chemin de fer de la baie de somme

CarlAndDeirdreL

Visited here on first Sunday of October half-term to do the return trip from Le Crotoy to St.Valery. Glorious weather day, which brought the crowds out - we were glad we arrived at 10am for the 11am departure (we like to have a good nose around first) as the car park filled up quickly and carriages were pretty full. When the train gets to Noyelles (about half way round) you meet the train coming from St.Valery to Le Crotoy. They stop and exchange engines - so lots of photo opportunities - and then steam off again side-by-side. Brilliant! At St.Valery the train parks up on the quayside; town itself is quite attractive, market was on when we were there, and there are good views across the bay. After a couple of hours sightseeing, it's back onto the train to throw the whole experience into reverse. A great day out.

Jarrovian2013

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.

Howieez

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.

323SueW

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!

janineb0

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.

Elaine4242

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.

987teresam

Interesting travel in an old train on coal, those you rarely find out, nowadays! It took an hour, but time is obviously forgotten, because you're amazed by the landscape.

jonpsych

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

Meersy77

We loved the train ride but would advise going to St Valery as we found little to do on a rainy day in Le Crotoy.

Cultural_Tyke

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

TheMarkH

The trip from St Valery to Le Crotoy was very pleasant, but the eight of us struggled to sit together, it can be a bit of a bun fight to get on if it is busy. The pace is slow which is fine, and the reverse at Noyelles is interesting. It's nice to stand on the open ends of the carriages if weather permits. There's not much to do at Le Crotoy, and its a ten minute walk to the town if you want to stop a while for a coffee or maybe a beer or two. They are missing a trick by not having a cafe at Le Crotoy station.If you like a more genteel trip then this fits the bill nicely.

davidwnorth

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.

janeg852

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.

achan34

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.

Welovesunandsnow

Steam trains are great. I like the fact they are usually run by enthusiasts and we get the chance to experience them...fortunately I don't have to get to work on them. This one has pretty views and runs quite regularly but they really need a café at the Le Crotoy. There really isn't a lot to do and a nice cup of coffee would have been welcome. They would also have a captive audience so I don't get it.