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Freedombird travelling through Europe – Spring 26 (Part 1)

Travelling through Western Europe

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Wednesday 18th March 2026 – Waterloo, Namur and Profondeville….

21/03/2026
Another beautiful sunny day, gradually getting warmer as we negotiate our way out of Ghent after a very peaceful night.

Our first stop today is the site of the Battle of Waterloo – the main attraction though is covered in scaffolding but we still enjoyed walking around the Battle field trying to imagine the sights and sounds it has experienced….

Our next stop was the city of Namur, driving into the heart of the city as we ended up doing was a little nerve racking, but we were lucky enough to find free parking in a little Aire just tucked away – we could stay the night here but I didn’t fancy negotiating our way back out of the city in the morning. Instead we wandered down to the river La Meuse and followed the riverbank along to the Citadel….

We then meandered our way back through the old town with echos of Ghent…

Craving a little peace and quiet we left the city behind and followed the river down to the small village of Profondeville and found parking for the night besides the Sports Centre….

Once parked we took a stroll through the village with its rather large and exotic houses, down to the riverside, before calling it a day…

Thoughts of the day:
- How is it that you can never quite achieve the same shot of a place as represented in all the guide books?
- Having assumed this sports centre would be a bit sleepy hollow, as of now (8pm) it is anything but with a constant steam of cars in and out dropping off or picking up, hopefully by about 10 it should have quietened down.
Today’s stats:
- Miles driven – 109
- Miles walked – 7
- Fuel – £74.55 (just over 2 euro’s a litre – thanks Trumpety Trump)
- Groceries – £26.32
Tuesday 17th March 2026 – An afternoon stroll around Ghent….

20/03/2026
Another lovely day for us as leaving Bruges behind, we drive along the lanes across flat farmland and through rural villages to our next location – the medieval city of Ghent…

The park up we have found for tonight is a rather ugly large park and ride carpark in the heart of an industrial zone on the outskirts of the city – no services but it is flat and seems quiet and quite safe, as I don’t think the park and ride is running at the moment.

We are soon settled and making our way the mile and a half or so into the Old Town of Ghent. May be because our walk started in the heart of the large industrial zone surrounding Ghent but the city feels bigger and in many ways grubbier than Bruges, however once in the old town the stunning architecture soon grabbed our attention…

Not as many waterways but largely traffic free (excluding the trams and of course bikes) along the cobbled streets and squares and the shopping here feels a bit more mainstream ie H&M and Primark, than the many independents in Bruges. A rather impressive castle and several large churches / cathedrals with the skyline being crowded with spires makes for a very different skyline….

Another lovely walk enjoying being a ‘proper’ tourist on a beautiful sunny spring afternoon.

Thoughts of the day:
- To be honest, though the guide books suggest Ghent as a less busy alternative to Bruges, I found Bruges more attractive and atmospheric.
- 2 cities in 2 days is more than enough busyiness for us – so tomorrow we shall be seeking some natural space.
Today’s stats:
- Miles driven – 28
- Miles walked – 6
- O/N – Free as machine not working – should be £1.50
Monday 16th March 2026 – Bruges….

19/03/2026
A bit of rain overnight but dry and cloudy first thing and improving all the while. Today we venture inland and southwards into the city of Bruges. Arriving late morning onto this ideal city Aire, we are quickly set up and on our way for just a 10 minute walk into the city centre – the first challenge is walking on past the many Chocolatiers – though I do give in to a Belgium Waffle soaked in warm Belgium milk chocolate for breakfast / lunch….

Delicious but in fact a little too much unless you wish to spend the rest of the day recovering, whereas we have a city to explore….

And what a treat it is, as you know I am not a city person but I really enjoyed ambling along the not too crowded (sound advise to visit on a weekday off-season) cobbled streets, listening to the multi tongued chatter around us and marvelling at the stunning architecture….

Bruges is not a big city and quite doable in a few hours, it is mostly traffic free though you need to keep alert for cyclists who seem to appear out of nowhere at an alarming rate, the odd horse and cart, though you at least can hear them coming and lastly but not leastly – tour guides sporting brightly coloured umbrella’s and clearly on a mission to impart their knowledge and move groups from A to B at speed!

We returned to the van late afternoon, tired but happy with our visit. The Aire is ideally located just 10 minutes walk from the city centre but nice and quiet by the river….

Thoughts of the day:
- I thought the cycling infrastructure in France was pretty impressive but my limited experience of Belgium is that here it is on a whole new level.
- I struggled in France with the language but here I am afraid I have no clue!
Today’s stats:
- Miles driven – 25
- Miles walked – 6
- Treats – £4
- O/N –
Sunday 15th March 2026 – from Middelkerke to Zeebrugge….

