GR5 / E2 through Flanders: Some comments

The GR5 through Flanders, the Dutch speaking part of Belgium, can be summed up as mixed woodland, abbeys, lakes and the Albert Canal. As noted by John Hillaby in "A Walk through Europe" the route is a very circuitous one, taking many more miles than strictly necessary to reach its destination. However walking among the pine and oak trees on good paths and tracks makes for pleasant rambles, and the many villages and towns visited provide many opportunities for coffee, cake and accommodation. Abbeys and churches add religious and historic interest (as well as brewing beer), and there are plenty of areas in which nature is encouraged. 

While the route is well waymarked with red and white stripes, a map or GPS loaded with the track is advised as occasionally a waymark is missing, hidden or you pass it thinking of something else. I used the Cicerone guide, partly to help with navigation, but mainly to give me an idea of what lay ahead and which sights I should visit (the Bokrijk Openair Museum is particularly recommended). There was accommodation available throughout but booking ahead is wise as I found all reasonable priced places were taken for the Ascension Day holiday weekend for example. I found one campsite on route and stayed in two Youth Hostels.

Start of my walk through Belgium is here.

Start of my walk on the E2 is here.

Zutendaal to Maastricht and home: E2 Days 116 & 117

Another circuitous route through woods and along waterways to Maastricht followed by a long bus journey home.

The GR5 excelled itself today by making my walk to Maastricht particularly long by numerous turns, many taking me away from my destination, 12 kilometres in a straight line was turned into 30 kilometres along the waymarked trail. Maybe the authors of the route were trying to show me the best parts of Belgium, or maybe they just wanted to make me walk further. However, today was warm and sunny, and my bus home was not due to leave until late in the evening so I was content to just walk. For the first 15 kilometres I was walking through woods, occasionally heading in the right direction. I skirted fields and some houses, although the path kept away from urban areas. There were also a few lakes, so very similar to previous days.

A walk through the woods.

By Lanaken the scenery changed. I approached the town by a sports area. Lots of kids in sports gear and their parents were out, many of the children were already in coaching sessions dribbling a ball around traffic cones and the like. My thoughts were elsewhere, and fulfilled on reaching the town's centre where I stopped for my first coffee (and cake) of the day. After that the GR5 took me on a long deviation to the north on a section of the now familiar Albert Canal, although no barges on it today. 

Maastricht's 18th century fortifications.

When I finally reached the outskirts of Maastricht I began an interesting tour of the city's 18th century defences. Between extensive ramparts which zig-zagged back and fore there were deep brick lined, mostly dry, channels. Unfortunately a section of the GR5 following one of these dry moats was closed, and I had a little trouble finding a way to the path on top of the outer rampart. The GR5 does not take you to the centre of the city, so after the rampart section I left the long distance trail, planning to return in September. I had plenty of time for sightseeing so I started with the Basilica of Saint Servatius, a large medieval church. In a reliquary it had pieces of the saint's skull. Veneration of bits of dead saints is something I never felt any sympathy with, I would be happier if they were buried. Of more interest to me was a collection of faded silks up to a thousand years old, naturally looking somewhat ragged. There were other old churches and another basilica in Maastricht, the golden alter pieces of their chapels lit by hundreds of flickering candles left by the faithful. One large, attractive church had been turned into a large bookshop. At the tourist information they told me there was a food festival in a park on the south side of the city. Called Festival Trek, it seemed an appropriate place for a long distance walker to visit. I stopped there for a while, enjoying a burger and watching a couple of bands play on a small stage. A French band sounded distinctly Irish. Outside there seemed to be rival Caribbean food stalls, I wished I had saved more appetite for them! 

12th century reliquary with remains of Saint Servatius.

Bikes and people sunning themselves by the city walls.

Band at Festival Trek.

Lots of people were around in town and being the Netherlands (I crossed from Belgium as I entered Maastricht) there were rows and rows of parked bikes. In the afternoon, many groups of people and couples were sitting or lying down on the grass by the city walls near the river. Later the cafes and restaurants filled to capacity on this sunny, holiday Saturday. I have now retired to some steps on the bank of the River Maas (or Meuse) to write this. It seems a popular place for younger people to sit and play music or smooch. Ahead of me lies a 10 hour coach journey through the night to London, and onward travel from there. I am hoping the seats are comfortable.

Later: On this trip I spent 54 days walking from Darlington to Maastricht, 1186 kilometres, 741 miles (excluding missed turnings and deviations to hotels). My troublesome left knee at the end of it was in far better condition than I expected with no obvious fluid build up. I put this down to the good trails, flat underfoot, with little to bend my knee sideways or twist it. My ankles were a little sore but other than that I was feeling good. At the start of my walk up in Darlington it felt hard going, Probably as I was not in the best of condition, but after a week or so I was managing better.

Bokrijk to Zutendaal: E2 Day 115

Another sunny day for a woodland walk.

Yesterday I left the GR5 at one of the entrances to the Open Air Museum, and then followed roads to the Youth Hostel. This morning I was more adventurous and took paths and cycle tracks through the woods to return to the museum gates, mainly on another marked route, the GR564. On my way I passed the entrance to the Bokrijk Arboretum. Impressed by the display of rhododendrons by the entrance I took a short walk through part of it among ponds, trees, yellow poppies and bushes. Nearby I also saw the castle, although it was not an ancient one.

Back on the GR5, the trail weaved around doing its circuitous best to keep me in woodland, by lakes and sandy heather clad heath, but away from roads full of housing. My route included yet another visit to the Albert Canal. Although the Ascension day public holiday was yesterday, a Thursday, schools and most people seemed to have also taken today, Friday, off as a holiday to make a long weekend. As the day warmed up lots of people came out to enjoy the sunshine.

