Sun, sea sand and surf are what you may expect from a holiday in France. In our case the surf was on the plate in the form of a “Grand assiette de fruit de mer”, the sea was the English Channel and the sand was in the numerous bunkers our balls were inextricably drawn to.

Pas de Calais hosts the most popular golf course in France for British visitors and has everything to recommend it from superb courses in pristine condition, catering for all levels of ability, to fine food and accommodation. Hardelot even has two Irish bars for those of us who may be homesick for a pint of Murphy’s.

We played three courses in two days - quite tiring had it not been for the buggies- which tested all of our strokes. Whether you prefer narrow testing fairways, wide open parkland courses or traditional links golf you will find the right course.

Golf des Dunes at Hardelot is an imposing course, undulating with testing lies and slick multi-tiered greens which saw many putts whizz past the hole and down the slope. The 1st green seemed to be at a 45-degree angle and my playing partners got their money worth as they traversed the green time after time after time…..

Golf des Pins also at Hardelot is more of a parkland course, not quite so hilly but still testing although we were able to unleash the big clubs with more abandon than in the morning. Once again we enjoyed the distinctive flavour of golf in France. Completely unpretentious staff, relaxed service in the club house and none of the stuffy formality you sometimes get in similar standard courses in the UK.

Our final round was the links type course at Wimereux, the location of the German base for the invasion of Great Britain during World War 2. The course we were playing had bunkers built and designed by the Royal Air Force and beside the 12th tee an old grey wartime bunker which they had missed.

We played on a beautiful clear day and could clearly see the white cliffs of Dover which, given we were playing on the anniversary of D-Day, created a surreal sense of history knowing the Hitler had looked out on a similar view. The main discussion topic was not the line of the out of bounds markers but how the Allies had managed to keep the invasion in Normandy secret. This course is a must for anyone visiting Pas de Calais and you should make sure you return to Calais via the coast road which has some stunning views.

Our evening entertainment took us to Le Touquet for a well earned taste of the sea. It’s hard work driving those buggies. We settled for a restaurant recommended by our taxi driver who was arranged by the hotel and were not disappointed. Soupe de poisson, scallops and herring followed by lobster, crab, oysters, langoustines, prawns, shrimps, whelks and winkles ( we left the winkles) with bread and mayonnaise all washed down with some house muscadet. Of course we had to follow this with some crepes suzettes - all in the interest of research you understand.

We stayed at l'Hôtel du Parc in Hardelot, a hotel which has all the facilities of a well run establishment with crucially a well stocked bar and delicious nibbles. The beds were the biggest I have slept in and everything was done with no fuss and ensured a very relaxed stay.

We calculated that we could leave Dover at 6:30 am BST, arrive in France at 7:30 am, be on the course at Wimereux and playing by 9am be back in Dover by 3:30 pm. However this would fail to do justice to Pas de Calais and you would miss out on all the bits the French do so well.

NEED TO KNOW

Charlie Fleetwood travelled with Sea France, which has golf breaks based at the Hotel du Parc from £63 per person, including ferry crossing. The Hotel du Parc in Hardelot currently has packages offering one night B&B with golf at St Omer from £74 per person.

Golf: Golf des Dunes and Golf des Pins, Avenue Edouard VII 62152 Hardelot 62. Golf le Link de Wimereux - green fees from £24.

Eating out: Le Restaurant et la brasserie de l'Hotel Atlantic, Digue de Mer, Wimereux. Le Grand Cerf, 34 Avenue Ferber, Marquise. Le Speranza, 43 rue du General de Gaulle, Wimereux. Les Arcades, 3 avenue de la Concorde, Hardelot.

More information: Pas-de-Calais Tourist Board

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