Oostende voor Anker

[токамак]

Ostend at Anchor festival. - has anyone here been? I'm heading over there tomorrow morning for a weekend of camping, beach activities, beer drinking and generally soaking up a load of crazy Flemish culture. The main reason for going actually is to see an excellent local band called Follia! - who I saw in Belgium last summer whilst cycle touring. (It's also my birthday.)
 
Can't take bikes on the Ramsgate-Ostend ferry, which is a shame, and why I'm hiring a car for the weekend instead, but quite fancy renting some kind of pedal powered vehicle once I'm there!

And it's a result that the weather's looking fine.

[Auntie Helen]

Some of my chums on the sailing forum went over to voor Anker.

Some pics here, if you're interested ToKaMaK

Yachting and Boating World forums: Oostend voor Anker images

[Regulator]

Ostend at Anchor festival. - has anyone here been? I'm heading over there tomorrow morning for a weekend of camping, beach activities, beer drinking and generally soaking up a load of crazy Flemish culture. The main reason for going actually is to see an excellent local band called Follia! - who I saw in Belgium last summer whilst cycle touring. (It's also my birthday.)
 
Can't take bikes on the Ramsgate-Ostend ferry, which is a shame, and why I'm hiring a car for the weekend instead, but quite fancy renting some kind of pedal powered vehicle once I'm there!

And it's a result that the weather's looking fine.

You used to be able to.  I'd used the service several times and then when I went to book again they'd stopped.  Apparently on "health and safety grounds" but I feel it may have been because drivers were complaining about having to wait an extra 30 seconds or so whilst cyclists were let off first.

Crying shame, as it was a very helpful route.

[токамак]

I didn't know that they used to allow cyclists on at Ramsgate. We assumed their policy was about not having the facilities to allow foot or cycle passengers onto the ferry - there was only the one very steep ramp onto the boat, which would be tricky on a bike. I agree it would be an even greater route if you could get directly to Belgium with a bike. Perhaps an email campaign to Transeuropa? That aside I thought the Ramsgate ferry was brilliant. With the port not being as busy or popular as Dover it was a pretty quiet crossing, on an old boat with some quite ornate furnishings inside. For breakfast there was a little restaurant where you got proper service from a waiter - you don't get that with Stena Line! (not as standard anyway). Plus Transeuropa had an excellent selection of cheesy 80's music right from the check in terminal and throughout the 4 hour crossing!

The anchor festival was great too. And we found a fantastic little bar full of locals, where they offered us jobs behind the bar if we went back there later this summer! Cue another two week cycle / bar tour of Belgium!

[токамак]

Some good pics there Helen, and as is evident - we had the best weather we could have hoped for!