People out for a cycle ride (without helmets).

Walking through woodland.

I did briefly touch on an urban section, where seeing bicycles stacked outside, I popped into a café for a coffee. No cake was available and I really did not need any having eaten a good breakfast and a big dinner last night. However, a nearby patisserie had a magnetic attraction, and I came out with a frangipane tartlet. I am pleased to say I resisted a later café near a sports complex. The complex included what looked like a ski jump. The red and white waymarks led me around its rear, where I could see flights of stairs to the top. A few people had climbed up and were looking at the scenery from a landing so I followed their example and started up the stairs. Climbing up I admit to feeling a little vertiginous. The stairs and landings were made of grating that you could see through, and I looked down at people on the ground getting increasingly smaller as I ascended each flight. However, as I pointed out to myself, they were proper stairs with enclosed sides and handrails so there was no possibility of falling off. At the very top there were some lads, sitting down and whiling away a day's holiday. They said water was pumped down what I took to be a ski jump and then people went down on boards or tyres. I looked around from my airy viewpoint over what appeared to be a wooded plain, only a few tall buildings in the middle distance hinted at the large urban areas hidden from my view. On the horizon there were a few hills that looked out of place. The boys said they were spoil heaps left by mining that had now wooded over, and that you could climb them and get a good view. They also said you could go down the old mine. I could see what looked like a pithead in the far distance.

A large public sculpture in the woods called Sirtakki, It is meant to represent three people dancing with happiness. 

I reached Zutendaal about 4:00 pm. Maybe as a result of the Ascension Day weekend I had been unable to find any accommodation so I planned to wild camp. Wild camping is illegal in Belgium, although the various prohibition signs were principally concerned with keeping your dog on a lead, so I doubt if wild camping was a big issue. In their book "A Walk to the Water: Six Million Steps to the Mediterranean Sea" two brothers wild camped their way through Belgium so it should not be too difficult. Nevertheless I needed to be discreet to avoid offence or legal action. Not wishing to camp too early when lots of people were still about who might disapprove, I stopped at a café for a snack. However even after leaving Zutendaal after 5:00 pm there were still many families in the woods that followed. Fortunately they were visiting a woodland park with a café, insect museum and shop, after that the trail was quiet. Seeing an area of pines with some undergrowth to hide me, but not so much that there was no clear spot large enough to pitch my tent, I deviated well off the track and am now pitched under the trees. It am near an industrial area which is good as if it had been housing there would have been dog walkers about. My only problem is that there are quite a few mosquitos are about so I am hiding in my tent.

Stokrooie to Bokrijk: E2 Day 114

Another short walk today, which gave me the time to visit the Bokrijk Open Air museum. 

Returning to the Albert Canal I watched large barges motor under the bridge I was standing on. All the bridges are similar, a white arch below which the road deck is suspended. Bright red poppies grew on the embankments each side of the bridge, their brilliance overshadowed the more subtle blue of the cornflowers among them. After a few fields I reached Herkenrode Abbey. Dating from 1179 but closed by the Revolutionary French in 1796, its church no longer exists. Now it seems to be a tourist attraction. There was a large art installation in a black metal building on the site, inside it was dark. You looked through a large window at a desolate scene of water filled ditches, rocks and dead trees all in a monochromatic, grayscale. Other than an exercise in the use of mirrors to make a scene look very extensive, I was not sure what the artist was trying to portray. Given an item in today's news on global warming, perhaps a view of the future. 

Albert Canal by Stokrooie.

Wayside poppies and cornflowers.

As on previous days, for much of today I was walking through woodland on a route which again changed direction erratically, possibly to avoid roads and take me to the best locations. One of these was the Kiewit Domain, a "Nature Park" where I stopped for a coffee and cake at a café by the entrance. There were many lakes, one in particular had a large number of fishermen around it, I took care to avoid their long rods.

Today is Ascension Day, a public holiday in Belgium. At first it was very quiet with little traffic on the roads. As the day progressed increasing numbers of people were about, out on their bikes, in family groups and with dogs. From midday it was busy. I noticed that the cyclists on racing bicycles wore helmets, as did young children, but older people and parents on bikes you sat up on were usually bare headed. Maybe they thought as they cycled more slowly they were less at risk. Fortunately, as the cycle paths were generally well separated from roads for cars there was less risk of a deadly collision than in Britain. Small dogs were often carried in baskets at the back of the cycle or in a contrivance in front. If the owner was walking, small dogs might be brought along in a pram.

Around 2 pm I reached the Bokrijk Open Air museum. There is a similar museum near where I lived in Cardiff, we used to call it a Folk Museum as it illuminated the lives of how ordinary people lived in the past. Just like the place near Cardiff, at Bokrijk old buildings had been moved to the site from other locations in Flanders and furnished appropriate to their age. Most dated from the 18th and 19th centuries and included farm buildings, day labourers cottages, windmills, a churches and an inn. Buildings were either half timbered with white painted wattle and daub infilling the panels, or else made of brick. Roofs were either tiled or thatched. In addition to preserving the buildings they were also keeping groups of old breeds of domestic animals from the area, preventing them from dying out, including cows, chickens, sheep and pigs. One building, removed from Antwerp when threatened with demolition, housed an exhibition of living in the 1960's, a decade in which I grew up although too young to participate in protest movements and the pop culture of the time.  Still I felt nostalgic looking at a Grundig reel to reel tape recorder, adverts with people in 1960's clothing, and reproductions of kitchens and living rooms from that time. Strange to think that common items from my youth are now museum pieces.

