Baie de Somme

Baie de Somme is a bay and estuary in northern France where six rivers meet the English Channel, forming a wide marshland. At low tide, the water withdraws to reveal broad stretches of sand, salt meadows, and narrow channels running through the flat coastal plain.

The area was designated a Ramsar Wetland site in January 1998, granting it international protection for its ecosystems. Later, the bay received recognition as a Grand Site de France, an honor reserved for only a few French landscapes.

The bay takes its name from the River Somme, which has shaped this landscape for centuries. Fishermen and gatherers walk across the sandbanks at low tide to harvest glasswort, a salty plant served in local restaurants.

A preserved steam railway connects Saint-Valery-sur-Somme with Le Crotoy, offering a slow ride along the coast. Visitors walking the bay should check tide times and wear sturdy footwear, as the ground shifts and becomes impassable at high tide.

More than a thousand seals live in the bay, including grey seals and harbor seals, forming the largest seal colony in France. Visitors can watch them from a distance as they rest on sandbanks and slip into the water at high tide.