On the kilometre-wide sandy beach of De Panne on the north Belgium coast, Danny Dezeure is talking about gybes, "apparent" winds and tacking. It's ringing distant bells from my only sailing lesson many moons ago, but although we're close to the water, this time I'm going to be avoiding any contact with the sea.
I'm about to sample land yachting – or land sailing as it's sometimes called – a sport first dreamed up by the ancient Egyptians who attached sails to carts so they could, well, "sail" on land.
But it was here, in Belgium, that land yachting first evolved. In the 16th century, Flemish scientist Simon Stevin came up with a model for Prince Maurice of Orange's entertainment, then in 1898 the Dumont brothers from De Panne invented the first modern-style land yacht. Inaugural races followed in 1909 in Belgium and France. These days, Danny, owner of the De Panne Land Yacht School, is a Belgian champion with speeds of more than 120kmph under his belt. Just a 45-minute drive from Calais, De Panne is a great spot for outdoor fun. The beach stretches endlessly in either direction – you could land yacht as far as Dunkerque if you wanted, or couldn't remember how to stop.
The resort itself sprawls out along the seafront, with rows of neat little white beach huts, a wide promenade and lots of restaurants and cafes selling beer and waffles. At one end there's a section for kitesurfing, land yachting takes place at the other, and on the western tip of the resort lies the vast and wild De Westhoek Vlaams Nature reserve, a pristine region of huge rolling sand dunes, where you can wander for hours, feeling miles away from the rest of the world.
The Hostellerie Le Fox is a two Michelin-starred restaurant run by chef Stephane Buyens. It's an unpretentious place, opened in 1971 by Buyens' parents (with his mum and grandmother in the kitchen). He followed in their culinary footsteps, becoming the youngest chef in Belgium to win a Michelin star at the age of 27 in 1987. Rooms were added in 1988 – so diners could have somewhere to sleep after their feast. The food is impeccable: cappuccino of lobster is followed by young herring with apple, fennel and rhubarb sorbet, then salad nicoise with a "boule" of lemon foam, and sea bass with parma ham and saffron perfumed rissotto. The baked figs with arabacia coffee ice-cream and crispy orange rind are reason enough to cross the Channel.
"There's just a little bit of water between us – but people don't really know what's here," said Buyens.
Indeed. The Dutch and Germans may flock to the Belgium coast in the summer, but the British haven't really cottoned on to the great beaches and fantastic food that's almost on their doorstep.
And it's not just about De Panne either. Resorts are dotted all along the coast, each with its own character, interspersed by nature reserves. You can drive the coastal road, but a fun way to get about is by tram – the tramline stretches for 68km from De Panne to Knokke to the east, and with a day pass costing just €6 you can jump on and off.
We stop off at Ostende, the only real city on the sea, with a lively seafront, lots of shopping, great museums and Belgium's biggest casino. It was the holiday favourite of Kings Leopold I and II, and today families love its many attractions and 9km-long beach. In contrast, the little village of De Haan is a sleepy, old-fashioned gem, with mock Tudor houses, a Sunday bric-a-brac market and the delightful Auberge des Rois hotel on the sea, which dates from the 1920s. Sepia photographs hang in the wood panelled hallway showing bathing beauties from the turn of the century and Albert Einstein enjoying the sunshine with friends.
Further along the coast, Knokke is different again: the St Tropez of the region, it's all modern art galleries, chic restaurants, ladies with poodles on the promenade, and a high-street crammed with the likes of Hermes and Louis Vuitton.
The flat landscape makes it easy to explore these resorts by bike, too, and there are hundreds of kilometres of cycling routes along the coast and inland. The tourist board has invented a signposted cycle by numbers system, so we pick a route from Knokke down to Damme, write down the numbers we need to look out for and head off.
We follow the sea for a while, then turn inland and cycle across farmland and alongside a pretty tree-lined canal, where heron perch at the water's edge. After a couple of hours and a few wrong turns when the numbers seem to disappear, we reach Damme, a charming medieval town where fantastic food is once again on the menu. There are 25 restaurants here and just 600 inhabitants – people travel from all around to dine, with local shrimp being among the specialties.
The picture postcard town of Bruges is another short bike – or barge-ride away. You can spend the afternoon wandering the maze of medieval streets and trying to avoid eating too much chocolate and still be back on the coast for dinner.
What's so nice is that it's all so easy and stress-free. No airport hassle, just an hour on the ferry from Dover and then a short hop from Calais to De Panne.
Getting there
SeaFrance operates up to 15 daily return crossings on the Dover-Calais route. Fares for a car and up to five passengers start from just £25 each way online for any duration and from £19 return for a day trip. 0871 22 22 500; seafrance.com
Train: Eurostar (0870 847 5007, eurostar.com) London St Pancras to Brussels Midi, then hourly trains from Brussels to Ostend
Further information: Tourism Flanders-Brussels (+44(0)20-7307 7738, visitflanders.co.uk. Flemish coast: flemishcoast.co.uk
Land yachting instruction at the Land Yacht School in De Panne costs €13 per hour (+32 58 415747, strandzeilen.be)
Hostellerie Le Fox, Walckierstraat 2, De Panne. Rooms from €100 a night for a double. (+32 58 412855, hotelfox.be)