Buildings in Bokrijk Openair Museum.

Museum items from the 1960's.

Leaving the museum I walked to the Youth Hostel a few kilometres away, where I was fed a huge dinner. The hostel itself was a bit of a time warp. No plugs handy to charge my phone but they did have emus and board games to entertain the kids and the woodland setting was lovely.

Lummen to Stokrooie: E2 Day 113

Another short day wandering through woodland to the sounds of a race track and robins.

Blue skies greeted me this morning as I left Lummen. There were long queues of cars on the roads, which I had also seen on the yesterday evening, they were out of proportion with the small size of the town. However I was soon on a fenced path through fields of cows. Pink ragged robin flowered by a ditch and tall poplar trees lined my route reminding me of rural French roads. I pitied those still sitting in traffic trying to drive to work.

Walking down an avenue of poplars.

The GR5 continued to take a very convoluted route, spending a significant part of the day heading away from my destination. Such a path enabled it to maximize the time spent in woodland, reducing amount of walking through housing or along roads. However, the surveyors of the GR5 could not avoid the sound of high powered cars intruding into the quiet of the forest. The Zonder race track was nearby, and from what little I could see of it from the one point I came close to the doubly fenced track, street legal cars were being driven around the track at speed, their tyres squealing at a corner. Nevertheless at times, it was quiet enough to here a robin's song from a nearby tree and another robin replying some distance away. 

The main area of forest I visited had the familiar mixture of tall pines, oak and other deciduous trees in the understorey, growing in sandy soils. There were several lakes, fringed by reeds, with a few ducks, and a viewpoint on a low hill. A Pilgrim's Cross had stones piled around it. I was unable to read the sign in Dutch but maybe it was part of some pilgrimage that involved carrying a pebble from one place to another? The cross was by a building inspired by "The hermitage of Our Lady of Loreto" in Italy.

Lake in the woods.

Panorama from a rare viewpoint, which looks rural despite the large urban areas nearby.

On returning to a road I had crossed earlier that day, parents were lining up to take their children home, maybe for lunch as it was about midday. I stopped for a croque monsieur at a restaurant nearby. After that it was a walk in an area of parkland in which the GR5 crossed a lake on a raised wooden boardwalk. Finally I arrived at the large Albert Canal for the second time today, and admired the very long barges. I wondered how they managed to turn around as they were far to large to do so in the canal, presumably there are wider parts designed for such manoeuvres. (The propeller symbols I noticed on the bows of many barges indicated they had bow thrusters which would assist turning in a tight space).

The bridge I crossed the first time my route visited the Albert Canal today. Bridges further east looked very similar.

Raised walkway across a lake.

My bed and breakfast tonight is called the House of Java. I had thought maybe it was a coffee shop but no, it had the name as there was an Indonesian connection. A little different to the hotels I had been staying at in the Low Countries, for example instead of a shower, there was a bath. On hearing I was walking, the owner brought me a bottle of green liquid to use in the bath to relax my limbs, so now I am smelling of fresh pine!

Before dinner I returned to the Albert Canal and watched from a bridge a wide barge with a square front (probably two barges attached to each other) being pushed by a vessel at the back. Not at all streamlined there was a wide "bow" wave in front of it. A lengthy barge with blocks of stone in its hold was coming the other way at a faster pace. Some skill must be needed to avoid collisions in the confined waterway with these ungainly vessels. The canal runs from Antwerp to Liege and seems to carry a lot of traffic.

I walked up the road to find a café for my evening meal and stopped at the first one open. To simplify matters I asked for the same dish as another customer was eating, which on closer examination was a vol-au-vent with chicken and mushrooms in a creamy sauce similar to one I had on my first night in Belgium. Inevitably, it came with chips and mayonnaise. The other customer and I exchanged a few words: where was I from and what was I doing? When I said I had not seen or heard much French, he said that part of the country started 40 kilometres further south. He felt that those in the Flemish north of the country worked much harder. 

Diest to Lummen: E2 Day 112

Navigational issues today, caused by a change in the route of the GR5.

Before starting on today's journey, I visited the Begijnhof in Diest. Founded in 1253, this was a beguinage, a place where a community of women came together in the same neighbourhood. They were pious but worked for a living, most lived in their own houses and they did not take vows like nuns, although nuns also lived in the Begijnhof. The last two beguines left in 1928 but the old houses and cobbled streets remain. It was only last night, having downloaded a map that I worked out which part of the city it was in.

One of the streets in the Begijnhof.

Having admired the streets of the Begijnhof, which had mercifully few cars as access was restricted, I continued over the town's outer defences. A moat, or rather a series of channels, and ramparts protected the town from attack in centuries past. I paused to look at the wide moat on seeing some creatures splashing in the water. A man stopped and told me they were large carp. On the bank a younger man was fishing, any fish caught have to be returned to the water.

Tunnel through one of the ramparts of Diest.

After a series of bridges, ramparts and two tunnels I left Diest on a path by a railway line. After continuing on the route described by my guidebook and its associated GPS track for a few kilometres, mainly through housing I began to wonder why I had not seen any red and white GR5 waymarks. Fearing that the route had been changed I turned around. As part of my planning I had downloaded another GPS track from the internet, although I have forgotten exactly where from. This suggested I should have taken a different route from Diest's ramparts. I wondered if this was the correct route. However as I walked back I noticed a waymark facing me, I reasoned that if they had changed the route, they might have forgotten to remove one waymark. A few hundred metres further on I spotted another waymark. Confused I again turned around and returned to the route in my guidebook passing the same two men in a garden for a third time. Leaving housing on a road onto woodland, my GPS indicated I should turn right into the trees by a "Private" sign. Despite the sign the path through the trees was well used so I followed it.

