What is a holiday and travelling if not escapism? At times we all need to get away from it all, to escape the crowds, the routine of daily life, and to wind down or be stimulated by new and out-of-the-ordinary experiences.

And so it was that I found myself being taken, at a very sedate pace, by a delightful – if sometimes cantankerous – donkey named Princess, around the arts and crafts village of Feron in the Avesnois.

Now the Avesnois, in the department of Nord in northern France, is not somewhere I would normally have ventured.

Three or four times when driving to southern Germany, I have sped past the area, oblivious to its charms.

That’s a pity really, because the countryside is attractive, and there are all manner of things to do for a short break.

Situated just over two hours from Calais, a quick whizz down the A25 and A23, it’s also very accessible from southern England.

So where exactly is the Avesnois?

About 80km south-east of Lille. But it’s as far removed from a bustling city like Lille as the Lake District is to Manchester.

The nature park is a rural idyll with thankfully far more animals than humans.

We started off in search of the panda. Or to be more specific, a Gîte Panda.

These are guest houses or cottages – approved by Gîtes de France – that are surrounded by nature in a regional nature reserve or national park where the owners undertake to protect and enhance the natural environment and its species.

They are given the World Wildlife Fund panda label if they meet the criteria.

One such Gîte Panda we found, after briefly getting lost, it has to be admitted – but then these gîtes are often in remote locations – was Les Mout’ânes in the village of Saint-Hilaire-sur-Helpe.

Owners Barbara and Stephane breed sheep and donkeys.

The bed and breakfast accommodation they offer is delightful. Rooms are on the ground floor in one part of the house, which has been completely restored. Breakfast, with a vast array of homemade jams, breads, muffins, yoghurts and pastries, and wonderful Maroilles cheese, is taken at the family table, in a warm and friendly atmosphere.

Don’t worry if your French isn’t great, because Barbara and Stephane speak good English.

You can also take dinner here. Or try, as we did, Aux Berges de Sambre in nearby Pont-sur-Sambre for some fine French cooking at an affordable price. A high-quality three-course meal here costs just 34 euros.

I mentioned earlier that, despite being a rural retreat, the Avesnois has plenty to see.

We called in at the Forum antique de Bavay, one of the biggest forums of the Roman Empire and one of the very few to have been almost completely excavated.

There is an impressive archaeological museum here, showing the treasures that have been unearthed, and the ancient and modern is brought together stylishly in the auditorium where a 3D film using computer animation demonstrates perfectly how the Romans lived on this vast site.

Museums and children often don’t go together, but this is something kids love and stirs their imagination.

Here too the tourist officials have worked hard to make it understandable to the Brits, with nearly all the exhibits translated into English.

Another place rich in history is the small town of Le Quesnoy, which has been the scene of many skirmishes and battles.

It spent 300 years not under French rule.

Its fortifications, modernised by the military engineer Vauban, could not prevent siege after siege, and in the First World War, the town suffered a harsh four-year occupation by the Germans who used it as a garrison town. Some 1,500 Germans refused to surrender, but on November 4, 1918, it was spectacularly liberated by New Zealand troops.

As you would expect, there is plenty in the town for history lovers to see and explore.

A much more rural attraction is Feron, a community full of artisans, which stages an arts festival every couple of years.

This peaceful village, with a population of just 500, is filled with painters, sculptors, basket-weavers, glass blowers and countless other craftsmen and women.

You can amble from one artisan’s house to another on foot, or be taken, as we were, either in an old Citroen 2CV or by donkey and trap, that donkey being dear old Princess.

Now Princess goes at her own pace. For her, time has a different meaning.

Mind you, when we left her tethered to climb the church tower for a splendid view over the village, she made known her impatience by braying loudly.

That sound was nothing, though, to the one that made us jump out of our skins at the top of the tower following a steep climb up spiral stone steps.

Arriving out of breath, unknowingly right on the hour mark, we were turned into reverberating jelly as, like a scene from Dad’s Army, the giant bell struck to deafen all around.

That night we finished our short break in the Avesnois by staying at Château de la Motte in Liessies, a retreat that has earned a deserved reputation for fine dining.

In the heart of the regional park, this 18th century château is in a great location, bordering forests and ponds, and with sailing, horse-riding, mountain-biking and fishing on its doorstep.

For 70 years it has been owned by a single family, and here you can enjoy luxury at a fraction of the price you would have to pay for the equivalent in England.

Dinner was a delight, with the foie gras, and the selection of mini desserts particularly memorable.

A double room at the Château de la Motte with gastronomic five-course dinner, and buffet breakfast, is 152 euros.

Of course, in France, wherever you go there are fine restaurants.

Au Baron at Gussignies, where they brew their own beer, and Le Moneuse, near Bavay, are places I would go back to. As is the Avesnois, the Green Face of Le Nord.

Relatively traffic-free, you can find tranquility and enjoy the simple pleasures of the countryside, away from the crowds. And you know that, at the end of the day – whether you’ve seen pandas or donkeys along the way, or not – there’s always a good meal waiting for you.

WHERE TO STAY Les Mout’ânes in Saint-Hilaire-sur-Helpe: email stephane.symond@wanadoo.fr or call +33 678 695105. Château de la Motte in Lissies: chateaudelamotte.fr or call +33 327 618194 EATING OUT Aux Berges de Sambre in Pont-sur-Sambre: auxbergesdesambre.net Au Baron in Gussignies: +33 327 668861 Le Moneuse, near Bavay: lemoneuse.com GETTING THERE P&O Ferries sail frequently from Dover to Calais with fares from £70 return for a car and passengers. A lounge upgrade is £12 per person. Details at poferries.com or 08716 646464 OTHER CONTACTS tourisme-avesnois.com tourisme-nord.com

Pictures: Anthony Lyddeker