Knokke-Heist to Bruges

Continuing his Belgian tour, Michael Portillo heads to the beach resort of Knokke-Heist and the world’s longest coastal tram, which enjoys splendid views across the North Sea and tracing its roots back to the 19th century beginnings of tourism. Nearby, he visits the port of Zeebrugge, which was attacked by the British in 1918 when the country was occupied by the Germans.

Further along the coast on the Dutch border, he explores the salt marshes and mud flats of the Zwin Nature Reserve, home to 300 species of birds, and helps to track their migration habits. And continuing to the medieval city of Bruges, Michael visits a saxophone maker and discovers how the instrument, so crucial to the development of jazz, was invented in Belgium.