After the path and some road walking by fields and houses I returned to woodland. I was keen to look at the waymarks at the point where my two GPS tracks rejoined. At that junction there were clear red and white waymarks on the trees that looked newly painted. They indicated that I had picked the wrong route, my guidebook (and a Dutch one I found abandoned on a picnic table) were out of date. Later they parted again and this time I ignored my guidebook and its GPS track, and carefully followed the new waymarks.

Although mostly woodland and urban areas today, there were some meadows, this one with cows, in others hay had been cut and was being turned over.

The route to Lummen proved to be very crooked. Straight sections followed by sharp turns, and some switch backs where the trail went in the wrong direction. The revised route seemed even more erratic than the original. Certainly the GR5 picked a long way of getting from Diest to Lummen. There were a few points of interest, a thousand year old oak guarded by fencing and a memorial where a Lancaster bomber crashed in the Second World War. Only one member of the Australian Air Force crew survived.

Arriving in Lummen a little before the earliest check in time for my hotel I stopped for a coffee. Copying the cluster of ladies on a nearby table I ordered a pancake with jam as well. After checking into my hotel, showering and washing my "smalls" I visited a nearby Taverne and ordered a healthy chicken salad...which came with chips.

Scherpenheuval to Diest: E2 Day 111

A short walk today by farmland and meadows to the historic city of Diest.

After a leisurely breakfast I returned to the basilica. Stalls outside were selling candles and other religious articles. As the building was now open I went inside and sat in a seat at the back. Several other people were sitting in quiet contemplation. I looked around the dark, baroque interior. Above the altar, lost among the silver and gold surround, was "Our Lady of Scherpenheuval". Smaller than I imagined, maybe 50 cm high, and surrounded by a cone of cloth, with just her small head showing. The statue was originally found hanging from an oak tree where the basilica now stands, sometime earlier that the mid 16th century. Numerous miracles were ascribed to "Our Lady" and Scherpenheuval became a place of pilgrimage.

Leaving the town behind I continued by fields of hay and barley. Farmers were out spraying or spreading manure in their huge tractors. Colourful summer flowers were blooming on the verges, a lady past me carrying a bunch of them. The land which had been flat for so long was now swelling up to create very low hills.

Morning on the GR5.

A flower called fiddleneck according to my PlantNet App

On reaching the outskirts of Diest the GR5 took a turn to the south into meadows of long grass on a rough path, eventually swinging back up into its southern suburbs. Diest is an ancient town with many old and historic buildings. The main square or Grote Markt was lined with bars with chairs and tables outside. At its head was the grand town hall with several flags flying, Sint-Sulpitiuskerk, a large church was to its right. The outside of the church was a white limestone and a contrasting orange-brown sandstone. Sadly it was closed on Mondays so I could not peer inside. There were many historic buildings nearby. I thought a brick  building called Het Spijker looked particularly attractive surrounded by a canal. Once a building connected with the monastery at Tongerlo it is now a hotel.

Het Spijker.

Leaving the centre I stopped to have a look at the citadel. I had trouble working out where to go. What I assume were the outer earthen ramparts were well disguised by trees and inside the brick lined centre there seemed to be modern office buildings. I later found a website with an aerial photo of the citadel which gave a better idea of what it looked like. In general I thought Diest looked a bit dusty, with weeds growing in the pavements, not like the clean and tidy places I had encountered earlier in my trip across the Low Countries. The local tourist website was not too helpful either being a bit short on specifics.

Westerlo to Scherpenheuvel: E2 Day 110

A sunny Sunday with lots of people out enjoying the woods on foot or on bicycle.

I was fortunate in that there were few people at the Westerlo Youth Hostel last night so I had a room to myself. At breakfast there was a fit looking Dutch couple walking to Santiago de Compostela. They started in Amsterdam and were walking it in stages. People often think that the Camino de Santiago runs just across the north of Spain, but there are a web of routes from many parts of Europe. He had a small, silver scallop shell on his (Osprey) rucksack, a sign of a pilgrim going to Santiago. Later I saw the blue and yellow scallop waymark on my route as I crossed the Camino trail (also known as the "Way of St James").

This morning's walk was through much woodland. The first part included a walk beside a river and some lakes covered with small white flowers. Straight trails led me through tall pines, oak, beech and limes. The many intersecting trails were seeing much activity. Pelotons of cyclists on sleek bikes with matching lycra shirts shot by, mainly men but some women. Females were well represented in older groups riding at a steady pace, while chatting to each other. Groups of people were also out walking together, one person leading the way. Couples with young children dawdled along, while joggers ran by me. Men or women walked dogs. Some ignored their charges who ranged around on their leads, others pulled them in close as I went by and one dog managed to reach me for a stroke. It was while I was slightly off the trail trying with an App to identify a tree with deeply grooved bark, possibly a locust tree based on its leaves. I think the dog's owner thought I was having a pee but she did not say anything in English (and I do not understand Flemish).

A lake with croaking frogs covered with small white flowers 

Averbode Abbey was a key milestone (an abbey for each of the last three days). English translations on the display near the entrance told me that the abbey was founded in 1134 and that they brewed beer, baked bread and produced cheese. There was a café so I sat down for some lunch. I have been getting a bit pudgy with all the cake so I picked out a salad on the menu which included the word "Kaas", which means cheese. The waiter was a bit shocked when I asked for lemonade rather than sampling the Abbey's beer. Unfortunately the wait for my salad was rather long. When it arrived I realised that some of the other words on the menu described the cheese being deep fried in breadcrumbs, so maybe not so healthy!

