The French Ardennes: what does it taste like?

Having visited The French Ardennes more times that most other British holiday makers, the question I’m asked most often (after “Where’s that?”) is “Why?”

I’ve tried several answers: “Because it’s one of the least-explored corners of France”; “It’s somewhere you can go to if you want to really get away from it all”; “You won’t know until you’ve visited the area yourself”.

But the one which raises most eyebrows and generates most interest is: “Because it tastes like Shropshire”.

We’re a nation of comparisons. Put a dish containing meat someone has never previously tasted in front of them, and the first thing they’ll say (ahead of “Mmmm, delicious!”) is probably: “It tastes a bit like chicken”.

So how better to explain The French Ardennes than to compare it with its British equivalent? Somewhere we all perceive as being on the borders with another country; well-and-truly off-the-beaten-track; a place filled with local legend, storytelling and folklore; a strong association with the Industrial Revolution; immortalised forever in verse; and with a strong revival in brewing its own ales. Welcome to the French equivalent of Shropshire…

Close your eyes and think of what Shropshire means to you. Quiet country lanes, a rural lifestyle, farms, tiny villages, colourful field patterns, woodlands, outdoor activities and areas of outstanding natural beauty. That, in essence is a very simple description of The French Ardennes, where you can drive on, or cycle through, country lanes without seeing anyone else for miles (or kilometres).

Shropshire’s hilly borderlands with Wales have long been fought over, and have given rise to a history and heritage of storytelling through the ages, with strong local legends of ancient warriors and rock-faces associated with the Devil.

Head north in The French Ardennes - from the region’s capital of Charleville-Mézeriès towards Givet, where France meets Belgium - and it’s a very similar story, but with different characters etched into the landscape. Theirs is a story of ancient border conflicts, as well as invasions during Franco-Prussian Wars, and two world wars. Theirs is also the legend and folklore of the Four Sons of Aymon, humans turned into rock, and colourful characters said to steal your slippers during the night.

We all know that Shropshire was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, and that Ironbridge is the place we all head to these days to relive the past in a host of museums and attractions. But The French Ardennes is very similar in that respect and, like Ironbridge, has plenty of ways of showing that aspect of its history and heritage in a surprisingly green and pleasant landscape.

The ‘Museum of Metallurgy’ is one of the key interpretation centres, and (not least) proudly tells the story of how The Eiffel Tower is held up by rivets designed and manufactured in this area of France (in the same way Shropshire claims kinship to another of the world’s best-known structures - the world’s first iron bridge).

Literary connections are rife, too, with Charleville’s most famous sons being the nation’s most popular poet, Arthur Rimbaud, who managed to capture the essence of The French Ardennes in verse, in the same way that A.E. Houseman immortalised Shropshire as “Blue Remembered Hills”.

So let’s raise a glass of the finest locally brewed Shropshire and Ardennes ales to these great places. And if you “love Shropshire”, you’ll “amour les Ardennes françaises”.

For further details, visit http://gb.ardennes.com.