Chances are, you have probably visited Hauts-de-France without realising it. The country’s northern region, just a short hop across the Channel and a whisker away from the Belgian border, is often the first place that British travellers emerge in the country (those arriving by Eurostar or ferry anyway), but it has remained a largely overlooked jewel in France’s crown.
Known primarily for its quaint Flemish architecture, Gothic churches and many sombre war memorials, it has long been overshadowed by the capital lying just south of its perimeter.