After the protracted lunch I walked around the Abbey walls and found the entrance to the main compound. There was a shallow pool of water in front of the abbey church, and if you stood on the far side you could see its reflection. As I positioned myself to take a photo a monk strode by, his long, white robes flapping with each step. Inside the church, there were some baroque aspects among the white columns and white vaulted ceilings.

Detail from inside Averbode Abbey church.

Around the Abbey, trees grew on small hills, maybe ancient sand dunes. A variety of shrines had been constructed. Some, made of concrete, did not look that attractive. Later the route entered the "De Demerbroeken" marshy area (Google translates the name as Demer trousers)! There was some board walk above waterlogged ground but also some muddy sections. Frogs croaked loudly in nearby lakes. Yellow flag iris were just coming into flower at the lake margins. One part of the trail was barriered off with a sign (in Flemish only). I followed a couple with their child around a barbed wire fence obviously designed to keep us out. A man the other side of the fence pressed down on the wire so that they could step across, and I followed. Continuing on the original path I could see that they had been working on clearing a winding ditch, which explained why the path was blocked. However it was Sunday so nobody was working.

The slow service at lunchtime meant I had to hurry to reach the guesthouse I had booked for the night. I had told the owner I would be there at four pm, but I was predicting a later arrival time so I kept up a good pace. Hurrying on an old railway line, now a cycle track, I passed a fortified tower, known as the Maiden's tower (Maagdentoren), as there is a legend that the local lord locked his daughter in it to stop her marrying a local farmer. I arrived at the guesthouse in Scherpenheuval only 15 minutes after the promised time, and after showering and shopping I am now sitting with a glass of wine in front of me having finished a (rather tough) steak and chips. Many of the customers in the busy restaurant seem to know each other, stopping by to say "hello". A small statue of the Virgin Mary complete with rosary is looking down on me, hands clasped together, hopefully praying for my soul.

After dinner I walked around the great basilica at the centre of the town. 150 years ago the statue "Our Lady of Scherpenheuval" was crowned at the request of the Pope. Various celebrations had taken place or were planned to commemorate this rare event. The basilica was locked but around and in front of it were chapels and stalls with hundreds of lighted candles. On the town's roundabout, an abstract Madonna and child with a crown above them could just be made out in a display of blue and white lights.

Basilica of Scherpenheuval. 

Camping de Zeven Geitjes to Westerlo: E2 Day 109

A warm, sunny day with a rivers, canals, woodland, towns and an Abbey.

Walking beside the tree lined Kleine Nete river was particularly pleasant. The morning sun was illuminating some of young leaves on the trees but not others, making the scene a bit like an Impressionist painting with random splashes of lime and dark green. The river slowly flowing beside the path was the colour of molten, milk chocolate where it was caught by the sun, dark chocolate elsewhere. 

Path beside Kleine Nete.

My riverside path ended at the town of Herentals, and having only eaten an orange for breakfast (keen to get my vitamin C) I was in search of a coffee. On seeing a train and bus station a little searching led me to the station café. From the friendly assistant I bought my coffee and something that looked like a sausage roll but was filled with cheese and ham. Continuing on into the centre of Herentals I found an attractive town. The16th century Lakenhall, or Cloth Hall, added a historic touch to the shops and cafés around it. Leaving the centre I first crossed the Bocholt-Herentals Canal then walked on the path beside it for a while, passing Saturday fishermen with their rods. A little later I reached the Albert Canal, just as a large barge was going through the locks. Not too far away there was a windmill similar to one I had seen in the Netherlands. A man was turning it around with a winch.

Lakenhall or Cloth Hall in Heretals.

Barge in locks on Albert Canal.

As in the Netherlands the land I have been walking through in Flanders has been completely flat. It differs in that here in Belgium, there are no dykes and much more woodland. Tall pines towered above me today, their branches well above the ground leaving plenty of light for oaks and sycamore trees below. The paths and tracks through the trees ran in straight lines with the GR5 frequently taking right angle turns. As I brushed against vegetation, tiny green caterpillars fell on me. When I looked closer I could see they were hanging down on very fine threads, just waiting for me to pass. In the countryside poppies and ox eye daisies were coming into flower at the roadside. A sign I thought of the encroaching summer which seemed to be confirmed by the warm sunshine.

Tongerlo Abbey differed from Westmalle Abbey, that I passed yesterday, in that I could enter the compound. Sitting in the Abbey church, among the white walls and columns converging on a high ceiling, I meditated on my life and the teachings of Jesus Christ. On my left there was a copy of Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper. The disciples seem to be discussing something among themselves. Some of them look old like me. A white robed monk did something at the lectern. In a nearby building there were display boards about the Abbey but being in Flemish they were not very instructive. In general I had been expecting more French as that is one of the Belgian languages but I have seen little so far.

Tongerlo Abbey.

I have now arrived at the Westerlo Youth hostel. The associated bar seems to be doing better business than the hostel itself. After settling in I bought a glass of the Tongerlo beer, brewed I assume at the Abbey I visited today, it had a fine, rich flavour.

Brecht to Camping de Zeven Geitjes: E2 Day 108

Farmland and woods again today, but with the hidden highlight of Westmalle Abbey and the more visible sights of a canal and a castle-farm.

The Dessel-Turnhout-Shoten Canal was the first sight of the day. Although not particularly wide a large barge was motoring down it at a good speed, its propeller churning the water, its wake sending waves into the bank. Fortunately the banks were formed of steel piles designed to withstand the wash from vessels motoring past. As the barge proceeded into the distance, a bridge swung up slowly, ready to let it by. I wondered how the bridge was operated, it did not seem to be manned. Did the barge radio some central controller who opened the bridge remotely?

