Dieppe Travel Articles & Travelogues

FRANCE TRAVEL ARTICLES

DIEPPE June 1995

We had lunched at one of my favourite restaurants, Le Rouennais in Rouen, before driving to Dieppe. Consequently, it was late afternoon on 1st June when we arrived at Hotel Aguado. The hotel was adequate, but not very impressive for what was supposed to be the best in Dieppe. But then Dieppe was not quite the popular resort it was in its heyday. At least there was car parking almost outside the building.

We wandered around the old channel port and liked what we saw. There were lots of fish restaurants clustered around the quay, a pleasant town centre square with several cafés and a pedestrian shopping area. As it was approaching dinner time, we started to look at menus. We eventually settled on Au Grand Duquesne, which proved to be a good choice. We both had the three course menu. Norman had sea snails as a starter. This was the first time he had tried them. I had brandide de morue as my main dish, salt cod cooked with cream. The whole meal was very good and very cheap. It cost only about £26 including wine and coffees.

When we came out, the sky was a deep blue as the light faded. A nearby ruined church was illuminated, and looked very beautiful.
The following day, we explored a little more of Dieppe, walking along the lovely beach. It was easy to see why Dieppe was once very popular. It still has a lot to offer. The castle is built on a promontory at the end of the beach furthest from the ferry terminal. At one time the ferries used to sail into the old quay, but now they come in a little further along the coast.

We had some lunch at one of the seafood cafés on the quay. Le Galion was cheap and good. The menu of the day, with wine and coffee cost only around £17 for the two of us. Before catching the ferry, we wandered around the town a little more and bought some delicious vol-au- vents and sandwiches to eat later from one of the lovely food shops.