Port de Plaisance d’Halluin-Menen, France, Just
Zagan the motorhome’s been across a corner of Belgium but has snuck back into France, just, at the canal-port of Halluin (N50.79029 E3.11933). It’s an unofficial stopover we found on park4night.com, and is free to park. The local police have nipped past a couple of times without a second glance, so all’s looking good for a relaxing stay.
Zagan parked up at the Pleasure Port on the edge of Halluin and Menin
An orchestrated cacophony of coughs and sneezes are still echoing around the insides of Zagan: Ju’s got the man flu, the real man flu, the actual, the one which makes you feel like you’ve got the flu. Hmmm, maybe she has. She’s not yet touched a foot on foreign soil on this tour, opting to wrap up in a sleeping bag and sleep as and when she can. After a quick discussion this morning, we decided to leave Bray-Dunes and head south a wee way, picking this 90 min-away spot from the reviews on park4night.com, one of which berated it for youths smoking dope nearby, but we know the weather’s going to be pants so probably not an issue for us.
Before leaving I nipped out with Charlie. The wind was driving sand around on the broad Bray-Dunes beach like great sweeps of silken cloth, a quite beautiful sight for me, but then my face is a metre and half above the blasting particles, unlike Mogwai’s. He was happier in among the high dunes, filled with concrete bunkers of varying shapes, like one of those ‘will it fit through the hole’ child’s toys. His arthritis meds seem to kick in a few hours after he gets them with his breakfast though, so with stick in mouth, we headed back, fired up Zagan and set off south.
We tipped east, down into Belgium, through a deadly dull, flattened mud and green landscape. The road stretched off in front, straight like a tight string, the surface varying from ‘kangeroo bouncer’ to ‘aaaahhhhhhh smooth’. The fast roads in Beligum are toll free, but signs ran towards us showing anything over 3.5 tonne will have to pay from April 2016. Zagan weighs in at 3.5 tonne, so the change won’t affect the svelte fella.
Belgian roads – some won’t be toll free for motorhomes weighing more than 3500Kg as of April 2016
Into any new country our eyeballs are attracted towards the glowing fuel station prices above all. Belgium, you beauty! Zagan’s tank was brimmed up with 91.6c a litre diesel (70p a litre) in a jiffy. A few clicks further on we saw it for less than 90c, and LPG for an incredible 30c a litre (23p a litre). At this rate I’ll be able to relax my €1 a litre beer limit!
WHAHAHAHHAHAHHA! 70p a litre, sweet.
Down to Ypres, the sombre green signs pointed sternly left and right: Essex Farm Cemetery, The New Irish Farm Cemetery, Tyne Cot. Our previous trips have seen us wander enough of these graveyards across Europe and North Africa to get the picture, so we respectfully rolled on past.
Pulling into Menin, which is in Belgium, we followed out satnav down a tiny road alongside a broad working canal, spying the port on the other side of the water. Narrower and narrower, nah, this isn’t the way. Extracting ourselves, we drove over an arch-sided bridge and along another canal, again with the port in sight but no way over. Back to the original road, which this time confirmed itself to be the wrong one with a barrier. Bugger it! Prodding the satnav and wandering about on foot, we finally found the right way, down the ‘Port de Plaisance’ road, would you believe it?
This beasty made me smile on a grey day in Belgium
And with that, to be honest, today’s story pretty much ends. Ju’s too ill to go out, so I’ve wandered the town alone, whose main feature appears to be its ability to confuse as to which country you’re in. Half way down the Halluin high street in France you look down to check your boot laces and, erm, you’re in Menin, Belgium. Clearly tobacco taxation also alters at that invisible point, as the shops start flogging the stuff by the bucket load. The town’s lively, but feels a wee bit tacky if I’m honest, with rows of cigarette, booze and cheap clothes shops.
That yellow sign to the right is the only indication you’re crossing a national boundary
Next up for me – knock up a risotto or paella, pour a glass of red wine, trace a finger across the map looking for a route south, and then watch Michael Palin frolicking about the Himalaya? Yeah, that’ll do me. Next up for Ju: sleep, sleep, and more sleep. She’s a week in to this illness now, so hopefully within a few days she’ll pull out of it. Distance to the Alps: about 15 hours on non-toll roads at Zagan speeds, which will take a couple of weeks at this rate. Not that we’re in a hurry…
Happy Friday folks!
Cheers, Jay
Oh, poor Ju. I feel really sorry for her. What a start, but then it can only become better, much better! Well, you have really been to a very “poor” part of Belgium! We do have beautiful, little places, you know. We are so sorry, all the blogs I am reading skip Belgium as quickly as possible??? No worries, enjoy beautiful France!
Chris! We’ve been across Belgium a time or two. Ju likes it. I’m indifferent, just can’t seem to get excited about the country (bearing in mind I can’t get excited about touring England either). Any recommendations on places to visit would be gratefully received though, as we’ll be passing this way again in the Autumn. All help and info appreciated! Jay
Poor Ju! I do hope sleep does the trick. Keeping warm, plenty fluids and some fresh air are all supposed to help too. She needs to be well to over-rule that Satnav. We look forward to reading your day to day travels, bonne route!
When we were in Austria , both of us got the flu, took weeks to get over it.
On your way back try and call in to Leuven, home of Stella Artois. Drinking paradise, lots of bars and great people
Will do Eric, thanks!
Hi you two. Sympathy to Ju, I know how she feels, I,m a lorry driver currently weekended in donzere , France.( 18c and blue skies at mo! ) I,ve had proper man flu for a week now and it’s pants!! , reading your blog keeps me going some days, the better half and me will be following some of the Tour de France in July in our own “Dave”. Can,t wait !,. Keep up the good work.. Regards Andy.
Hiya,
Re the Tolls for Belgium, I think they are for HGV only, any motorhome over 3.5t is classed as a PHGV and is not subject to these charges afaik
Thanks guys, good info.