Château de Beaucamp – Le Castel des Anges

Built in 1813 in Wailly-Beaucamp, in the Pas-de-Calais, Château de Beaucamp, now known as Le Castel des Anges, is an early nineteenth-century neoclassical house set in 1.2 hectares of wooded parkland. During the First World War, when Field Marshal Douglas Haig had his British headquarters in nearby Montreuil-sur-Mer, the château lodged officers of his staff.

The carefully restored interiors include sitting rooms with fireplaces for reading or afternoon tea, a breakfast room with a long table beneath a chandelier, and large vaulted cellars. The park has outdoor seating areas, and private parking is free. Montreuil-sur-Mer is about ten minutes away, the beaches of the Channel coast around fifteen.

Guests are welcomed by Juliette Pouillot, who also prepares breakfast. Check-in is between 5 and 7 pm, check-out by 10.30 am. At weekends the whole estate can be booked for exclusive use for weddings, family celebrations and seminars, with a marquee in the garden for up to 100 guests: on those dates rooms are not available individually.

Pets are not allowed and the rooms are designed for adult couples. As a historic building, the château has limited access for guests with reduced mobility. Private parking within the grounds is free.

The eight rooms are named after the birds of the Côte d'Opale: Avocette, Sarcelle d'été, Pouillot véloce, Grive musicienne, Mésange huppée and Aigrette garzette, plus two suites, Alouette des champs and Échasse blanche. Each is decorated differently, with period furniture, light fabrics and windows onto the park; some have a bathtub, others a shower.

All are doubles for two adults, with no extra beds available, and come with a private bathroom and WC, quality linen, toiletries, a small fridge, a kettle for tea and coffee and free Wi-Fi. The whole château is non-smoking.

The château has no restaurant of its own. Breakfast is included and served from 8.30 to 9.30 in the salon: hot drinks, fresh juices, bread, yoghurt, fruit, jams and a selection of local, seasonal produce that changes from day to day.

For lunch and dinner there is a restaurant a five-minute walk away; Montreuil-sur-Mer, Le Touquet and the surrounding area offer many more addresses, including several Michelin-starred restaurants, best booked in advance.

Wailly-Beaucamp is a small village on the Côte d'Opale in northern France, between the Canche and Authie valleys, 6 km from Montreuil-sur-Mer, a fortified town whose ramparts can be walked and which has its own citadel. It is also the gateway to the Sept Vallées, a countryside of rivers, villages and abbeys.

By car: Berck-sur-Mer and the Channel beaches are about 15 minutes away, Le Touquet-Paris-Plage 25 minutes, the Baie de Somme and the Parc du Marquenterre around half an hour, and Boulogne-sur-Mer with the Nausicaá aquarium 45 minutes. Exit 25 of the A16 motorway is 5 km away; Calais and the Eurotunnel terminal are about an hour's drive.