A weekend in Northern France… kind of offbeat, maybe?
Just an hour north of Paris, the forested suburb of Meaux makes for an interesting weekend trip. We got there in about three and a half hours. Arriving in the dark, we could already see that it was surrounded by woodland, with small towns dotted through. Quite unexpected, so close to the large cities of Lille and Paris.
It took us a while to find the little Air bnb we were staying in, since it was down an unmarked road and reached via a set of stairs… but it was cute, clean and modern inside, and Suzi settled in right away on her place. The next morning she and I explored the little neighbourhood, to the song of blackbirds. And then after breakfast, we set off with Maya in the car.
We didn’t really know what to expect. You don’t hear much about this part of France, and what you do is generally about Paris… which is a shame, because as we discovered as we drove, this area has a lot to offer. The roads were winding through cute and well looked after villages, and the hillsides were dotted with forest and threaded through by the blue-green waters of a large river. It looked almost alpine.
We stopped at one of the forests to explore further. It was deep and dense; old trees growing close together, not much light. It felt untouched and un-manicured. Suzi enjoyed sniffing and exploring and looking out for wild boar. We spent the whole morning out and about, and in the afternoon I drove around Meaux a bit and was again pleasantly surprised by how grand the cathedral was, and the green areas surrounding it were full of dog walkers and cyclists.
We left late that afternoon, a tired Suzi in the back of the car, some wet shoes and coats in bags, but a smug feeling of discovering a place few would bother with. That’s their loss- because Meaux is well worth a weekend.
Practical stuff- Meaux is about 50 minutes North West from Paris by car and there are also trains. We stayed at an Airbnb which we found very well-equipped and clean, perfect for the three of us.
Hope that spring has sprung wherever you are, and thanks for reading xx Thank you to Maya for the photos 🙂
