Belgium maybe... (1 Viewer)

[Deleted member 29692]

We've got the tunnel booked for a February half term trip. It'll just be the two of us and the dogs as the boy is skiing.

Not sure where to go though. Obviously it will be a little bit dependant on the weather forecast but I'd quite like to go to Belgium.

I've wanted to go to Ypres for a long time and I've heard a lot of good things about Bruges. Has anyone got any other recommendations while we're there?

Prefer aires to sites but happy to pay.

 

[Nigel&Debbie]

Ypres is good (stay down the side road by the Menin Gate for free). Brugge is ok but the aire is expensive (19e per night). You can free camp on the south side of the canal not far from the aire for a night or two.

 

[davanne]

The aire at Camping jeugdstadion at Ypres is good only a short walk to the Menin gate

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Electraglide]

Free aire at Bergues, nice little town.

 

[FJmike]

We have stayed at the motor home parking by Menin gate several times. It's very quite and backs on to a nature reserve. Be careful how you approach as through traffic is now banned at Menin gate, the road where the parking is used by coaches at the end of the road nearest the gate. Go down to the end past the turn around area and you will see plenty of parking, no services, but only a short walk into town

 

[peterc10]

Supposed to be a good Aire at Bruges. We visited the town in our pre-motorhome days and enjoyed it.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[DavidG58]

Love Brugges as a place, not used the aire, think I would use a site rather than pay 19euros, done Brussels w/o MH nice place, never been to Ypres

But the countryside in Belgium is just so boring, any journey is IMO a real waste of time, other than getting somewhere else, sorry to all from Belgium it is not personal, inland Holland is just the same, in fact most coastal Holland is little better

Stick to France

 

[Judge Mental]

Disagree it has better towns food and beer then france and northern France poor in comparison for a short break

The Aire at Brugge fine you just walk through the park and your in town...have been many times

 

[Deleted member 29692]

Could someone pop up a Google Maps link to the parking near the Menin Gate. I'm looking on street view and can't seem to find it.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[magicsurfbus]

We've visited Ypres, Tyne Cot Commonwealth Cemetery, and the Passchendaele Experience Museum, which has a reconstructed deep bunker system.

We had a look at the Waterloo battlefield, and if you're around that area on a Sunday morning there's a very good flea market in the Carrefour car park.

I thoroughly enjoyed visiting the Atomium in Brussels - it was like being inside a Thunderbirds set. We didn't see any more of Brussels but said we'd go back.

Definitely try the Trappiste Beer while you're there.

If you roam into N France, Arras is interesting (Citadel, Carriere Wellington tunnels, town centre) and the undergound V2 base of La Coupole is like being inside a James Bond villain's lair, with some unusual things in its display area.

 

[Lenny HB]

Could someone pop up a Google Maps link to the parking near the Menin Gate. I'm looking on street view and can't seem to find it.

50.848123,2.893247

 

[Nigel&Debbie]

http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/in-praise-of-ypres.103177/page-2#post-1323437

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Lenny HB]

Gent has a lovely old town well worth a visit & prices a lot more reasonable than Brugge.
Free Aire by the leisure centre, tram stop close by.

51.036794,3.763853

 

[Rob and Val]

I agree with @lennyhb. We had a lovely time there. St Michael's bridge (Sint-Michiel) is the place to start and you get a great view on the left side of the bridge of the Korenlei and Graslei. These are the two streets on either side of the river, with their unique rows of historical buildings, and where there are some nice eating places. From here, take a canal boat tour for a very interesting and different view of the city.

 

[Easyliving]

We stopped for a couple of days in Belgium on our 2012 trip en route for Holland and the ferry home. We stayed on a site (called Strooiendorp) near De Haan on the coast. Short walk into town then you can get the tram right the way along the coast. We were not impressed at all by most of it, they seem to have built blocks of flats, tall ones, right along the coast.

I'm sure the famous cities, memorials etc in Belgium are much more worth visiting.

@Electraglide mentioned the free aire at Bergues in France. We are fans of this aire too and have stayed there several times. No facilities except rubbish skip / bottle bank but its free and a short walk to a very pleasant town. If you need a vet on your way back there is one in Bergues (by the cow statue) where they speak very good English, not cheap though.

Paul

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[pjay]

Just over the border from France, Veurne is worth a look, overnight parking tolerated on either side of the road at the marina. 51.07052 2.66563

Further to the southeast, Tournai has an interesting town, free aire on the outskirts at 50.60413 3.38110

Pete

 

[Judge Mental]

Agree..Verune nice, kind of a mini Brugge

 

[Puddleduck]

Many years ago we went to the SunParc in De Haan - and have stayed in others. De Haan was the best of the three we visited and the town was very pretty. Einstein lived there for a while, the house is NOT open for visitors. Fabulous beach The rest of the coastal strip was a bit bland and run down.

The Ardennes looks like it might be worth exploring, not been there.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[orridge]

Cave System in Han Sur Lesse was good with great aire in town close to restaurants, we stopped near Mons on the way back from the Alsace to have a look at the 4 boat lifts very impressive pieces of engineering.

 

[Mel]

I have just filled up in Brugge
Diesel has just droped again today
€93.9 per lt

 

[sdc77]

The aire at bruges is expensive but good and we'll positioned to get to the town center easily. (Camp site is quite expensive too) It's near the station so you can hop on a train to ghent etc easily as archie demonstrates ....

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Deleted member 29692]

Gent has a lovely old town well worth a visit & prices a lot more reasonable than Brugge.
Free Aire by the leisure centre, tram stop close by.

51.036794,3.763853

Lenny do you know if dogs are allowed on the tram?

 

[big map]

Lenny do you know if dogs are allowed on the tram?

We have taken a dog on the tram and no one stopped us.

 

[LAM]

The aire at Camping jeugdstadion at Ypres is good only a short walk to the Menin gate

Good, small site. There is also a Lidle/Aldi (can't remember which ) at the entrance to the site. As said above this small, comfortable site is a very short walk into Ypres (Leper). There is so much to see so a few days here is a good investment, especially if you are interested in WW1. You will pass through the below area that FJm mentions. When we were there it was ANZAC week (Australian and N. Zealand involvement) so that area was very busy, people passing the area constantly. Ypres has the 'In Flanders Museum' it is very interesting and interacitive.
The Last Post is played and has been since the 1930s every night at 8p.m. which is very moving.

We have stayed at the motor home parking by Menin gate several times. It's very quite and backs on to a nature reserve.

Forgot to say........... there are WW1 cycling routes to all cemeteries (name already posted). A word of warning............. Emotionally, this one exhausting trip

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[sdc77]

Dogs are allowed on trams busses and trains