Holiday in Northeast France / Belgium / nearby this summer - suggestions please!

[Gincision]

Long standing poster with a new name...

So dh, ds1 (11), ds2 (9) ands I have a couple of weeks holiday for the first 2 weeks in August. The second week we've booked center Parcs in Belgium. We're travelling by ferry Dover to calais, not booked yet so dates movable.

What would you do with the first week? Don't want much more driving than we have to but would compromise for something really cool. So ideally north east France, Belgium, southern Netherlands or nearby.

Also, this is meant to be a cheap holiday as we had an expensive one last year and are planning a trip to visit family in the southern hemisphere next year.

Any tips for places to stay, places to visit etc gratefully received. Happy to go to one place for a week or a couple of places for a few days. We usually prefer self catering / camping to hotels but open to any and all suggestions.

Thanks in advance!

No one?

Rent a house! There are loads in that area! Really nice towns to visit are Abbeville, saint Valerie (gorgeous!). Some of the coastal areas can be a bit Blackpool like but other are lovely. Berk (sp?) Is lovely! Stacks of history and war things like Le Coupole, Vimy Reich war memorial. Amiens is a nice town as is arras especially at night! Cheapest place to get food for self catering is Lidl and Aldi. Look for local food markets. Hesdin is famous for its markets (thursday, Sunday). Opal coast from Calais down is lovely with great beaches.

Thanks, loads of good suggestions there. I'll check them out