The Belgian Rivera

The short strip of coastline that runs from De Panne on the French Belgian border to Knokke-Heist on the Dutch Belgian border is what I refer to as the Belgian Rivera.  The coast itself is remarkably plain when you consider the variations that you get round the UK. 

The beaches are relatively narrow sandy strips with low level dunes.  In the built up areas it is like any other seaside town.  In hot weather and during the holiday season they flock to the coast and populate the many cafes on the sea front.  I have spent time in Knokke, which is the posh bit where the well off seem to parade their cars and the not so posh bit down in Nieuwport.  I will probably get some abuse for saying that.

The one thing you do need to look out for is the bicycles and what I can best describe as go-carts for adults.  These go-carts can be peddled by anything up to 8 adults so they can go fast when they want to.  Anyway, the promenade is mobbed by these go-carts and bicycles and they are even more ruthless than they are in the towns and cities.  I must add that inland there is some beautiful canals and villages that you can cycle to.  You will be surprised how far you will end up cycling.  An and I have had some interesting times cycling round including through the middle of the night, with the lights down on one bike and not really sure which way we needed to go.  It was a mini-adventure.

Our first holiday after we met was a week in Nieuwport, it was January and the snow had come down quite heavily, on the radio they recommended that people should stay at home.  Not us, we went to Bruges, but then the roads were quiet.  I remember coming up to some traffic lights and they changed, despite going quite slowly I failed to stop as the ABS on my car juddered it to a halt passed the stop line.  An said to me, I hope you don't get a fine for going through a red light!  I thought well apart from it being British plates and therefore unlikely, there was not a lot else I could have done to stop the car!

Getting back into the apartment was quite interesting as the car park was under the building and the ramp going in was iced up.  I had to open the door and just go for it as there was no stopping once I was on the slope.

We celebrated New Year and the first of many confusing texts sent over the following years as I would send my best to friends in the UK whilst they had to wait another hour before the New Year came.  This time was particularly odd because we went out to have some champagne on the beach in the middle of the night.  we went out well before midnight, which was just as well, we came back in just as quickly because it was bloody freezing.  Anyway we sent our Happy New year messages earlier still and got some confused replies back asking why we hand sent them just after 10pm!  We finished that champagne in the room.  Anyway at midnight all hell broke loose on the beach with fireworks being set off all over the place, good job we came back otherwise it would have been something like the opening salvos of the battle of El Alamain.

I have fond memories of the snow and ice on that particular trip, I took photos of the snow lying on the beach, which I thought was quite rare.  An and I had been together for just 3 months at that point. 

The trip was even more memorable for another reason, I had started the holiday by spending time with my brother in Denmark, which involved getting a ferry from Harwich to Esbjerg and then driving up to Hobro.  I was driving a silver Jaguar X-Type four wheel drive 2.5V6 petrol car.  It shifted to say the least.  Anyway, after having Christmas in Denmark I set out overland driving through Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and then to Belgium.  There was a light dusting of snow and so I was driving very carefully and even dropped right down to about 40mph, it was going to be a long night.  The rest of the motorists were belting past me, but then, unbeknown to me, winter tyres are mandated in Germany and I had Summer tyres on mine. 

Not long after I got across the German border I was driving along and the car started to slide towards the hard shoulder, I kind of froze, not wishing to put the brakes on.  I also took my foot off the throttle and turned the wheels in the opposite lock towards the central reservation.  At this point when the car kept sliding I decided that I would apply a little power, not knowing what else to do, the car then spun completely 180 degrees and was facing the wrong direction!  I could see the oncoming traffic but now I was sliding towards the barrier.  I decided to turn the opposite lock on and apply even less power, I then spun 90 degrees and was heading straight for the central reservation.  At this point I gave up and resigned myself to either being hit, hitting the barrier or ending up in a ditch.  I therefore decided to apply the brakes and, amazingly, they slowed the car enough for me to turn the wheel the other way and apply even less power.  This time I ended up almost straight in the legal direction of travel and rolling slowly off the carriageway and onto the extra wide hard shoulder.  I did not stop, I allowed myself to safely continue rolling at an even slower speed and re-join the carriageway.  It all happened so quickly and my heart was thumping, it took a while to get my nails out of the steering wheel!

I am not sure what was scarier, the fact that I did not know where I was and could have crashed or that I still had a considerable distance to go.  Looking back on it now I realise that winter tyres are a must really.  The other thing is  that by applying power it does keep you going as long as you have not radically altered the steering.  I am sure there will be people laughing asking how I managed to lose control of a four wheel drive on barely any snow at all.  The German cars kept thundering past as well.

Anyway that was the start of my holiday that finished with both of us going to the coast.  I think I arrived at around 2am in Aarschot, much relieved and in need of a cup of tea!