I again spent a good part of the day among farmland, perhaps more mixed today with sheep and horses as well as cows and ploughed brown earth. A large field of barley seemed appropriate as Belgium is famous for its beer, some of which is brewed at Westmalle Abbey. This Trappist monastery and its brewery is closed to the public and hidden from view as the whole site is surrounded by high, red brick walls. Nearby was a modern café and small shop where you could buy the Trappist beers. As I arrived just after 10 am it was a little early for a beer, so I had a coffee and a sandwich with Trappist cheese. You had to construct the sandwich yourself and ingredients supplied included a thimbleful of mustard, which proved a good accompaniment for the cheese.

In places today there were shrines, small buildings with a statue of the Virgin Mary inside protected by doors made of iron bars. It reminded me that while the Netherlands has historically tended towards Protestant Christianity, Belgium has been Catholic, although in both countries the Christian religion is declining in its appeal. Pieces of screwed up coloured paper had been attached to the bars of two of the shrines I saw today, I wondered why.

Shrine to the Virgin Mary.

A very large farm vehicle passed me, four huge back wheels in a line, as well as two at the front. It reminded me that yesterday another massive farm vehicle came up the track causing me to pull well into the bushes at the side. With a big tank and arms I thought it might be to spray liquid manure. Its large wheels made a muddy, mess of the track for me to work my way around. Long straight tracks led me through several mature woods with a mixture of trees. The very tall pines looked impressive but some of the oaks (identified by my App as Red Oaks) were also of considerable height. Ferns and brambles covered the ground beneath the trees.

Tall pine trees with a substantial under canopy.

My wife tells me that I walk along looking at the ground and she is right. In addition I find my self stooping forward, like a caricature of an old person with a burden on their back (my rucksack being the burden). Consequently today I was trying to walk more upright and look straight ahead. Concentration was needed as I found myself slipping back into a bent, head down stance when my mind drifted onto something else. My rucksack did not help, leaning forward was a means of placing its weight more directly over my feet. When walking on flat ground, such as quiet, tarmacked roads as I have today, I had a little success. On uneven tracks and paths I found that unless I was looking at where my feet were about to be placed, I missed slight depressions and my leading foot hit the ground harder than I was expecting, a particular problem with my left foot as it jarred my knee. Conversely a slight rise made me stumble.

Unexpected sights (coffees and cakes) are always a delight. Towards the end of the day I passed an old water mill beside a cobbled lane, mentioned in my guidebook and still in operation. A short distance beyond, a bridge led to the Kasteelhoeve D'Ursel. This was a castle or manor farm, the castle itself no longer exists. Built of red brick it had pointed towers and an elaborate arched entrance to an open area enclosed by the building on three sides. Chairs and tables were laid out and beer and other drinks were being served. As I still had a few kilometres to go I stuck with a coffee and admired the walls. They showed signs that it had once been a grander place, some of the windows had been reduced in size and others bricked up entirely. Although in need of some renovation I was glad to have visited. 

Kasteelhoeve D'Ursel. 

I have now diverted a little off trail to "Camping de Zeven Geitjes", or the campsite of seven kids (as in young goats). They have an enclosure for the goats, but I could only spot four of them.

Campsite goats, only three of the four wanted to be photographed.

Kalmthout to Brecht: E2 Day 107

A pleasant day's walk across farmland and through woods.

As there were no special sights today the guidebook was reduced to photos of cows and a dairy farm. Appropriate as it is a dairy farming area, although I only saw a few cows in the fields, maybe they keep them in barns? The area smelt of farming, the warm smell of farmyard manure occasionally drifting by. Many fields had tall grass, presumably a hay crop, or the dark earth had been ploughed up. The roads and tracks I walked along were often picturesque, lined on one or both sides with trees. Although there were no hedges around fields, they did surround farm buildings. Around a couple of farms, the beech hedges had been trained to create large circular openings and the associated trees had been coerced into some shape as well.

Small roads used by cyclists and rare vehicle were often lined with trees.

Ploughed fields, hay crops, trees beside the road and no hedges, woodland in the distance, typical Flemish countryside.

A group of small, off road vehicles raced by. I thought it a poor way to see the countryside, they would not hear the call of the Lapwings above the noise of their engines. Mature, mixed woodland of tall trees alternated with farmland. The straight forest tracks ran between the arched branches of the trees, newly in leaf, their bright, light green contrasting with the darker shades of the taller pines. The route also entered a few villages. Most houses were built of, or faced with brick. The colours looked different from those in Britain, and the bricks smaller. A row of modern buildings used different coloured bricks to good effect; some dark red, others a sandy red, some brown or dark grey, others in lighter shades.

Modern housing.

Wuustwezel was a small town I arrived at in time for lunch. The café was not open until late afternoon so I bought a ham and cheese roll and coffee at a bakery, then copied everyone else and sat eating them on the chairs outside the closed café. Needing some food supplies in case my campsite tomorrow night had no eating places, I went into the Lidl supermarket to pick up a few things. On leaving the shop assistant wanted to look inside my rucksack, presumably to check I had not shoplifted anything. I felt like a naughty boy for the second day running although today I had done nothing wrong!

This evening the brasserie I am eating at again has many asparagus dishes on the menu. I chose the steak and chips, which also arrived with asparagus (and mayonnaise).

E2 in Netherlands: some comments

Some might envisage that a long distance walk through the Netherlands would be boring, and certainly there are no mountains to climb, however, it is unique and there are many things I liked. 

