Cucq’s coastal dune belt formed as the sea receded and sand covered former marshes. At Stella-Plage, maritime traces on the tidal beach add to this landscape history; the town’s architectural history offers another perspective on Cucq. This makes it possible to explore nature, coastal heritage and architecture as distinct focuses for a stay.

Dune landscape and trails

The Stella-Plage dune system lies within a Natura 2000 site and includes sea buckthorn, dog roses and marram grass. The Sentier des dunes runs through white, embryonic and grey dunes, as well as the Bois Joly. Along the Sentier des violettes, Fossés goats and Shetland sheep graze throughout the year to protect the biodiversity of the dunes. Protected vegetation, different dune forms and grazing offer varied perspectives on the landscape.

The Sentier des dunes is a 12-kilometre circular walking trail starting in Cucq. The average duration is three hours, and the route is rated difficult. Plan your time accordingly and check local conditions before setting out.

Stella-Plage: maritime heritage and architecture

On the tidal beach at Stella-Plage lies Les Aulnays, the partially sand-buried wreck of an English steam cargo ship. How much of it is visible changes as the sand shifts. If Les Aulnays is a focus of your coastal exploration, bear in mind that its visibility varies.

In the first half of the 20th century, Stella-Plage developed as one of France’s largest building-lot subdivisions. A building-lot subdivision is the division of land into building plots; here, the term refers to the development of the town, not to a single building. Stelliennesis the term for small post-war houses associated with Stella-Plage’s building boom from the 1950s onwards. Stella-Plage’s Place de l’Étoile also has a Parisian reference: it was inspired by the Place de l’Étoile in Paris. The Church of Sainte-Thérèse-de-l’Enfant-Jésus is a square concrete building with a hipped roof and a stained-glass tympanum. A tympanum is the field in a gable or above a portal; at this church, it is decorated with stained glass. The examples differ in scale: from small post-war houses to a square design inspired by Paris and the form of a single church building.

Activities with different time commitments

The Club Nautique Stellien offers beginner and advanced land-sailing courses throughout the year, led by a state-qualified instructor. Longe Côte – Le sentier de l’Étoile is a year-round water activity at the Stella-Plage watersports centre, reserved for people over 16. A one-hour introductory session for Longe Côte is available, with equipment hire. Times and availability may change; check the latest information before making plans.

For planning your time, the comparison between the walk, which takes an average of three hours, and the possible one-hour Longe Côte introductory session is specific. The circular trail is also rated difficult. Land sailing adds beginner and advanced courses to the range of options.

Discover more destinations: Neufchâtel-Hardelot, Anzin-Saint-Aubin, Sempy, Gavrelle, Serques, Campagne, Calais, Rinxent

For the broader travel overview: Pas-De-Calais.