Distance walked: 15 miles/24 Km

Another hot, sunny day. I set off early intending to do as much of the walk as possible before it got too hot. The “official” route runs between the back of buildings, separated from the Meuse river by the railway line and a motorway. This was not very pleasant so I cut up a side street to walk along the main road. It was an attractive street and there was good “people watching” potential as some hurried to work while others stopped at the boulangeries.

L’Hotel du Ville (the town hall) was impressive. It was originally built in the 17th century but has been systematically restored and rebuilt since.

A short walk brought me to At Martin square. I liked this sculpture outside the Collegiale Saint-Martin.

I cannot work out how to use translate software on the I pad. I think there was an attempt to seize Vise in 1374 and a young goose herd performed an act of heroism which led to her death as a martyr.

I crossed the St Martin square and left Vise by walking up some steep steps. I was soon in the countryside, walking between grassland and a field of maize. The path continued to climb gently. There were good views over the hills ahead, again reminding me of pastoral England

The path went around farm building, climbed over another hill and then descended to the Berwinne stream

A grass path followed the stream to the village of Dalhem. I had already drunk one water bottle. The lady in the pharmacy refilled it for me, I bought extra sun cream (in French!! One of the challenges, in a good way, of walking away from the usual tourist places is that not everyone speaks English). I also bought a bottle of water and a Sprite from the next shop. I sat down to drink my can of lemonade and an old man stopped me to ask where I was going and where I had been. I think I made myself understood.

GR5 now climbed up to the old part of Dalhem. The citadel on top of the hill dates from the 17th century, when I first saw it I thought it was a church

I wandered along the cobbled street. I was within the walls of the castle and exited through a short tunnel in a building called Le Wichet de la Rose, the internet suggests this is the name of the castle. At the other end of the opening I went through one of the gates of the castle wall. The path turned left and followed the wall up to a drive, adjacent to a tunnel that entered the castle.

The drive climbed gently between trees, giving some shade. At the top of the hill I joined a farm track that descended past farm buildings after which I turned left on the path. I stopped for a drink. A fellow GR5 walker caught up with me. John is from Dorset and he is also walking GR5 in stages. He is camping more than me. We walked together as far as St Remy.

We parted company by the church as I stopped for another rest. I climbed away from the village and turned into a forest. This was a lovely deciduous forest that followed the valley of the Julienne river. I think I walked too far north and lost the GR signs. I found a trail that descended through a narrow defile to join a cycle track where I picked up the GR waymarks. This ran for a couple of kilometres, gradually descending to the river. I joined a road that ran through the village of Housse and passed under a motorway.

I missed the turn after the motorway but fortunately I soon realised my mistake. I returned to the road bridge and found the narrow path that ascended in woodland adjacent to the motorway. eventually it turned away from the road and the traffic noise subsided.

The path continued to undulate. I descended to the village of Saive. The path went around the edge of the village before crossing a stream and ascending in woodland to a signpost

So, I misunderstood the plaque at ENCI-groeve. I am 302km down the trail and, if I get to Nice, I have 2115km to go.

The trail continued to pass between villages by a mixture of paths and quiet roads. There was a particularly nice sunken, woodland path between Saive and Tignee

This climbed fairly steeply uphill to enter farmland at the top. It was very hot and I was running out of water. At Evergnee-Tignee I saw a couple just leaving their house. They very kindly not only filled my water bottles but added ice to them.

It was now only a couple of kilometres to my B and B on the outskirts of Soumagne. I had already received a WhatsApp from the owner offering to cook me an Italian dinner. The B and B turned out to be an apartment next to the owners’ house. Luxury! The meal was great: soup, pasta (enough for Angela and I for a meal) and home made tiramisu (much nicer than you would get in the average UK Italian trattatoria). I ate well!

Distance walked:11 miles/18km

After my huge breakfast I set off down the road to rejoin GR5 in the adjacent village of Eben. Here, I left the main road to walk down a residential side street. This soon became an unmetalled lane and climbed up to the Tour d’Eben-Ezer.

This flint tower was built by Robert Garcet from flint rubble and completed in 1960. He was a pacifist and apparently the tower was inspired by stories from the Bible and ancient civilisations. It is open to the public and meant to be well worth a visit. Today it opened at 11am and I did not want to wait as the daytime temperature was predicted (accurately) to be above 30 degrees; so I wanted to do as much walking as possible before it got too hot. I was able to admire the roof which has one of the four Angels of the Apocalypse at each corner

The track continued to climb uphill with good views back into Holland. It ran along a ridge and soon I could see the way ahead into the hills of the Pays de Herve

The rolling hills reminded me of the Cotswolds. I turned on to a path that descended through the trees to a track that continued to the edge of the village called Wonck. Here, I doubled back on myself on a road to join a path that entered a nature reserve. This path ran through trees and alongside a small stream, the Geer.

