We travelled by ferry to France on May 5 to go and see local musicians Phil Traynor and On The Level playing country rock and blues with Reg Marchant in the lovely town of Montreuil Sur Mer. We were not alone, at least 12 other Rye people had made the journey over, some for the second or third time.
Montreuil is similar to Rye in that it should be on the sea but has been left 10 kilometres inland by the receding coastline. It has a citadel with cobbled streets, but is considerably larger with a big central Place de General de Gaulle surrounded by bars and restaurants. We had time for a good wander around and found the ramparts that encircle 75% of the town. The northern arch is still there like our Landgate but bigger and brick-built in the 18th century when Montreuil was on the route from Paris to Calais. In those days it was a fortified town with a big army presence, but today it is quiet, artistic and scenic.
A 20-minute drive away is the chic resort of Le Touquet (Paris Plage) with sandy beaches and expensive hotels and restaurants including the well-known Hotel Westminster. It is possible to book a flight from Lydd to le Touquet and get there in 30 minutes, a lot less time than it took us!
On Sunday morning we were up and about by 10 to catch the first concert of the day at 11am. I doubt if the band have ever played a gig at 11am on a Sunday, competing with church bells. It was a glorious sunny morning and we were soon tempted into tasting glasses of rosé wine. Johnny Cash and Rolling Stones songs echoed round the little square and Steve Stone sang his first rendition of his song Terraced House to which fans could sing along, but the words were mostly lost on the French locals. After an hour or so it was time to seek out a few bars and a cafe for lunch.
The group had two more gigs at 4pm in a scenic little street, Rue du Clape en Bas near the walls and then at 8pm in the main square by which time more people were up and dancing to Stand by Me than at 11am. The atmosphere was becoming increasingly like the Ypres Castle inn in Rye where these musicians are often to be heard. Reg Marchant seemed to know most of the townspeople but he has been coming over here for some years.
We had time for a bit of shopping and a fresh fish lunch before driving back to the ferry and looking forward to our next visit to a bit of nearby France . It was well worth a weekend stop especially with the Rye musicians.
Photos: David Bookless