Express route to the continent; The Great Escape STEVE CHILTON enjoyed a luxury break in a London hotel, and then decided to take a quick trip under the Tunnel on Eurostar from the newly refurbished St Pancras station.

Byline: STEVE CHILTON

THE opening of St Pancras station is great news for travellers from the Midlands heading for the continent.

No more trudging to Waterloo over the "wrong" side of the Thames.

The newly-restored St Pancras International, now home to Eurostar, is just a few minutes walk from Euston.

Arrival at the huge neo-Gothic "cathedral of stations" is an event in itself.

The pounds 800 million restoration hasn't perhaps fully achieved the glory and glamour of the golden age of rail.

But it is nevertheless highly impressive and, even at 7am when we set off for Lille, gives a grand sense of occasion, the start of an adventure.

Okay, so ours was just a 1hour 20 minute journey to Lille in northern France.

But St Pancras has grandeur and panache.

Sadly the same can't be said of Gare de Lille- Europe. Your station of arrival is arguably one of the most brutalist pieces of architecture in the whole of France.

Thankfully, this is the worst of Lille and within two minutes you are across the square and reminded that you are, indeed, in la belle France.

The Grand Place is the heart of old Lille and in December buzzing with Christmas markets, carousels and a ferris wheel.

At a small cafe we were given a warm welcome by the proprietor, profuse apologise that the croissants had finished and presented with a whole basket of Belgian buns to choose from.

Corny it may be, but the friendliness of the locals was a recurring theme throughout the day.

The owner of the small restaurant where we had lunch seemed genuinely delighted to see a couple of English customers among the French diners and later we even had a little old lady approach us as we puzzled over a map to ask if she could help with directions.

Our lunch was two courses and cost 14 euros apiece. Excellent value for top quality meals of steak and chips and zander and rice with a sumptuous desserts of rhubarb tart and ice cream.

Although Lille is a large city by French standards, most of its attractions are easily walkable from the centre.

As befits the one-time capital of Flanders and an important trading town, Lille has a rich history reflected in its many fine buildings.

The Vielle Bourse, in Grand Place, is the town's old trading exchange, now restored to its flamboyantly decorated full Renaissance pomp and a good place to start a tour.

Within 10 minutes walk are the Palais des Beaux Arts, reputedly second only in size to the Louvre, which houses French, Flemish and other European masterpieces and the city's zoo, which is free.

Either of these could eat up your whole day, but we settled for a stroll through the zoo and just an hour at the art gallery.

It was a Monday, a day when smaller towns in France shut up shop, but obviously not Lille.

The town was bursting with buyers, and they had a huge range of retailers to keep them happy.

Those upmarket department store staples of Paris, Galleries Lafayette and Printemps, are represented along with a myriad of small designer boutiques in the cobbled lanes of the Old Town area.

For a few days in September each year the whole town is given over to gigantic 24-hour market, a tourist draw in itself.

Finally, and much as though I would like to ignore it, there is a huge shopping-leisure complex alongside that ugly station of theirs.

Think Coventry's West Orchards, mixed with Arena Park, the Skydome and throw in a hypermarket.

You could conceivably get off the train and overdose on shopping there, never setting foot in the town.

Don't be tempted. Set off across the station square - which looks as if it were designed for tank parades - and a warm and truly French city will welcome you.

Factfile

Travellers from Coventry can use domestic rail services to Euston to access seven daily Eurostar services from St Pancras International to Lille with return fares from pounds 75. Tickets are available from the Eurostar Contact Centre on 08705 186 186.

CAPTION(S):

HISTORIC CITY... Above, the Christmas market in full swing in the old square Grand Place at Lille, below the newly-refurbished St Pancras station