Rail route of the month: a tram ride along the Belgian coast

Our slow travel expert explores the world’s longest tram route, a cinematic journey through Belgium’s dunescapes and quirky seaside towns

I have a confession to make. I really love Belgium. This is, I know, not something travel writers often admit. But Belgium always packs surprises and never more so than on the coast, with its seductive dunescapes, art nouveau villas, gothic town halls, geometric art deco, and heaps of modern concrete. High-rise apartment blocks often threaten the dunes, but the 65km sweep of the Belgian coast from the Dutch border to the French one is full of interest.

Back in the late 19th century, Belgium was in the throes of railway mania. The mainline network was well-established and there was a developing maze of narrow-gauge railways. In 1885 the first sections of an ambitious new route opened: when completed, it ran the length of the Belgian coast. It’s still in service today, the only significant survivor of a network that in 1945 boasted more than 2,800 miles of light railways and urban trams. It’s the longest tram line in the world.