5 great kite-flying spots

The beach at Berck-sur-Mer provides more than a place to fill your lungs with healthy sea air – it’s also a playground for families and friends. There is no shortage of things to do, from building sandcastles and cycling along the promenade to splashing in the sea, feasting on waffles coated in sugar, and flying kites.

Each April, Berck welcomes the International Kite Festival, which magically transforms the sky into a multicoloured canvas. It’s hard to know which kite to follow, given it’s such a varied and dazzling extravaganza of amateur and professional kites. Animals from the underwater world fly alongside dragons, rockets and other over-sized designs. Gigantic creatures from Jules Verne’s fantasy novel ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’ also make regular appearances given that book and Verne’s ‘Mysterious Island’ were both written in nearby Le Crotoy (see no.4 below). What’s more, watch the awe-inspiring professionals in action during the International Kite Festival competition. Be awed by their backflips, reverse backflips, double axels, spikes – all stylish tricks that are obligatory for a world champion. It’s a visual treat that will bring smiles and joy to children of all ages.