Romans in Belgium.

OUDENBURG.

No point in hanging about in the car park, so we're off by 9:30. Just before the border, there is a petrol station selling diesel at £1 per litre. I can only squeeze 25 litres in the tank so it compensates a little for the cost of the beer last night.

Try to stop for a brew but parking at the service station is so limited cars are double parking. And, they want 50 cents to use the toilet.

The motorway is very busy and the standard of driving is poor, the drivers don't seem to anticipate anything.

Arrive in Oudenburg by 3:00. We're on the outskirts of the town and are undecided whether to move on. However, we need cash so we walk into the town following the canal. We observe a large turtle on a clump in the middle of the canal. The banks are full of coot chicks and ducklings.

There is a Roman museum in the town. They've created an encampment for the weekend with entertainment for the youngsters. So, there is a nice buzz about the place.

We pass a bar which has no tables outside. We turn to check and find a couple leaving. A couple move into the table next to us as it becomes free. They are from Herefordshire and own a 100 foot barge which we learn is parked next to our car park. They want to sell it and are considering a motorhome . We spend an hour or so sharing experiences and drinking beer. I follow a couple of locals into the gents. One aims for the WC put his colleague explains, in the middle of a stream on Belgian, that it is "The Sh*t Machine".

Walk back together to our transport. We have dinner and go for a walk. The sun has dropped and it's turned cold so it's not a long one.