We had fun on the trip round the Bay from St Valery to Le Crotoy on a glorious sunny day at the end of October. The scenery is not terribly exciting in parts but overall the trip is interesting and certainly good value for money. We went by train to Le Crotoy to have lunch and it made for a very pleasant day.
My husband is a steam train enthusiast, so when we saw the details of this train in a tourist information office, we had to have a ride on it. We got on at Noyelles and went to St Valery (note you can't buy tickets at Noyelles so buy them at St Valery before you return). Train was very busy and we had difficulty getting a seat, which didn't really matter as standing is an easier way to see all the scenery around part of the Baie de Somme. St Valery is an interesting medieval town and there was just enough time to walk to the medieval area for a quick look before returning to the train for the journey back.
Nice train ride. Good value. The trains are not very frequent even in August. If you want to ride the whole line you have to change at St Valery and it. However, that gives a good excuse for exploring the beautiful medieval town.
They certainly have done wonders here with track, trains and rolling stock. Nice trip round the bay with views of wildlife if you are lucky and it takes about an hour from Le Crotoy to St Valery in great little carriages. Agree that there is a marked lack of refreshments facility at Le Crotoy station so take your own or wait until St Valery. If they can get old steam trains going then surely no problem in getting a brew going. Great part of the world and a great addition to the area which I can thoroughly recommend.
This is a lovely attraction - for both a sunny or rainy day (as we had!). Regular trains travel between St Valery and Le Crotoy, pulled by steam engines. Decent price and good scenery along the way. Highly recommended...especially if there weather isn't great. St Valery is also a lovely tome to walk around before/after
This railway in the Somme area of France is great fun. Compared to British attractions "health and safety" forget it, common sense rules. It is possible to get up close and personal with the steam loco's which the kids enjoy. The ride is fairly scenic along the Somme. The ride ends on the quayside in St Valery. At the halfway point the trains and engines have to round and as they restart They run parallel for some way giving the impression that they are racing. Free parking is available at Le Crotoy.
we started from Le Crotoy and travelled to St Valery which is by far the bestvway of doing it. St Valery is nice for a wander, Le Crotoy much less so. Tickets were very cheap and our two year old thought the platforms on the carriages were the most wonderful thing, she stayed outside for most of both the journies, only running in for a drink. The scenery is pleasant but not as grand as intimated, you cannot see much of the Somme Bay but the salt marshes are interesting. Lots of steam, lots of noise and a very pleasant afternoon. Highly recommended, the loss of a point is because the scenery was a little disappointing but that is hardly the railway's fault
Metre gauge steam railway runs through the scenic Baie de Somme. It's in two sections, Le Crotoy to St. Valery with a reversal at Noyelles and St Valery to Cayeux. Noyelles to St Valery is dual metre/standard gauge which makes for some complicated pointwork! Noyelles is adjacent to SNCF station to Boulogne/Calais and Abbeville. Weekdays in September trains start at Le Crotoy, with a departure at 1045 and another at 1530 so you can spend several hours in St Valery if you wish. There is a lot more to see in St Valery than Le Crotoy. The trains go along the quayside and are turned on a turntable. The whole area has lots of cycle lanes and you can cycle to Abbeville by cycling alongside the Somme canal. I stayed in a chambre d'hote in Caours, La Rivierette just outside Abbeville.
We spent several days travelling on the system (we had a charter booked), however the service trains were always well filled and everyone was having a great time. We travelled from Saint Valery to Noyelles, to Cayeaux sur Somme and also La Crotoy. It would also be good to travel from Saint Valery to La Crotoy and then get the boat back to Saint Valery. Definitely a must when staying in the area.
Easy to find, great for spotting wildlife. Bit of a walk from the station into town at Le Crotoy but worth it for the Moules and Frites!