Firstly, you have to admire the huge Delta Works with its kilometres of dams, and all the dykes and drainage ditches that keep the country free of flooding. Faced with a wet and waterlogged country the Dutch have transformed it into a great, agricultural power house. Nature has not been forgotten, I passed through or by a number of nature reserves, and there were often patches of trees with wild undergrowth beneath by villages and in urban settings. 

Secondly, the E2 visits many sweet villages and attractive towns, the terraces of houses lining each side of a canal. Inevitably there will be a bar with chairs outside.

Thirdly, the Netherlands is certainly distinctive. The long straight lines of path, waterway, dykes and tree converging on some far distant point. The busy boats sailing up and down, hurrying to deliver or pick goods. The neatness, with tidy houses and clean streets, flat fields carefully managed. The separation of cycle paths and pedestrians from busy roads and farmer's fields.

In the Netherlands the E2 officially follows the LAW 5-1 footpath, which is maintained by Wandelnet, who are officially responsible for long distance trails in the country. However, I used a guidebook which described it as the GR5, an unofficial designation in the Netherlands, but one which appears on a few signs and links up with the GR5 in Belgium. As one might expect from the Dutch the waymarking of the LAW 5-1 was generally good with red and white markers typical of long distance paths in several European countries. There is also a day by day guide on the Wandelnet website, the E2 follows the Hook of Holland to Bergen op Zoom alternative. It is in Dutch but the maps and other details make sense in any language and Google Chrome can help translate. There was accommodation and campsites but in places it was sparse so planning ahead was needed. With the farming and intensive use of space it was not an area suitable for wild camping.

Although many people enjoy walking and I met a few hiking the LAW 5-1 / E2, cycling was far more popular. Speeding groups in lycra wiz by, old couples travel sedately, dogs and children are carried in trailers, every variety of cycling is there to see.

Link for start of blog in Netherlands.

Link for start of E2 blog.

Bergen op Zoom to Kalmthout: E2 Day 106

A complete change in the landscape as the E2 takes me inland and across the border into Belgium. There were woods, heath, farmland but no dykes.

My day began by walking through the suburbs of Bergen op Zoom. Older houses near the centre, more modern further out with blocks of flats by the edges. Then I crossed a busy road and was suddenly in woodland. There were still a few buildings among the trees but I soon left them behind. Most of the morning was spent among mature trees: oak and pine, beech and birch, on paths, roads and forest tracks.

Walk through the woods.

I left the woods by a house selling asparagus and strawberries from a self service vending machine opposite a horse chestnut tree in full flower. For the next several kilometres I was crossing farmland on tracks or roads often edged with trees. The border with Belgium was not marked except by an old conical border marker in a field. After crossing into Belgium a little later I returned to the Netherlands. This was a recent change to the route. Where it once went, some workmen were installing a post with a "no pedestrians" sign. One advantage of the revised route was that it went to the edge of Huijbergen, so I diverted into the village's centre in the hope of some lunch. Although the café was closed I was able to buy a sandwich and Coke at the Coop shop.

Boundary marker between Belgium and the Netherlands.

Walk over farmland. 

Returning to Belgium I walked through woodland for a while. Ponds of water on the track had a yellow film and edge, it seemed to be of a fine powder, either some kind of algae or pollen I thought. I came to a sign at the start of a large area of heathland, extolled by my guidebook. It stated that the public were not allowed any further between 15th March and 30th June, apparently it was a breeding area. Although waymarks clearly showed I was on the GR5, a major international hiking route no diversion or advice to walkers was given. A while back I had seen a GR5 Variant sign, but I did not know where this went, it was not marked on my digital maps, and it might also pass through the protected area. Not having a reliable alternative I ignored the sign and carried on feeling very guilty. I am sure I disturbed no birds or animals. There were tyre mark's on the track, and the cars or trucks responsible would have caused much more noise and disruption than me. Apart from a few cows, no one was around to tell me off and a few kilometres later I reached the other side of the extensive restricted area.

There were still a few more kilometres of heath to enjoy legally. Its sandy soil supported an extensive area of heather, although it looked a bit dull at this time of year. There were patches of pine and birch trees, and trees lined the horizon. The path later ran around a large lake of irregular shape. Side paths were marked "Verboden Toegang", Forbiden Entry. 

Heath.

As I left the heathland at a road by the edge of the town of Kalmthout there was a set of notice boards with a map. The area with entry forbidden from March to June was indeed very large, however use of some paths through it was allowed all year, but not the GR5. Neither the GR5 nor its Variant was marked, but translating the small print on a direction indicator I had photographed where the GR5 Variant re-joined the main route I saw that the Variant was marked "Altijd Toegankelijk", which Google Translate tells me means "Always Accessible". It would have been helpful if a suitably large notice with an English translation had been placed at the point where the GR5 Variant began if they really wanted to protect breeding birds or animals from people like me. I am now installed in a rather modern hotel, thinking about how naughty I have been and wondering what I will have for dinner in the restaurant next door.

Later: My next eleven days would be spent walking across Flanders, a Dutch speaking, largely flat area on the north side of Belgium. Consequently, in discussions with the waitress I selected a local Flemish dish. On being set before me I discovered it was a large, vol-au-vent, popular in Britain for diner parties in the 1970's. Mine was filled and overflowing with chicken in a creamy mushroom sauce,  and served with chips and mayonnaise, which everything seems to be in the Low Countries.

Halsteren to Bergen op Zoom: E2 Day 105

A circuitous path on a wet day with Fort de Roovere being the best part.

