Using a sprat to catch a mackerel or a sledgehammer to crack a nut pale into insignificance compared with the Belgian fishermen's technique of using a horse to catch a shrimp.

The fishermen of the Belgian coastal resort of Koksijde-Oostduinkerke are the only ones in the world to catch shrimp while riding on horseback.

Driving the horses up to chest deep, wearing yellow oilskins and waders, the fishermen advance side by side, dragging nets to scoop shrimps from the sandy sea bed and occasionally leaving the water to empty the net into wicker baskets, on each side of the horses.

Holidaymakers visiting the Belgian coast this summer can see this rare sight on the beaches just 20 miles north of Dunkirk (40 miles north of Calais), at Koksijde-Oostduinkerke - literally meaning `east of Dunkirk.

Other attractions for holidaymakers along Belgium's 41 mile long coastline are wonderful, wide sand beaches backed by unspoilt dunes and forests, zig-zagged by hiking and cycling trails, with rest and vantage points, information centres and a programme of free guided walks.

While in the town, those hooked on the region's fishing heritage can visit the National Fishery Museum- `Navigo'- at Koksijde, or see the paintings and drawings of Flemish artist Paul Delvaux, or visit the Abbey Museum Ten Duinen 1138, a modern hands-on museum and archeological site devoted to the life of the Cistercian monks from the 12th to the 19th Century.

Koksijde-Oostduinkerke is less than an hour's drive to the cobbled streets and canals of Belgium's medieval capital of Bruges, and just 20 miles from Ypres, with its many war memorials.

Details of accommodation and how to get to Kiksijde-Oostduinkerke can be found at www.koksijde.be

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For further information please contact: Mary Stuart-Miller mary@mstuart-miller.co.uk