For this road trip in northern Belgium, I’m joined by a Parisian friend, Simone, who has never travelled in a camper van before. She dreams of visiting the great cities of Flanders – so let’s go.

First stop is Bruges, nicknamed the Venice of the North. We park the vehicle in the free Boogschutterslaan car park, a 15-minute walk from Bruges’ historic centre.

As I do every time I leave the van alone, I place any valuables in the backpack I’ll be taking with me, then put away anything lying around and draw the curtains to avoid attracting the attention of passers-by – some people recommend leaving the curtains open to show that there’s nothing to steal.

Once ready, we head for the Kruispoort (Holy Cross Gate). From
the bridge over the canal, we can see the wooden windmills of
the Sint-Janshuismolen Park.

The old town is immediately appealing, with beautiful old brick houses and romantic canals where swans glide. It’s like travelling back to another era.

After a cruise on the canals, we make our way to the Markt, Bruges’ central square, whose colourful facades are topped with gabled roofs. The square hosts an interesting market on Wednesday mornings, in the shadow of its imposing, 13th-century Gothic belfry, which regularly plays its carillon.

Bruges is known as the Venice of the north. Photo: Unsplash

We’ll end our visit at the Begijnhof, a sort of village within the city, cut off by a moat. A small stone bridge leads to these traditional living quarters for pious, unmarried or widowed women, where a large courtyard-garden with tall trees is surrounded by some 30 white-fronted houses.

In the evening, we leave Bruges and head east on the E40 to a nature spot, Noorderwal, near Deinze. It’s nice to have a co-pilot and we chat the whole way, but at the same time, my van isn’t really set up for two people and once we’ve stopped, it takes a certain amount of gymnastics not to step on each other’s toes. We soon adjust though, dividing up tasks so as to make the most of this small space.

The next day, Ghent, 25 kilometres away, is calling. The city centre is a Low Emission Zone (LEZ) meaning my diesel-powered vehicle is banned and must be parked outside this zone. So we leave the camper in the free Bourgoyen car park and take the bus into the old town.

Ghent, with its canals, belfry and mediaeval architecture, resembles Bruges, but is more modern and less touristy. We walk through the streets following an art trail, then enjoy cuberdons, a traditional Belgian confection in the shape of a cone, sitting among the students on the Graslei quay.

Our agenda also includes a look at the torture instruments in the castle of the counts of Flanders, and finishes with an evening bike ride along the illuminated streets and canals.

The following morning we’re back on the E40, heading for the capital, Brussels. This region is also an LEZ, so I choose the free Stalle car park, with no height limit and located next to a tramway line.

All roads in Brussels lead to the extraordinary Grand Place where we’re impressed by the richness of the facades, including the Gothic town hall topped by a belfry, the Neogothic King’s House and the various guildhalls, with their intricate, exhibitionist details. A few streets away, we laugh at the sight of the city’s mascot, the Manneken-Pis in his frequently changing costume.

After window-shopping at Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, we enjoy
wafels on the lawn of the Cinquantenaire Park, commemorating Belgium’s independence. You can’t leave the capital without seeing the Atomium, a futuristic structure built in 1958 that glows with 3000 lights as soon as night falls.

My camper isn’t fitted with solar panels so it’s the alternator that recharges the batteries when I’m on the move. To be self- sufficient in power, I need to drive enough and regularly, but since we’ve been in Belgium, my faithful old van hasn’t covered many kilometres. We therefore choose to spend the night at Camping 3CB, on the eastern outskirts of Brussels, where we can connect to an electrical terminal and replenish our water supply.

A noisy truck wakes us – the joys of camping – but we make the most of the early start by cooking a hearty breakfast and enjoying it on the picnic table that’s been gathering dust in the boot. I don’t often use it when traveling alone, preferring to keep things simple.

After this feast, we drive five kilometres south to the Tervuren car park in the verdant Forêt de Soignes (Sonian Forest) and set off on a gentle jog among beech and oak trees, some of them 200 years old. What a pleasure it is to be in the middle of nature with birds singing.

Before heading off to Antwerp, we make a detour to Leuven, 20 kilometres east, to admire its incredible Gothic town hall, a veritable stone lacework masterpiece of 236 statues, and enjoy a beer on a terrace in the lively Oude Markt.

Antwerp itself is a dynamic port and trading city. To avoid the LEZ, we leave the van in a paid car park for motorhomes, near the Parc des Expositions metro station. Our tour of the city begins at Rubens’ house, then we walk past boutiques, restaurants and art galleries to reach the Grand Place, home to the monumental cathedral, and finish with a visit to the old port and the trendy Museum aan de Stroom district.

It’s with sadness that I say goodbye to my friend on the platform of the city’s Central Station – but we both look forward to repeating this successful trip.

This is an extract from Lonely Planet’s Epic Van Trips of Europe. $55 RRP. Contact shop.lonelyplanet.com