TO LE TOUQUET! — 1967-1968: Diary of a Posh Schoolgirl

Jul 7

Jul 7 TO LE TOUQUET!

1960s Travel

On the sands at Le Touquet, Ingrid in the dress from Liberty's with admiring first formers

F R I D A Y, 7 J U L Y

Couldn’t get to sleep as had to be up by 6.15.

Chump and me joined Anya and Anna-Marie on the school bus, all the ma's and pa's waving us goodbye. All the first formers were very, very sweet and lots said they liked my Liberty’s dress and the ribbons in my hair.

Got to Dover about 11am. Our boat was the 'Lord Warden' - utterly cranky. The four of us had our lunch on the fantastically windy deck and then I saw this chap and I practically fainted… I thought it was Dutronc. It wasn’t, of course. There were these two flirty sailors, one was utterly vile and thought he was marvellous. He sat on a big round thing and smoked. Then this crowd of ghastly girls came along and started taking photos of him so he got up and did some ridiculous poses. At the end he said, “bet you had no film in there.”

Arriving at Boulogne was very exciting for the first formers – it was the first time abroad for many of them. Helen couldn’t get over the fact that everyone we saw was now French! Then we set off for Le Touquet. There were fields of beet and a lot of cows (which ties up marvellously with my Geography), and every so often we’d pass a farmer hoeing at the side of the road, in blue trousers, blue vest and blue cap. I didn't know poppies could look so lovely. The farmhouses were delightful, very old and beautiful, and wherever the yards faced the road we saw chickens! We waved to everybody we saw and most waved back.

We got to Le Touquet about 3 and all paraded off to the beach. It was fab, very long and very wide, with masses of soft, warm sand. It wasn't very crowded and there were lots of big blue tents. Luckily Chump and me had our bathing-costumes on already so we didn't have to change. We sunbathed a bit, then we bought some cornets, sherry-flavoured vanilla things, one franc each. Got chocolate liqueurs and nougats for Ma and Pa, and found this fab boutique down an arcade - Teen House. It was long and low and done in much better taste than English ones. They had Radio London on! There was this awfully nice girl who served us, incredibly French and petite, with very very short hair, and dressed in a turquoise kilt and top. I spoke French with her which was fab. I actually did get some trousers, maroon with tons of buttons at the front, not hipsters or bellbottoms of course. The waist is a bit too high, but that’s ok since I can turn it over. Chump got some turquoise ones, same style – 59 francs.

“It’s true. You can only get decently cut trousers in France. ”

We bought ‘Formidable’ for me and ‘S.L.C’ for Anya - all about Polnareff in London!!! All these photos of him strolling down little streets in Chelsea, with people all around him, people who don’t even know him, and here are Anya and me, the two people in England who most appreciate him, who can’t even see him. They had pictures of him sitting in front of the Pye Studios, and they even give the name of his hotel, the Knightsbridge, just round the corner from the De Veer (we were so near!!!). Everything we read about him was adorable.They also give the name of his great friend at Pye Studios, Alan MacKenzie. So we're going to write to him. He’s our only contact.

It was weedy to be back in England, and I was incredibly tired on the drive home. Ma and Pa picked us up from the clock tower. They were pleased with their presents, and loved our trousers.