EP047 | The Belgian Coast

Photos by Cliff Lucas This editorially independent podcast has been supported by VISITFLANDERS as part of the “Common Place” series of podcasts.  has purchase on a roughly 65 kilometre stretch of North Sea coast. Bordered by Bray-Dunes and the French Opal coast to the south and Cadzand and Zeeuws-Vlaanderen in The Netherlands to the north, Belgium’s coast is fully in the province of West Flanders. Along the coast are 15 beach resorts or towns, from major developments like Ostend to smaller towns like De Haan and Koksijde. With a cumulative six Michelin stars in restaurants in the region, the coast has a density of just over 1 Michelin-starred restaurant for every 10 kilometres.  There are breweries too—at least three, depending on your definition and geographical scope (Brouwerij St Idesbald, Jus de Mer, and Stadsbrouwerij Oostende ‘t Koelschip)—and many cafés, restaurants, and bistros with something to offer your non-Michelin guide reader. These businesses and the towns they occupy are all strung out alongside or straddling the metal tracks of Tram 0, the Kusttram, Belgium’s coastal tramline. 67 kilometres long and comprising 68 stops, the tram has been trundling leisurely between these pleasure centres for 137 years. It’s the longest single tram line in the world. Eoghan Walsh, beer writer and fellow Irishman in Belgium, took the Kusttram the length of the coast to explore its food and drink culture.  Sit back, listen, and enjoy our audio exploration of food and drink culture on the Belgian coast. *