A father and son road trip has a particular kind of appeal. Eddie and I did one down to Turkey a few years back, and it was such fun that Harry made it very clear he wanted his turn. It is the sort of trip that only starts to make sense after years of motorhoming with kids: the shape of it changes as they grow, but the boys still turn up. So here we are: a week, the van, and two Radfords heading for Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
We left Milton Keynes at ten in the morning, aiming for Folkestone, the Eurotunnel and Antwerp by early evening. It was a simple enough plan, right up until we pulled into the terminal and the departure board told a different story. Our 12:54 crossing had been bumped to 14:24, a delay of an hour and a half, give or take. It was not the end of the world. We made KFC wraps in the back of the van, stuck the new Angles Morts blind-spot magnets on the front doors and matching stickers on the back (the rear is not magnetic), and settled in. There are worse ways to spend an afternoon.
Belgium: a tunnel, a stranger, and a seriously good stew
We rolled into Antwerp at ten to seven. Harry had already found us a free park-up right in the city, with a handful of other motorhomes nearby for peace of mind, and honestly, for one night, that is all you need.
It was a ten-minute walk to the St. Anna Tunnel, an extraordinary pedestrian tunnel under the River Scheldt, complete with wooden escalators and a properly old-school feel. We walked across, came up the other side, found a bar, ordered a couple of beers, and immediately got rained on, which is when we met Neils, an absolute legend of a man who spotted us, had a drink with us, and then booked us into a restaurant around the corner before we even knew what was happening.
The place was tucked down an alley, small, candlelit, and completely unpretentious. We had Belgian stoofvlees (basically your mum’s slow-cooker stew, but better, with chips thrown in) and lamb, shared between the two of us. Our empty plates said it all. Big thanks to Neils for that one; the link to the restaurant is in the video description.
The Netherlands: windmills, rain, and 19,000 steps
The next morning in Antwerp, we made a quick stop at the supermarket to grab a couple of cases of Tripel Karmeliet on Neils’ recommendation (8.4%, wheaty, absolutely fantastic), then crossed the border into the Netherlands. Our first stop was meant to be Kinderdijk, 19 UNESCO windmills right on the water, and Harry had been keen on it. To be fair, it is brilliant. But entry was coming up to 50 euros, and we were already running behind, so we made the call to push on to Rotterdam and save Kinderdijk for a proper visit another time.
The Rotterdam city campsite came to 37 euros for the two of us and the van: no electric, a massive flat field, and facilities that were a lot better than the reviews suggested. A winner for a city stop.
We did the city itself on foot, in horizontal rain. We found Delfshaven, a preserved bit of old Rotterdam that honestly feels more like Amsterdam than Amsterdam does sometimes: a windmill, canals, Dutch gabled buildings, the lot. We asked ChatGPT to give us the history while we stood there dripping. Then we found a shawarma place, Harry had lamb in a wrap with chips and mayo, and we walked 19,000 steps back to the van. We were knackered, but there was a Tripel Karmeliet waiting for us back at the van.
Rotterdam deserves a better trip than we gave it. The weather was against us, the timing was off, and we were trying to squeeze too much into seven days. We will be back, and we will bring Lyndsay next time and do it properly. Kinderdijk as well; that one is definitely on the list.
Next stop: Amsterdam. Watch the full video to see how we got on, and if you are enjoying the series, give it a thumbs up and subscribe so you do not miss the rest.
Watch the full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fCURFXH_IE