular subject or region. Of course,
if anyone out there has found the perfect guidebook, I would be delighted
to hear about it. First published in VISA issue 50 (March 2003) |