Château d’Ebblinghem
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Our exclusive school group accommodation on the Opal Coast, Northern France
Château d’Ebblinghem is built around one simple idea: make life easier for teachers and unforgettable for students.
Set in peaceful countryside just 8km east of St Omer – and only 45 minutes from the Channel ports – it’s the perfect base for French language enrichment, WWI history, and cross‑curricular adventures.
With four buildings designed specifically for school groups, everything is set up to help your days run smoothly: student and teacher rooms close together, dedicated dining spaces, and areas just for staff when you need a moment to breathe.
Château d’Ebblinghem is your group’s home‑from‑home
Château d’Ebblinghem has four separate buildings, each designed with school groups in mind. Student and teacher en‑suite rooms sit close together, with dedicated dining and teacher spaces that make life easy from the moment you arrive.
Dining areas
Each building has its own dining space, exclusive to your group – ideal for mealtimes, briefings or even evening activities. Depending on your group size, you may share the La Caserne dining area with another school.
L’Auberge
- Student rooms : 13 x 4 beds (2 bunk beds)
- Teacher rooms: 3 x 2 single beds
- All bedrooms are en-suite
La Caserne
- Student rooms: 18 x 4 beds (2 bunk beds)
- Teacher rooms: 6 x 2 single beds
- All bedrooms are en-suite
La Gareyne
- Student rooms: 13 x 4 beds (2 bunk beds)
- Teacher rooms: 3 x 2 single beds
- All bedrooms are en-suite
Le Manoir
- Student rooms: 1 x 6 single beds, 2 x 5 single beds, 9 x 4 beds (2 bunk beds)
- Teacher rooms: 3 x 2 single beds
- All bedrooms are en-suite
Dedicated teachers’ lounge
- A comfortable space just for staff – the perfect place to unwind.
- Tea & coffee making facilities
- Complimentary wine & cheese each evening
- Free WiFi
Ready to start the conversation?
We love chatting through your tour plans and exploring how our team can bring your vision to life. Tell us what you want from your stay and we’ll help make it happen.
Facilities, food, activities and support at Château d’Ebblinghem
Your Group Co‑ordinator is your go‑to friendly face on site, here to keep things easy, upbeat and full of those “this is why we do this” moments.
They’ll:
- Welcome you on arrival, help your group settle in and get everyone feeling at home with a relaxed centre orientation.
- Join you on excursions, support with supervision and share helpful and historical local insights.
- Arrange mealtimes that work for your group and help you make sure everything runs smoothly.
- Check in daily, so everyone’s on the same page.
- Organise and supervise evening activities your students will love.
- Encourage students to use their language skills frequently throughout the day.
There’s plenty of space for your group to unwind, burn off energy and enjoy time together. You’ll find:
- Two football pitches (one floodlit for those later kick‑abouts)
- A dedicated volleyball area
- A communal games building with pool tables, arcade games and air hockey
- A handy vending machine for quick snacks
- Four hectares of private grounds to enjoy
- TV, DVD player and whiteboard available in each building
- A full box of sports equipment ready for your group to dive into
Mealtimes are all about good food, happy groups and plenty of energy for the adventures ahead. Our catering team serves up nutritious, balanced meals that feel both familiar and comforting, and just a little bit French – the perfect mix for hungry students.
Breakfast and dinner are served on site, with tasty packed lunches ready to take away for each day’s explorations. Mealtimes are flexible to fit your itinerary, and we can cater for most dietary requirements with ease.
We support healthier eating habits:
- Fresh fruit with all meals
- Salad available at dinner
- At least one hot, fresh vegetable served daily
- Water available with all meals
- Orange juice available on request
- Semi‑skimmed milk available at breakfast
- Go Explore Journal – a simple, fun way for students to build vocabulary as they go, with plenty of “oh, I can actually say this!” moments.
- Crêpe-making activity sheet – supports key French vocabulary while students mix, flip and cook.
- Mealtime vocabulary placemats – everyday words and phrases to keep French practise flowing at breakfast, lunch and dinner.
- Town trails – self‑guided trails in nearby towns that encourage students to read, repeat and understand French in a real setting.
- Crêpe making – hands‑on cooking with French vocabulary built in; summer option to add a game of boules for extra French flavour.
- Disco – a feel‑good final‑night favourite to relax, laugh and celebrate together.
- Quiz – a lively, themed Q&A with a dash of friendly competition (great paired with Egg Rocket).
- Egg Rocket – teams design a device to keep an egg safe as it’s launched “into space” (fun, creative and gloriously chaotic).
- Esto Challenge – fast‑paced relay‑style games that blend drama, speed and plenty of laughs.
- Passport to the World – map‑based flag hunt with questions to answer before returning to base (exploring + problem‑solving).
- Sports and games – classic sports and easy‑to‑join games to keep everyone moving and smiling.
- Campfire – unwind together with stories, songs and a chance to reflect on the day’s best moments.
- Archery Tag – foam‑tipped arrows, team games and lots of energy; a brilliant teamwork boost.
- Games room – arcade games, pool and air hockey for relaxed downtime (small charge applies, payable in Euros).
- Journey to the trenches (daytime) – interactive WWI journey from enlistment to trench life, including propaganda posters, artefacts and tasting army biscuits with camp coffee (pre‑book).
- WWI artefacts – an up‑close look at WWI items to deepen understanding of trench conditions (led by your history guide).
- WWI army biscuits (daytime) – bake traditional biscuits, take a short quiz, then taste with camp coffee (pre‑book; small charge applies).
- Fabrication de tarte au sucre – target‑language demo, then students make their own tarts to taste (pre‑book; small charge applies).
- Dégustation de fromage – after‑dinner cheese tasting with target‑language chat about flavours, textures, likes and dislikes (pre‑book; small charge applies).
- Le petit déjeuner à la Française – a traditional French breakfast experience with relaxed, real‑life vocabulary practise.
Learning experiences on the doorstep
French Language trips to the Opal Coast
Develop language skills in an authentic and accessible region of France.
- Practise French through real-life interactions with locals
- Take part in immersive, curriculum-linked cultural visits
- Explore seaside resorts, markets and historic coastal towns
History trips to the WWI Battlefields
Bring the events and impact of the Great War to life.
- Study the causes, course and consequences of the Great War
- Explore memorials, cemeteries and historic battle sites
- Visit iconic locations including the Somme, Ypres and Verdun
Cultural & Enrichment Trips to the Opal Coast
Experience rich French culture just across the Channel.
- French food, markets and daily life through hands‑on activities
- Build confidence through short overseas travel and shared experiences
- Local markets, boulangeries and the Nausicaá Sea Centre
Popular subjects to explore on the Opal Coast
Modern Foreign Languages
Explore countries through communication and let language lead the way.
History, Government & Politics
Powerful historic experiences shift perspective and make way for change to forge the future.
Cultural & Enrichment
Experiences that enrich learning beyond the curriculum, visits to world‑famous sites shared with fellow students.