The path joined a cycle track where I was grateful to find a bench in the shade as it was now getting quite hot. After a rest I crossed the Geer and turned on to a farm track that led to a main road. I crossed the road and then followed a series of paths, tracks and minor roads that took me up on to an open plateau. Although the countryside is more undulating none of the paths are steep (yet). By now it was very hot. The track went through a vast field of swede and onions so there was no shade. Away from the edge of the plateau the views were not very interesting and it was a case of ignoring the heat and pressing on.

Eventually I came to a shaded picnic area next to a eco-sensitive farm co-operative. At least I think that is what the French sign said, Wallonia is the French speaking region of Belgium. I was able to sit in the shade, finish my breakfast and refill my water bottles.

Refreshed, I descended down to a road before climbing up the other side on a path. This ran alongside trees so there was some shade. At the top of the hill there was one of the crosses of the Promenade of the Four Crosses.

I am afraid I have failed miserably in my attempt to find out more about this promenade. It appears that there are four restored crosses with a walk between them but I do not know the religious significance. GR5 does not visit the other crosses but descends down through pear orchards to the main road near Vise. I must admit I was tempted to pick a pear but they felt hard. Just as well as round the corner they were harvesting the crop. Presumably they pick them to ripen in transit to the shops.

At the bottom of the hill I crossed the main road and followed little roads to the Albert Canal

This has been my companion, on and off, on much of the walk through Belgium. I had not realised that it was built in the 1930s and only really came into use after the Second World War. It is such an important transport hub, running from Liège to Antwerp, that in the 1990s the height of all the bridges were raised so taller container ships could use the waterway. I crossed it for the last time and a short while later crossed the Meuse river.

It was now only a short walk to my accommodation for the night and a cooling beer.

Distance walked: 12.5 miles/20km

GR5 meanders its way to Maastricht though woods and fields over a distance of 30km. Heavy thunderstorms were forecast from mid-afternoon and, while rain doesn’t bother me, thunder and lightening does. I looked at the map and picked a shorter route that took minor roads and forest paths.

The official GR 5 route left Zutendaal to take a long loop westwards in woodland. I left on a cycle track next to a minor road. After 2km the cycle track left the road and ran between a wood and farmland to the village of Stalken. I briefly met up with the main trail by a monument to the writer Jeroen Brouwers

GR5 took another loop to the west. I continued straight on into the forest of Roelerheide on a mixture of forest tracks and paths. The sun came out and I wondered whether I should have stuck to the trail. I met up with the main trail again in the middle of the forest. This turned eastwards and joined a farm track at the edge of the woods. By now the cloud was thickening and it was becoming very humid.

The track joined a road that went through the outskirts of Lanaken. I then turned on to a cycle track that ran through a sports centre before following roads to the town centre. I stopped for a coffee and by the time I came out it was raining heavily. Carroll Dorgan describes the route between Lanaken and Maastricht as “not very interesting.” I translated that to mean “don’t bother in the rain.”

I must admit I was tempted to take the bus. Instead, I followed a cycle path up to the main toad, the N775 and crossed the Briegden-Neerharen Kanaal. After the bridge the cycle path was only the verge of the road. It was only a kilometre to the village of Smeermaas when there was a pavement to walk on. By now the rain had stopped. I was able to join a canalside path that became a minor road that took me past a row of houseboats to the edge of Maastricht. One of the boats sported the Union Jack and the cross of St George.

This was somewhat ironic as, arguably, it was divisions in the Conservative Party over the Maastricht Treaty in 1991 that enabled the anti-European movement in the UK to gather pace and ultimately the disastrous decision to leave the EU.

I left the canal at a bridge and followed roads past the old ramparts to the Grote Markt.

I stopped for a pizza. By the time I has eaten the wind had got up. The traders at the cheese stall opposite were rushing to cover their stall and move umbrella stands into the lee of the wind. I got the sense that people were rushing to get to their destinations before the storm. I got to the hotel just before the thunder and rain came. The following morning the sun had returned and I had a few hours to wander round Maastricht, a lovely city, before returning to the UK.

What did I learn from this segment of GR5? For me, probably the most important thing was that I could walk reasonably long distances, carrying a pack, without aggravating my knee pain or sciatica. I was worried that the continual flat landscape and woodlands would get boring but I found it relaxing and I enjoyed the towns and villages that I passed through.

It was fascinating to see the engineering work that man had done to the landscape to reclaim the polders from the sea and to protect them from flooding. The downside of the Netherlands was that most of the walking was on tarmac. Even though this was mainly on cycle tracks it was hard on the feet. In Flanders there was more walking on tracks and footpaths.