18/03/2026
A much nicer day for us today with pretty much brilliant sunshine all day long, still a harsh coastal wind blowing but we survived. A tour up the rest of the coast of Belgium is our plan for today, starting with a short drive, followed by a long walk along the beach from Strand Raversidje, along Strand Diksmuide almost as far as Plage d’Oostend….

Back into the van and a drive around Oostend, across the river to continue our walk along the picture perfect and wonderfully deserted Strand Turkeyen and Strand Bredene….

Another short drive to Strand Wenduine and Strand Harendijke….

And ending our day at Strand Zeebrugge…

An absolutely glorious stretch of fine, silky sand with plenty of firm wet sand to make walking a pleasure. We didn’t get right to the top of Belgium and missed a few of the more popular resorts, as being a fine Sunday afternoon, parking was a bit of a challenge, but we have to leave an excuse to return. From Zeebrugge we made our way back to Strand Westend park up as the location was perfect (for a final beach walk in the morning before we head inland for a while) and parking is free after 7pm.

Thoughts of the day:
- It would appear that during the off-season much of the parking is free during the week. We also discovered that there is generally roadside free parking either side of the beach resorts, if you are happy to walk a bit.
- Can we last the next couple of months without the sea as our constant companion?
Today’s stats:
- Miles driven – 45
- Miles walked – 8.5
- Beaches – 8
- O/N – £1.50
Saturday 14th March 2026 – Belgium Day 1 – De Panne to Middelkerke….

17/03/2026
A cold wind blowing all the while, cloudy in the morning but a nice bit of sunshine for most of the afternoon as we explore part of Belgium’s small coastline. We travel a short distance along the coast to the far end of De Panne to capture the sculpture and beach of Strand Canadezenplien….

Before moving a little further east to Plage Sint Idesbald and Koksijde Beach….

At the far end of Strand Westende we found an amazing park up for the night right beside the beach (though we did shuffle down a bit forfeiting an amazing view for the shelter of the dunes)….

After a quick cup of tea we ventured out for a lovely walk along the beach, enjoying the sculptures on Strand Westende….

Before heading eastwards along Hondon Strand to Middelkerke and it’s rather impressive looking Casino at the far end….

A walkway around the Casino affording great views along the fine beach of Middelkerke and off into the distance Ostend…

After having our tea we popped out to catch the setting sun before calling it a day….

Thoughts of the day:
- These sculptures, though random do make a great focal point along this otherwise featureless long stretch of sand – well done Belgium – though a little tag telling you about them wouldn’t go amiss!
- Unlike France, so far most of the ample parking, though cheap, is paid, but that might be because we are hugging the coast.
Today’s stats:
- Miles driven – 21
- Miles walked – 8
- Beaches – 6
- Car parking – £2
- O/N – £5
Friday 13th March 2026 – Bray-Dunes to Zuydcoote…

16/03/2026
Quite a wild and wet night and into the morning, so instead of venturing out we decided to stay put here another night and get a few things sorted out i.e internet. Various jobs done this morning and though still windy the rain has passed through so we wandered down to the beach for a stroll in the afternoon…

Heading westwards (into the wind) we walked along the promenade of Bray-Dunes to the far end of the village and then down onto the beach looking back along the village front as the sun was trying very hard to shine….

Beyond the village and another section of Dune Nature reserve we reached the small village of Zuydcoote and it’s stretch of sandy beach and at this point we conceded defeat to the wind and enjoyed a much faster pace back with wind on our tails….

Today’s stats:
- Miles driven – 0
- Miles walked – 5.5
- Beaches – 2
- O/N – £15.47
Thursday 12th March 2026 – Le Shuttle and crossing into France….

15/03/2026
Well today is the day and we are very excited and yes a little apprehensive as we make an early getaway from Canterbury Camping and Caravan Club site at 7.30am to drive the short distance to LeShuttle. It feels a little overwhelming when you arrive at LeShuttle as it seems there are so many lanes and potential ways to get it wrong but in fact it is all quite straightforward and there really is only one way to go!

After checking in at a machine which has already identified who you are by your numberplate and confirming a couple of details, you follow the road around to pet check in which means parking up (for me in the large vehicle section) and wandering in through the main terminal with Duty Free and plenty of eateries – the process was very quick and straightforward and Tilly got a little bag of treats for her bother and then back to van to wait to be called.

Visible from the van is a large check in board which indicates the waiting time for your call, based on the number that you have been allocated. Within 20 minutes we were off on our merry way to the train via British and then French passport control (all done from the van)….

What an amazingly easy way to travel, so much less stressful for Tilly and so fast, just half an hour and we are driving out of the train and onto the road system in France – no further check points just voila and you are there! Driving more or less straight onto a dual carriageway almost means that you don’t have to think about driving on the right as it is obvious.