Leaving my hotel at Bergen op Zoom I caught a bus back to Halsteren where I finished my walk yesterday, then I walked back to my hotel on the E2. The route was a circuitous one, intricate in places, with the aim of visiting Fort de Roovere and staying in wooded areas as far as possible. Rain continued throughout my walk, which included three types of landscape. Firstly, urban areas of housing of different ages by Halsteren and Bergen, looking drab in the poor weather, although in good condition. Secondly mature woodland, wet and dripping, of oak, beech and pines, with sycamore, rowan and holly in the understorey. In better weather walking through the new soft, green leaves would have been a pleasure. Thirdly, there was parkland around Fortress de Roovere.

Built in 1628 with earthen ramparts designed to absorb cannon fire and "bastions" sticking out at the corners so that armies attacking the ramparts between could be fired open by the defenders. The fort was part of a defensive line extending to Bergen op Zoom. As a defensive measure the defenders could also flood the fields in front of the line making it difficult for any attacking armies, in particular the Spanish from whom the Dutch had fought for their independence. 

Looking down on the moat and some of the earthen ramparts from the observation tower.

The fortress had an unusual sloping observation tower to look down on the ramparts, albeit partially obscured by trees. Poor visibility due to rain, made it impossible to see the more distant sights beyond the nearby treetops, that were marked on a metal panorama on the observation deck. 

Sloping observation tower.

The other unusual feature was the Moses footbridge across the moat. Constructed so that you were walking on a surface a few feet below the water level. The top of the wooden, but impermeable sides, was just a few inches above the water level.

Moses bridge. 

Eventually reaching the centre of Bergen op Zoom the central market square looked miserable, with its lines of empty wet chairs and tables outside bars and restaurants. I found a café for some lunch where there was plenty of room for me inside. 

A school was disgorging its young pupils as I returned to my hotel. In Britain this creates congestion as parents pick up their offspring in cars. Here, although a few cars pulled up, many parents arrived on foot or by bicycle. Some children, who I am sure will do well in their later life, walked home on their own. Curious bicycles were used by several of the parents. They were either purpose made or adapted to carry young children, generally in a carrier in front of the rider, with the front wheel moved forward of the handlebars to accommodate its bulk. One was like a rickshaw, the children in a cabin in front and the parent peddling from a position behind them. Later I returned to the central square and enjoyed an asparagus menu, in which the first and second course included asparagus. It was to celebrate the asparagus season which is now coming to an end.

Central square in Bergen op Zoom, emptied by rain.

Battenord to Halsteren: E2 Day 104

The dams across the delta were the highlight of my day, but it was overshadowed by frustration in trying to find accommodation.

As I went to use the toilets this morning the lady cleaning them commented that although it was misty at least there was no wind, or rain I added. As I walked along the first of today's dykes, the low clouds were hiding the top of the tall wind turbines. Their slender white stalks just melted into whiteness as they rose into the sky. They seemed linked with the giant "Delta Works" that I crossed today. A series of linked dams designed to prevent a repeat of the deadly flood of 1953. 

I crossed two dams, the Grevelingdam and the Philipsdam. My image of huge concrete barriers was wrong, the dams largely consisted of grass dykes or banks with a road on top, areas of trees, nature reserves on what were maybe once islands, and wind turbines. Arms of land stretched out from the dam to incorporate some of the huge white columns of the turbines. In the Philipsdam there were lock gates. These had recently been renovated. The information boards, which included an English translation, proudly explained a new bubble curtain designed to separate fresh water one side of the dam, used for drinking and irrigation, and salt water sea on the other side. However the explanation was confusing or maybe just incomplete as at one point it was speaking of a horizontal interface between fresh and the more dense salt water, and at other times implied a vertical interface, created by the bubble screen. I watched a large, long, low barge approach the enormous lock, parting the still waters with its bow wave. In this I was assisted by a concrete observation tower that I climbed up. In Britain I felt sure a similar large construction, for example a barrage across the River Severn to generate power, would never be built. They would say the cost was too high and the environment would be too upset, there would be long planning delays and in the unlikely event that such a project was approved there would be endless reviews, studies and efforts to try and stop it.

Approach to locks on Philipsdam. 

A little after the dam the route deviated through a nature reserve. It seemed a scruffy affair with assorted trees, elder, hazel, willow and others and a winding ditch. Cattle and horses were being grazed in the reserve, their hoof prints churning up the path in places. The horses had foals and the cows had calves so I took a detour to avoid getting close to them as advised by the signs.

There followed a stretch beside the Schelde Rijnkanal, a canal busy with barges motoring up or down with cargoes of containers, dry and liquid bulk products. Maybe heading to or from Antwerp or Rotterdam.

A few times today I was not sure whether I should have been on the top of a dyke or on the cycle path and local traffic route that ran beside it. Either way I reached Nieuw Vossemeer around 2:30 pm. I had been trying to find somewhere to stay, one campsite was opening for the season in a week's time, another seemed permanently closed, yet another I could not find. Of the Bed & Breakfast establishments they were either full or their owners were busy elsewhere that evening. As there were plenty of hours of daylight left I continued on my way, initially by the canal, and latter over fields to Halsteren. 

As I walked I mused that in England the paths run around the edge of fields or even through the middle among the crops. Whereas in the Netherlands the footpaths are generally kept separate from the fields, such as on cycle paths with fences each side, quiet roads, on top of dykes or through areas set aside for nature.

On reaching the top end of Halsteren I caught a bus into Bergen op Zoom, where there was more accommodation, thankful that Google could tell me which bus to catch, where it went from and when it would arrive. There was not as much hotel availability as I thought, the places I had previously looked at were fully booked. Bed & Breakfast prices also seemed similar to those in hotels, i.e. more expensive than I would prefer.

I have now settled into a hotel. Tomorrow I will return to Halsteren and complete the section of the LAW 5-1 from there to Bergen. As it includes a fort I am looking forward to it.