Zwin Nature Park
It was a sunny and frosty start to the day. We packed up early, happy to leave the mediocre Middelkerke behind and get on the road. Bruges is next on our list, but we have one more day on the coast as we wait out the weekend crowds. We made our way about 30 minutes north, driving along the very industrial Belgian coast. We passed the picturesque town of De Haan, where horses crossed the street and traditional houses lined the road. We were heading to the very top corner of Belgium, right on the border with The Netherlands. We’d heard good things about Zwin Nature Park, a wildlife haven on this otherwise crowded coastline.
As we drove north, the busy harbours and industrial warehouses gave way to sprawling country farmhouses and idyllic pastureland. The sun was high in the sky and the trees glimmered gold and orange. It was a really beautiful drive. Once inside the nature park, exhibitions and panorama towers gave you an insight into the park. It’s a mecca for migrating birds, due to its location and unspoilt habitat. They even have an ‘Arrivals & Departures’ board like you see in an airport, detailing which birds are arriving for winter and which ones are leaving. They are famous for their population of nesting storks, a bird that was extinct in Belgium in the early 1900s. Numbers are now recovering and during the summer you can see them in the many observation huts and trails that lead through the park. The park itself is a vast and undulating wetland, bordered by sand dunes, the ocean and farm fields. We saw two huge flocks of geese taking off on a migration, flying so low over our heads and making such a noise! There must have been over 300 birds in the sky at one point. We strolled along the sandy paths and just enjoyed the tranquility and peacefulness here.
Once back at the van, we realised we had run out of food, and then realised that most shops close completely on a Sunday! So we walked along to the beachfront and found a restaurant to fill our empty stomachs. We’ll be glad to leave the coast tomorrow. It’s nice enough but lacks any real charm or character. It reminds us of British seaside resorts that turn into ghost towns as soon as winter arrives. But that’s it for now. It’s a Sunday night, so we’re going to watch some Netflix and relax before a pretty busy week ahead of us.