Our journey from the terminal is quite short and by midday (11am UK time having got on LeShuttle for the 9.45 crossing!) we are arriving at our first stop for the night at the Camping Car Park Bray-Dunes….

After a rewarding cup of tea and to be a fair a little mental clap on the back for yet another new experience ticked off we got wrapped up (there is a fair chilly wind blowing) and walked the few hundred metres to the beach….

On consulting the map, I realised that we are just a short hop from the Belgium border so we decided to walk eastwards to Belgium, well why on earth not? The beach is a lovely long stretch of sand, literally as far as the eye can see – with Dunkirk just visible to the west and possible (time will tell) the whole of Belgium’s short coastline, visible to the east and Tilly as happy as I am to be back on our travels again….

The border istelf took some finding with the only marker I could find being this rather unassuming block…

So here you are France to the west and Belgium to the east….

We continued our walk into Belgium along the beach De Panne to get a closer look at Westerpunt a 6m high architectural structure ‘offering a symbolic connection between the sea, dunes and residents’ and pretty panoramic views as you can walk over the top, towards France and De Panne Beach in Belgium….

We about turned here and battled our way back against the seemingly strengthening westerly breeze – I think you could say a very successful and enjoyable first day.

Today’s stats:
- Miles driven – 60
- Miles walked – 6
- Beaches – 2
- Countries – 3
- O/N – £15.51 inc EHU
Friday 6th March 2026 – a trip into Lyme Regis…

14/03/2026
A grey and breezy day as we take a run down into Lyme Regis. A buzzy and pretty little coastal town with a nice long promenade and a fair bit of sand on the main beach at low tides….

We easily found parking (paid) just shy of the seafront and took a breezy walk first down onto The Spittles to the east of town where numerous fossil hunters were scouring the shores….

Under the watchful eye of Lyme Regis’s most famous fossilier – Mary Anning….

Heading back towards the town for followed the shore along Church Cliff Beach and Front Beach…

To the end of the promenade and Monmouth Beach, before heading back along Front Beach to the van and home…

Today’s stats:
- Miles driven – 13
- Miles walked – 5
- Beaches – 4
- Car Park – £3
- O/N – £19.45
Thursday 5th March – Bridport….

13/03/2026
After a morning spent on site doing stuff, we headed down into Bridport for the afternoon. Not the best weather, mostly grey and misty but dry and plenty good enough for a nice walk along the beach. Firstly we headed eastwards away from town towards Burton Bradstock, along the high sandstone cliff backed East Bay…..

Plenty of space for Tilly to have a good run around, before heading back towards Bridport’s West Bay resort where the sand turns into large banks of shingle (currently being dredged from the harbour area onto the beach)….

We wandered out along the harbour wall from where we were afforded magnificent views of those sheer East Bay cliffs….

On the other side of the harbour, West Bay beach was not as impressive….

We followed the raised promenade to the end of West Bay where unfortunately access to the long sand and shingle Eype Bay was closed due to recent rock falls from the soaring cliffs….

West Bay had a nice feel about it and was quite busy with no shortage of Fish & Chips, amusements and pubs it was clearly a popular venue for Bikers, many of whom were gathered along the harbour front enjoying the almost sunshine and said fish & chips!

Today’s stats:
- Miles driven – 23
- Miles walked – 4.5
- Beaches – 3
- C/P – £3
- O/N – £19.45
Wednesday 4th March 2026 – Crossing over Dartmoor….

12/03/2026
After a lovely few months back in Cornwall, spending time with friends and family and what has been a long, wet and stormy winter, we are glad to be back in our ‘Happy Place’ and back on the road again. We left home on Monday 2nd and are slowly making our way across to Folkstone to catch Le Shuttle on Thursday 12th. In between preparing and settling back into the van and completing various admin tasks we are hoping to bob in and out of the coast and notch up a few more beaches before heading to Europe.

Todays drive took us over Dartmoor as we made our way from Tavistock to Charmouth, pulling over in the hazy sunshine to take a walk across a section of the moor – we were not alone….

Albeit somewhat shrouded in mist the views were still pretty spectacular – in the distance Bullseye Stone…

Heading 5 minutes further onto the moors and we were suddenly completely immersed in the low mists with visibility shrinking to 50m or less….

Needless to say it was a slowish journey to Charmouth and even though the mist had opened up once we left the moors, we decided against popping down into Exmouth and will save that delight for another day.

The journey so far stats:
- Miles driven – 158 (inc 74 today)
- Fuel – £88.33
- Groceries – £84.75
- O/N – £32.26 (2 nights)