Fort-Mahon-Plage
Fort-Mahon-Plage  | |
|---|---|
Location of Fort-Mahon-Plage  | |
| Country | France |
| Arrondissement | Abbeville |
| Canton | Rue |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Jean-Claude VANNICATTE |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 80333 / |
Fort-Mahon-Plage is a commune in the Somme département in the Picardy region of France.
Geography
Situated on the coast of the English Channel and endowed with a superb sandy beach and massive sand dunes, Fort-Mahon-Plage attracts many tourists, especially during the summer and at the weekends. Thanks to investment and the fact the town meets many environmental criteria, the town is officially classified (since 2006), as a “station balnéaire”.
Population
| 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 942 | 976 | 978 | 962 | 1042 | 1140 |
| Census count starting from 1962 : Population without double counting | |||||
History
Fort-Mahon-Plage is not a very old town. It seems certain that it did not exist before the 18th century, except, of course, the superb sand dunes and the sea. Then considered rather cold and wild, this part of the coast would have welcomed only fishermen and shellfish gatherers. Indeed, the first town was raised there only a little more than two centuries ago, with a few small shepherds’ huts in 1790. Fort-Mahon-Plage was not considered a commune at all until 1923, when it was officially identified as a separate village from its neighbour Quend-Plage-Les-Pins. Urbanization was steady, notably in the 1950s, with the immense beach of fine sand, in contrast to many of the pebble beaches of Normandy, doing a lot to attract tourists, as well as a soft and pleasant sea during the summer. The huge beach later became famous for its water activities, most notably land-yacht racing , wind-surfing and kiting. The town also invested heavily in its infrastructure, most notably the very long principal promenade, the "Avenue de la plage" (Beach Avenue), of a quality design and layout that reinforces the attractiveness of the town.
Places to visit
The Dunes
The immense dunes of Fort-Mahon-Plage faces the English Channel and surrounds almost the whole town. The dunes possess an exceptional biodiversity. They are particularly sensitive to the wind and can move relatively quickly, but nature supports vegetation which helps to stabilize them. Plants like sandworts play a notable role in the fixing of the dunes thanks to very well developed roots.
The flora and fauna of the dunes
The dunes support an abundance of flora and fauna.
Wildlife is represented by several mammals such as rabbit, squirrels, wild boar and many small rodents. Several species of bird are to be found, like (nightingale, coal tits and various warblers)
Flora is represented by two very different types. The first group are short succulents, such as sedums, able to adapt to the difficult environment of both drought and strong winds. The second group are shrubs, such as pyrocantha, hawthorn, privet, blackthorn, dog-rose and blackberry bushes. Not forgetting the sandwort, that helps bind the dunes, and the wild primrose, a plant which one can extract oils used in cosmetics.
The bay of the Authie
The Authie river flows into the sea north of Fort-Mahon-Plage. It is the border between Picardy and Artois, and has a large bay.
Mostly, it’s a vast sea marsh composed of sand, mud and many ponds and water courses that the sea covers during high tide. It is possible to take a walk in this exceptional natural environment, but generally speaking, this practice cannot be without risks, especially for the uninitiated visitor. It is obvious that the simplest rules of security must be observed, especially regarding the tides.
Considerable wildfowling takes place in the bay. It’s an important staple for the locals (and the gourmet visitors too). Migrant and indigenous birds are found here, among them snipe, curlew, plovers and numerous species of ducks and geese.
Notable flora of the bay include samphire and sea-lilac.
There are still plentiful supplies of shrimp, prawn and crab in the bay, which attracts both man and many varieties of gull.
‘Le chemin de la digue’ (The dyke way). This is a walk following the course of the Authie.
See also
External Links
(All French language)