Day 1. 26/03/2023

Home to Bray Dunes, France.

Off on another adventure we reached France via the Channel Tunnel and turned left towards Dunkerque. The weather matched that of the UK, but we still opted for an Aire in Bray-Dunes, 5 mins walk from the glorious sandy beach.

Before we even got to the beachfront, we were shielding our eyes from the wind-driven sand, blasting off the waterfront! We could hardly hear each other talking!
Bless Meg, she was chomping at the bit to be let off of her lead and when we did she performed a victory zoomie just for us….that’s because we were the Only people on the beach! It seems mad dogs and Englishmen don’t just go out in the midday sun! 
Blown down the beach we finally made our way back to the van and realised that most of the eateries and bars were shut – maybe for the season. You could get frites – it seems the Sunday tea of choice here as there were queues at all the Friteries we passed.
The evening was very blowy and cold though we had no rain for a change and stayed snug in the van.

Day 2

France to Belgium

Ghent to Rochefort.

Up and at it early, entering country number 2, we drove to Ghent. We have been meaning to visit for some years after a recommendation from a Belgium couple we met in Poperinghe.

We couldn’t get very close due to the van size so opted for a car park at a nature reserve. It was free to park and had a few other campers already there. We didn’t try the bus, instead deciding to walk in, along one of the canals. There’s a very good tram service here too. The outskirts of the town aren’t very attractive, but you can tell when you are approaching the centre as the buildings become more traditional.
There are a lot of tourist info boards explaining the relevant history of each area and certain buildings, in English too  .

The main attraction for us was the amazing castle. It was straight out of a Disney film with its dark grey walls and little turrets. The architecture here is Flemish but almost borders on gothic in places due to the dark, brooding walls.
I was very impressed by the swing bridges spanning the canals and rivers in the centre of town. Trams use them as well as pedestrians and cyclists, but looking closer we realised their road surface consists of wood.

We stopped for refreshments in what is apparently ‘the smallest pub in Ghent’  , lucky it wasn’t raining as we had to sit outside  . It is on the end of what was the ‘butchers hall’, a huge building where – you guessed it – meat was sold. It was the only legal place to sell meat and guaranteed what you bought was fresh. Grabbing a snack and a ‘stockbrood’ (baguette) from a baker in one of the squares, we wandered round some more of the cobbled streets. The buildings are beautiful and for fear of repeating myself I say again, it would be buzzing once the weather warms up.

It must have been a school holiday today as there were lots and lots of school children in groups of all ages, exploring the town. At one point, as I tried for a photo of a beautiful archway, I was swept along by a group of primary kids and had to make a hasty retreat  .

We found the centre very charming even though we only skimmed the surface so didn’t do it justice – it was very cold in the shade  . Getting our step count up, we walked back to the van and made our way to our night stop in Rochefort a couple of hours drive away. We are now parked in the car park of a beautiful chateau which we hope to pop into tomorrow before we leave.
At present we are approx 100km shy of Luxembourg.

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