🌾 Duinbossen Walk – Between Dunes, Forest, and Belle Époque Charm

🐾 Difficulty: Moderate - 11 km - about 3 hours

Departure Gare Centrale => 9:00
De Haan => 10:30
10:30 - 13:30 => Hike
13:30 => Lunch
15:00 => Departure
16:30/17:00 => arrival Brussels

To confirm your attendance, kindly transfer 5 eur organising fee to:
Ujamaa ASBL
BE35 7380 4663 9137
Réf: Duin

🌿 The Route
From De Haan to Wenduine, the Duinbossen Wandelroute takes you through a rare coastal ecosystem where the North Sea, dunes, and pine forest merge into a single living landscape. Expect sandy paths, sea views, and the quiet company of grazing animals that keep the dunes open.
Halfway, we’ll reach Wenduine, a seaside village once shaped by early 20th-century tourism and the rise of the Belgian bourgeoisie at the beach. Those who wish can pause for a warm waffle at ’t Dolfijntje before the return route.

🏡 History Touch
In true Belle Époque spirit, De Haan wasn’t just a resort - it was a social invention. Around 1900, the seaside became a mirror of Europe’s new leisure class, where industrial wealth sought nature’s calm. Walking past the Concessiewijk, you’ll see villas that once belonged to artists, bankers, and diplomats who fled smoky cities to breathe “curative air.”
Yet, this harmony between man and landscape was also a product of inequality: built on railways that carried workers inland, while the coast was preserved for the few. Today, as we cross these same dunes, the walk invites reflection on how Europe’s relationship with nature evolved-from privilege to shared heritage.

☕ Food & Drinks
We’ll end in De Haan’s center, where Baloe Bubbles & Bites serves tapas and cocktails, or you can join for a relaxed drink at a local tearoom surrounded by Belle Époque façades.

🚆 Practical Info

• Train to Oostende or Blankenberge, then coastal tram → De Haan Aan Zee (≈ 20 min).
• Wear comfortable shoes and windproof clothing.
• Those who prefer a shorter walk can take the tram back from Wenduine.