10 great things about Montreuil - (restaurants and history apart)

If you know Pas de Calais well, you'll probably have been to Montreuil sur Mer and know that it has a Michelin-starred restaurant and about 15 other places to eat. You'll probably also know that it was founded in 987 AD and wears its history (which is amazing! don't get me started) and other charms on its sleeve. But there is more besides the Citadel, the museums, the Saturday market, restaurants, cute little theatre/cinema and small choice of chi-chi shops.

Behind the scenes there are (at least) 10 other great things about Montreuil, that may take a bit of digging around before you'll come across them, but they are delightful when you do. In no particular order try:

1. Summer Sunday afternoons outdoors jazz and blues concerts as the sun sets at the Creperie in the Rue Clape en Bas. Last month pony tailed duo "Pere et Fils" between them played double bass, ukulele and guitar. "Fils" is 12 years old and is already an accomplished musician, especially impressive as he's only played double bass for less than a year. Have a drink or a crepe while you listen to the music; a crepe with ratatouille and Maroilles cheese is a great snack or light meal.

2. Saturday Auctions. The furniture auction rooms are more or less opposite Le Patio hotel/restaurant (great food and a pretty courtyard for summer dining) on the main cobbled street that winds through Montreuil. You don't have to attend the whole auction; check out the reserve price of what you want, leave your bid and go back later to see if you bid successfully for that pretty 18th century boat bed.

3. Malins Plaisirs. Sometimes 10 days, sometimes 2 weeks depending on each year's state subsidy, the festival of Malins Plaisirs (Wicked Pleasures) takes place in August. There are opera and theatre performances, concerts and talks, visits to surrounding historic villages, wine and food tastings, all of them very professionally performed by artistes who use Mailns Plaisirs as a glorious dress reherasal for winter in Paris theatres. Good humour, surprise and aplomb are the order of the day. In particular the Last Night is unmissable; about 30 plays, recitals, concerts take place in coutyards, in the streets, on balconies, in churches, or even in front rooms of Montreuil houses with a grand finale of fireworks at around midnight. Don't let the fact that it's all in French deter you; you can usually get the gist of it and there is a terrific carnival atmosphere.

7. The Musee Rodiere is in an old "maison particulier" and is run by the indefatigable Bruno Blanc. Montreuil is run by a historian mafia and Benoit is its public face. Until November 2009 there is an exhibition about General Haig who had his GHQ in Montreuil in World War 1. The exhibition is very professional. It's in French and English and tells a fascinating story.

8. The July 14th Brocante. Not the kind of sad French brocante you often come across, with broken liquidisers, car tyres and single shoes for sale. The Montreuil brocante takes over the whole town, so its enormous, entertaining, varied and not just a brocante but also a market for respectable antiques, restored furniture and local produce with even a few plants stalls.

9. The "Maisons Particuliers". In the 18th century, Montreuil was fashionable for the winter season. Local landowners bought up the original cottages, demolished them and built large gracious houses with beautiful proportions and stucco decorations. There are apparently about 80 of them, some split up into flats, one or two derelict but many intact and usually without the rash of nasty extensions and uPVC windows (that history mafia again) that spoil similar houses elsewhere.

10. Painters in the Street. This is on Assumption every year (15th August) which is a Bank Holiday. About 80 artists descend on Montreuil and put their easels up all over town. The best bit is that if you like someone's work (keep looking, you should eventually find someone) they'll have a portfolio of their work for sale. At the end of the afternoon there's a prize giving introduced by the Maire, M. Bethouart who, you'll be pleased to hear goes in for short entertaining speeches rather than boring interminable ones. There is masses for sale and a very friendly atmosphere.

What never ceases to amaze me about Montreuil is how a town with a population of less than 2500 people can support the cultural activities it puts on. Not to mention how a town that size supports 3 poodle parlours, around 10 hairdressers, about the same number of estate agents, 3 specialist wine shops, a shop that only sells soap and an architectural salvage business. Not to mention the Michelin star restaurant and the 15 others. How do they do it?

4. Chocolaterie de Beussent. The chocolates are made about 10 miles from Montreuil and are wonderful. The shop is in the Place Darnetal. Best not to eat the runny sweet-sour cherry liqueur ones in your favourite shirt.

5. The Ramparts. A brisk 45 minute will take you right around the ramparts, with only one road to cross all the way round. Shady and breezy in summer, bracing in winter, you can see Etaples, the windfarm on the motorway, the Chartreuse at Neuville (recently opened for visits and "vaut le detour" in itself, about 15 minutes by bike from Montreuil) and the Canche valley.

6. The River Canche. Montreuil used to be the high tide point of a large estuary (hence the "sur Mer") but medieval agricultural practices and the enormous dune on which Le Touquet sits which is trying to close the mouth of the Canche by drifting northwards contributed to the silting-up of the estuary from about the 1600s. It's now a very peaceful river, flowing past the train station and La Grenouillere restaurant. If you have any kind of boat, you can get onto the river at Beauranville 12 kms upriver and float down to Montreuil or alternatively go down to Beutin from Montreuil (look out for kingfishers, herons and coypu). Or there are signposted walks taking you through the marais, the marshy area that was the estuary 400 years ago.

A street in Montreuil

Part of the Montreuil ramparts

Canoe down the Canche to Montreuil

Or sit in a street cafe in Montreuil

Read Sue Sharp’s article on Amiens