Bologne

I'm getting the ferry over to Bologne for work at the weekend - I'm
going there and back in a day on Sunday as part of a piece that I'm doing
for the radio on the quickest way to cross the channel. I've never been to
France before and I was hoping to be able to dump the car at the port and
maybe spend the day by the beach. How easy is it to get to the beach from
the ferry port? Is it walkable? And what sort of a place is the port? Any
tips?
Many thanks,
R.