Le Crotoy
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Le Crotoy is a commune of the Somme département, in Picardie, northern France. It is one of the principal localities of Somme Bay.
Le Crotoy is today an animated seaside resort whose beach is undoubtedly one of the main assets; it also benefits from the proximity of Marquentera (Park of Marquenterre). The beach is highly unusual for northern French beaches in that it faces south.
Le Crotoy saw lengthy visits from some famous figures of French history: Joan of Arc (who was imprisoned there), Jules Verne (who wrote 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea there), the perfumer Guerlain, the painter Toulouse-Lautrec, and the novelist Colette.
Le Crotoy is one terminus of the narrow gauge "Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme" (Somme Bay Railway), which is now largely a tourist attraction. Running around the entire length of the bay, this railway connects Le Crotoy with Noyelles-sur-Mer, Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, and Cayeux-sur-Mer and the sands at Brighton Plage.