Initially I planned this walk as a test to see if I was capable of a more rigorous trek. I now need to decide whether to do the next stage of GR5 which would take me through the Ardennes and Luxembourg as far as Metz or the Vosges or whether to head for the Dolomites.

Distance walked: 20 miles/33km

It has been very warm and most evenings I have been able to eat outside. Tonight a thunderstorm drove us all inside from eating on the terrace but it had stopped raining by the time I woke up and the sun came out on the way out of Hasselt.

There was the usual inspection of Apple Maps to work out a) where the nearest sandwich shop is and b) how to get from there to GR5. Once I have picked up the red and white signs aymarking through the cities is excellent and, as usual, I was out if the city with no problem

I didn’t really have time to look round Hasselt with the two long days. It looked like there were a lot of narrow streets with posh shops and I didn’t look for the old town. I crossed a wide plaza and good old GR5 took me out of town across a large urban park. Teenagers are the same everywhere, engrossed on their mobile phones, bragging, chatting up (mostly) members of the opposite sex and catching the odd fag or vape before school. The park itself was quite nice.

A road led under the outer ring dual carriageway, through an industrial estate and I was back with my old friend, the Albert canal. I had a short walk along the side of the canal to a lock. I still marvel at the engineering involved to make the huge lock gates. I crossed the lock and in a few minutes I was in a wood. There were warning signs about wild boar, I was very surprised as I had just left a residential area and I would have thought 5hey would prefer something more remote. They are quite elusive but you often see where they have scraped up the ground looking for food. There was no evidence of them today.

After a short walk through a residential area (most of the suburbia I have walked though is too nice to call a housing estate) I turned on to a path that wound its way through the forest. Mostly, the forests look the same so I will resist the temptation to post another picture of trees. This path was so nice I got too relaxed and missed a turn. This is why maps are so important; I still don’t trust GPS devices, although I have started to use my phone compass rather than get out the Silva one. That has been demoted to only being used for following bearings.

Anyway, it was simple to work out where I was. I walked down a road for about 400 metres and I was able to pick up the GR waymarks again. I went through more woodland and then past two beautiful ponds. There was hardly a breath of wind and everything looked so serene. There were a few fishermen, see previous blog about my thoughts on fishing.

I had compressed three days walking into two, using a GR5 variante to go into Hasselt. I was now joined by the main route. I walked past the Bokrijk open air museum. They have collected over 100 traditional Flanders dwellings, barns farmhouses etc. and restored the here along with arts and crafts “hands on” activities. I could see a building or two but not much else

I walked though a vast, nearly empty, car park. I then had a road walk but this went past a cafe. I have already ranted about a British sandwich chains (I had my 4.50€ massive cheese,egg and salad baguette in my pack that kept me fed all day), so now a rant about coffee chains. How come I can get a cup of really good coffee for 2.50€ here rather than the dissolved mud you get from certain chains in the UK. that cost more.

After coffee I continued along roads past some rather nice houses. I then had a short walk on a path where I met a Belgian man out for a walk. He is also a long distance walker. We had a long chat about routes and hope to meet on the Camino next year. We wished each other a buen Camino and I went on my way.

I arrived back at the Albert canal. I had walked 10km but if I had walked along the canal it would have been 5km, but every extra cm was worth it! This time I did not need to cross the canal, but I measured the ascent to get to the top of the lock was 10m. I crossed the road and joined a path that entered the De Maten nature reserve. It took me two hours to cross the reserve. What an amazing place. I know I have been walking across this sort of landscape for several days but this was an amazing mix of heath, woods, marshland, ponds and sandy dunes. This is typical of the part of Flanders that I have been walking through and it is called the Kempen.

I eventually emerged at the outskirts of Genk at an old watermill.

There was a little bit of road walking but by and large GR5 skirted Genk on forest tracks. It also got a little more hilly and I reached the dizzy heights of 80 metres above sea level.

I arrived at a large sporting complex called Kattevenia. There were the usual facilities you would expect at this sort of establishment as well as a large equestrian section. What I was not expecting was a dry ski jump slope. It looked pretty much full size. While I was watching a figure set off down the slope, disappeared below the level of a giant inflatable landing zone and reappeared, minus skis, to land on the airbed on his posterior.

I re-entered the forest and walked past a sculpture that I can only liken to naked Ents (Lord of the Rings animated trees) dancing.

More excelllent woodland walking followed. Then a mixture of roads and forest trails brought me into Zutendaal. I am staying in a hotel called De Klok, It used to be a grandfather clock shop. In the Second Worod War it was a billet for British soldiers.

