Sunday 15th March 2026 – from Middelkerke to Zeebrugge….

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

Friday 13th March 2026 – Bray-Dunes to Zuydcoote…

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