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Menin Gate


DonB

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Having used the Search engine and found most of the information is not recent can anybody give us an update on aires or camping near the Gate? Also any advice about the locality? Do we need to book the campsite in advance? Intend to visit late May, mid-week.
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http://www.jeugdstadion.be/E/index.php

 

About a 10-15 minute walk to the gate & the centre.

 

Has always been busy when we have stayed (last night stop for us when we used the Dunkirk ferry - only about 45-50 minutes drive from the ferry port early on a Saturday morning), so booking advisable - particularly at weekends.

 

The motorhome pitches are all hardstanding & quite tightly spaced - you won't be sitting outside on one of these. For a couple of Euros more, the reinforced grass camping pitches are more spacious. The camping pitches also have the advantage of being further away from the industrial area that bounds the site on the motorhome pitch side & are quieter as a result.

 

There were some motorhomes wild camping along the moat next to the city walls that you walk along to get to the gate, but IIRC the last time we stayed there there were notices up in that area prohibiting overnight stays.

 

HTH

 

Nigel B

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The site at http://www.jeugdstadion.be/E/index.php is good and we use it at least twice a year. It is very reasonably priced and if you are near to reception, you can use their wi-fi at no extra cost.

 

When visiting the Last Post ceremony, you need to be there at least 30 minutes beforehand to get a good place (every day at 20:00).

 

Near the date of anything special, there are often daytime ceremonies as well as the evening event. Have a look at: http://www.lastpost.be/en/home for more details.

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plwsm2000 - 2018-04-08 8:35 PM

 

About 10 mins walk further on, there is KAMPEERAUTO- TERREIN ZILLEBEKEVIJVER

We are there now. Decents views and only 8 euros/24 hrs including electric (need 2 pin adapter). Free grey and WC dump. 100 ltrs water for 1 euro.

Need to use credit card to lift barrier and use same card to get out again (or so I was told!)

Found this on camperstop app.

 

Hi, we will be going to the gate 29th/30th april, is this Aires very busy, can you book it?

 

Thanks Brian

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There is a 'new' Aire with 17 Motorhome spaces at Aire Kampeerautoterrein Zillebekevijver.

 

We stayed there last year for a couple of night when we went to the Passchendaele Remembrance Ceremony.

 

The Aire, inc EHU, cost €8 in 2017 with a maximum stay of 48 hours.

 

There are also spaces to park up in gaps on the lane, and also the fisherman's car park, to the left of the Aire if the Aire is full.

 

There is a British War Cemetery close to the Aire and any visits to pay your respects would be appreciated.

 

We also stopped overnight in the car park by the Sports Stadium (junction of Leopold 111-Laan and Zillebeckevoetweg) – the Ceremony didn't finish until around 11pm and we, and a few more motorhomes, stayed there without any problems.

 

The smell of the adjacent Motorhome cooking bacon woke us up …........

 

Video -

 

A Soldier of WW1 buried in the nearby Cemetery -

 

 

 

 

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snail - 2018-04-09 7:53 AM

 

plwsm2000 - 2018-04-08 8:35 PM

 

About 10 mins walk further on, there is KAMPEERAUTO- TERREIN ZILLEBEKEVIJVER

We are there now. Decents views and only 8 euros/24 hrs including electric (need 2 pin adapter). Free grey and WC dump. 100 ltrs water for 1 euro.

Need to use credit card to lift barrier and use same card to get out again (or so I was told!)

Found this on camperstop app.

 

Hi, we will be going to the gate 29th/30th april, is this Aires very busy, can you book it?

 

Thanks Brian

 

Brian,

We arrived on Sunday around 3:00 and there were still about 4 spaces. There was some sort of festival on at the weekend and lots of local vans here. Today there was about 7 spaces. As you can only stay for 48 hours, there is a reasonable turnover of vans.

As others have said, there are other places if you are into wild camping or you can take your chance. Provided there are no major events going on, I think you should be ok as it is still out of season.

You cannot book the Aire but I think you can for the other site mentioned by others.

 

Phil

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plwsm2000 - 2018-04-09 6:20 PM

 

snail - 2018-04-09 7:53 AM

 

plwsm2000 - 2018-04-08 8:35 PM

 

About 10 mins walk further on, there is KAMPEERAUTO- TERREIN ZILLEBEKEVIJVER

We are there now. Decents views and only 8 euros/24 hrs including electric (need 2 pin adapter). Free grey and WC dump. 100 ltrs water for 1 euro.

Need to use credit card to lift barrier and use same card to get out again (or so I was told!)

Found this on camperstop app.

 

Hi, we will be going to the gate 29th/30th april, is this Aires very busy, can you book it?

 

Thanks Brian

 

Brian,

We arrived on Sunday around 3:00 and there were still about 4 spaces. There was some sort of festival on at the weekend and lots of local vans here. Today there was about 7 spaces. As you can only stay for 48 hours, there is a reasonable turnover of vans.

As others have said, there are other places if you are into wild camping or you can take your chance. Provided there are no major events going on, I think you should be ok as it is still out of season.

You cannot book the Aire but I think you can for the other site mentioned by others.

 

Phil

 

Thanks for the info, we will probably stay first night now on another Aires in France as will probably be fed up already doing the 180 miles drive on the UK side, so will be Monday or Tuesday at the gate which I expect to be quieter anyway, have a good trip might catch you up going on into Germany, probably be out till September

Thanks Brian

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Hi,

 

I'm still planning to visit ... my Uncle John was KIA in 1915.

 

Probably OT, and more recent ... my mate, Registrar General of Shipping (now retired) is the author of "MILAG", the story of the Merchant Navy POWs. I think it is now out of print, but we have a signed copy (My wife did the proof reading).

 

During one visit, he noticed a grave stone calling the deceased's ship "African Star", but it should have been "Africa Star". He reported this. On his next visit, he found the wrong name had been cut out, and the correct name slotted in.

 

In his book, my mate recounts how a German submarine surfaced, and ordered everyone on board a British ship to get into lifeboats, before he sank the ship. He then told them that a Swedish ship would be coming to rescue them in about half an hour.

 

Apparently, having found a target, the U-boat captain went looking for somebody to rescue them, before returning to make his presence felt. His timing was pretty accurate too.

 

602

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