Chill out

The coast isn’t just for summer, and De Panne gets our vote for best winter weekend on the sea

I’m always on the lookout for beautiful walks in the Flemish countryside. I don’t mean a pleasant stroll in the park or a hike in the forest where roads suddenly appear across your path; I mean somewhere to lose yourself and get that thrill that comes with being immersed in nature.

And last month, I found just such a place: the sand dunes around the coastal resort of De Panne.

Standing still in the middle of the dunes, I couldn’t hear a human voice, a car or any other sound from the modern world. Instead my ears were treated to several different bird calls and the rustle of small creatures scurrying through the low-lying shrubs. Nor could I see any houses, bars or cafes; instead my eyes feasted on the flora and fauna of this sandy expanse. I was in heaven.

The Duinen en Bossen van De Panne (the dunes and woods of De Panne), as the nature reserve all around the town is called, cover an area of about 545 hectares. Within the reserve are several distinct areas, the largest being De Westhoek at 345 hectares. In fact, De Westhoek is the largest dune area along the entire Belgian coastline and home to more than 500 sorts of plants and a third of Flemish flora.

Birds to look out for in the winter months include hen harriers and short-eared owls, while on the plant front, sea-buckthorn and its orange berries are plentiful.

The joy of visiting in the winter is that you have the dunes virtually to yourself. De Westhoek has more than 11 kilometres of marked paths (sandy, not tarmac or wooden pathways) twisting and turning up and down the dunes from the edge of De Panne down to the border with France. In the centre of the nature reserve is a large open expanse of sand, nicknamed the Sahara.

Sweating in December

Wrapped up in a jacket, hat, gloves and scarf, the winter layers were gradually discarded as the sun shone down (I’m convinced the sun shines more at the coast than elsewhere in the country, no matter what season it is), and the exertion of walking through the sand took its toll. By the time I emerged out of the dunes and back onto the beach, I could certainly feel my thigh muscles.

Luckily, I had a plan up my sleeve for getting rid of aches and pains. But first there were the couple of kilometres to walk back along the seafront, a stretch where there are no high-rises or any other building until you hit the town itself.

The beach at De Panne is the widest along the coast, stretching up to 250 metres at low tide, and is a popular spot for sand-yachting. On a recent weekend, another adrenaline-fuelled sport took place: the annual mountain bike race known as Beach-Endurance De Panne. More than 1,000 cyclists set off at noon and power the length of the beach before climbing into the near edge of the dunes and then back down on to the beach – a total of 52km.

It was quite a spectacle seeing so many cyclists in their coloured shirts speeding along the beach. Luckily the width meant there was still plenty of space for a leisurely amble on foot. If you’ve had enough of walking and don’t fancy the high-energy options, horse-riding along the seafront is another popular pastime.

After several hours soaking up the healthy ions in the sea air, it was time for a soak of another kind: in the hotel swimming pool. Hotel Villa Select, a 19th-century building converted into a four-star hotel, has several attractions, not least its location directly on the seafront, creating a fantastic vista both from the front guest rooms and the breakfast area.

The big pull for me, though, is its swimming pool, steam room and sauna, which are free for hotel guests. Don one of the hotel’s big, white, fluffy bathrobes and relax on the loungers in-between a dip in the pool and spells in the sauna and steam room. Did I mention I was in heaven?

Master chef by the sea

For a gastronomic treat, De Panne is home to a two-star Michelin restaurant, Hostellerie Le Fox. Master chef Stéphane Buyens is a well-known figure in the world of cuisine, having won many awards and being president of Belgium’s Order of 33 Master Cooks. He is also a familiar face to the wider Flemish public thanks to the VTM show Chef in Nood, in which Buyens travels to struggling restaurants to help turn them around.

As you’d expect from a Michelin-starred restaurant, the service and the food at Hostellerie Le Fox are fantastic. From a blood-sausage mousse as an amuse-bouche to a turbot dish matched with a Montlouis wine to an array of small desserts, my taste buds were more than satisfied. If you fancy a visit, but can’t afford the à la carte evening option, be sure to check out the fixed-price options such as the Fox lunch. After all, you can always walk it off with a hike through the dunes.

Vienna in De Panne

Kristian Yayak is a 22-year-old Indonesian who lives in De Panne, and he recommends a trip to his town’s Christmas market. “It’s cold, but you can drink a glühwein to warm up,” he tells me. “I love the wintry atmosphere.”The market square is filled with food and drink stalls, and there’s an ice-rink if you fancy a spot of skating. Kristian works as a waiter in De Panne and likes to go to the Christmas market on his days off.

The market, whose theme this year is Vienna, starts on 17 December and lasts until 8 January. The Christmas and New Year celebrations in De Panne come to a final stop on Saturday, 14 January with the traditional burning of the town’s Christmas trees on the beach, a fireworks display and complimentary oliebollen, fried fish, hot wine, jenever and hot chocolate.

Getting there by train

There are trains once an hour to and from De Panne (it takes an hour and a quarter from Ghent and two hours from Brussels). De Panne’s station is a few kilometres outside the centre, but the coastal tram makes an easy connection. In 10 minutes, you’ll be in the town centre.