When finally summer arrived, and no far-away trips planned for the holidays, my young family agreed on an old-school motorcycle camping trip in the 'Westhoek', a
forgotten corner in the west of Belgium. My wife went on her usual steed, the 1929 Saroléa, and for myself I borrowed my father's 1954 Nimbus with box sidecar, which turned out perfect for the camping gear. Both daughters were comfortable enough on the pillions.Deliberately, we avoided the busy touristy areas and theme parks, and chose to travel along quiet canals, with destination Maedelstede in Pollinkhove, a small and friendly farm camping. Lots of animals and a swimming pool, great fun for the kids!
During our excursions, we found some hidden treasures, like the unknown and very underrated open air museum 'Bachten de Kupe' and the Bossaert motor museum.
On our path, we passed through beautiful hamlets with names like Houtem, Leisele, Alveringem, Wulveringem, Fintele... Crossing the French border to visit Hondschoote in France even made our trip international!Along these canals, like the Lovaart and the Yzer, there are many places of WWI interest, like the Yzer Tower in Diksmuide and the Goosefoot in Nieuwpoort. In Lo, we went even more back in time, since Julius Caesar once tied his horse to the tree next to the village gate!