Explore the Flemish Westhoek

You cycle through the open polder landscape of De Moeren, the polder that lies partly in Belgium and partly in France. These rich agricultural lands were a marshy landscape in the Middle Ages that was poldered from the beginning of the seventeenth century. Later the area was flooded again and it was not finally drained until 1826.

De Panne is the westernmost place in Belgium and the southernmost seaside resort on the Belgian coast. From the second half of the 19th century, De Panne increasingly changed from a fishing village to a tourist seaside resort. Nowadays, many visitors also come to the popular amusement park Plopsaland. Koksijde is known for its location in the dunes. In the nature reserve De Hoge Blekker you will find the highest dune on the Belgian coast, of about 33 meters. In Koksijde you can learn more about a medieval abbey in the Museum Van de Duinenabdij or Abdijmuseum Ten Duinen. It is a unique archaeological site and a very contemporary museum. You will also find a beautiful collection of religious silver there.

You cycle through the dunes to Oostduinkerke. This is the only place in the world where shrimps are still caught on horseback, as was done until the middle of the twentieth century. The horse fishermen are recognized as Flemish cultural heritage. In Oostduinkerke, shrimps are still caught by manpower with trawls. From Oostduinkerke you cycle inland. Veurne is located in a former salt extraction area. It was already a fortified town in the 9th century, which was walled in the 14th century.

The Gothic buildings around the Grote Markt date from the 13th century, when the cloth trade brought wealth to Veurne. You will also find many 17th-century buildings in the regional Renaissance style in the Flemish town, built in the Spanish period. The Beauvoorde estate was inhabited from 1408. The castle has been set on fire, rebuilt and fallen into disrepair over the centuries. The current house was restored, furnished and extended in 1875. The interior is 17th-century and the castle is surrounded by a French-English garden. You can visit the castle and you will find a heritage shop and a visitors' centre.