Distance walked: 20 miles/32km

I was staying in a motel on the southern edge of town so i had a short walk along the ring road to pick up the trail. The terrain remained flat today. I followed tracks between fields and through a forest to arrive at the rather austere gates of the Kasteel van Loye

The Kasteel was first mentioned in the 15th century. It is privately ownedand there were notices next to the gate post telling me there was strictly no entry.

I left the forest by following a path running parallel to a cycle track. I have come to realise there are several populations of cyclists in Belgium and the Netherlands. Firstly, there are the commuters. They sometimes have large trailers to carry shopping, children or pets. Another group are couples out for a day’s ride in the country. Then there are the tourers with full, large panniers and often a rucksack as well. Finally, there are the enthusiasts riding racing bikes, wearing technical clothing, racing along, sometimes in packs. The latter group give a quick nod as they rush past. The others say “goededag” or the universal “hi.”

I went through a village where I found I have been immortalised as a garden gnome. Not sure about the legs though.

I then re-entered a forest for a pleasant walk to Viverset. Here I crossed tha Albert canal, which I had not seen for a few days, and a motorway. By the canal, next to some sort of gravel works, they were building something with life size lego.

At the entrance to Viverset, a large village, I found the monks are diversifying into providing fast food outlets.

I left the village on a path next to a stream. This wound its way through trees and past a large pond which looked like it had been set up as a leisure area for the village. I briefly emerged from the wood at a car racing circuit. I heard it before I saw it as sports cars were practicing on the track. After this noisy interlude I entered the Bolderberg nature reserve. The GR5 designers must have stopped too long at De Koster because the trail took about five kilometres to get 3km further along the road, nearer my destination. It was beautiful though. There were birdwatchers by one of the lakes, I should have asked them if the bird I saw a couple of days ago was a stork.

Towards the end of the reserve I entered the Kingdom of Baron Villenfagne de Vogelsanck

I was not sure what to expect. I’ve never been to a noble’s kingdom before. Maybe Tyrion Lannister would ride up and take me to Kings Landing for a few drinks. The footpath became sandy and I climbed a small hill to arrive at a small chapel, the Hermitage of Our Lady of Loreto.

According to the Cicerone guide, this chapel was built in 1673 after the landowner visited the hermitage in Italy. I got a surprise at noon when the bell struck 12.

GR5 crossed the busy N729 to take another detour. This was to be a common occurrence over the next few days. I wholeheartedly approved. Although it added to the distance I had to walk, it usually went through excellent countryside. This time it went through the Het Domein Bovy. This was another wetland reserve. Unusually, the boardwalks went across the middle of the ponds.

The first walkway was fine but the second was rickety and a broken plank did not improve my sense of security. The path led back to the main road . I then went down a quiet road followed by a short walk along my good friend, the Albert canal. In the distance I could see the gravel works that I passed earlier.

I crossed the canal, walked through the village of Stokrooie and then through a short wood to Herkenrode Abbey.

This was a Cistercian nunnery but was dissolved. by the French Revolution. It is now a museum but it still has a brewery! Like the monks in Viverset, the nuns must have been into diversification.

I now took the variante route into Hasselt to find my bed for the night. It was quite a long and boring walk into the city centre. I am thinking of amending my rules to allow bus rides in cities.

Distance walked: approximately 15.5 miles/25km. Somehow I reset the walk meter half way through today’s walk but the Cicerone guide says the distance is about 25km.

I was the only one in the house last night. The owners were away and I was let in by a friend. I had been told by email that there wouldn’t be anyone to cook breakfast but the lady who let me in said there was tea and coffee and milk in the fridge. When I looked in the fridge there was lots of cold meat and cheese but I though I’d better not eat it. I had brought some bread and cheese with me anyway.

For the rest of the walk I will be heading ESE towards the tongue of the Netherlands that extends down between Belgium and Germany. I left Scherpenheuvel by walking back to the basilica and then downhill to join the main road out of town. Before long I turned off the road on to a dirt track that went across fields. the terrain was still undulating and it reminded me of gently rolling countryside in southern England.

I arrived at a crossroads of GR trails. There was no jeopardy here, both paths went to Diest. I stopped to drink some water and a Belgian man caught up with me. He is doing the Belgian part of GR5 as day walks from home, 37-40km per day, but is planning to do the other stages when he can get time off work.

I set off again climbing a low ridge. There were excellent views over the surrounding countryside.

There was then a long descent along a sunken lane towards Diest. As I began the descent a plane circled over the citadel and dropped a few skydivers. It must have picked up some more (or circled round because five minutes later another group fell from the sky.

GR5 goes round the east side of Diest but I wanted to visit the city. When GR5 turned east I continued on the GR 512 variant to the ring road. There was then a path that climbed up through woodland to the wall of the citadel. Now I had a dilemma. To see the entrance of the citadel should I turn left or right? I guessed wrong but still ended up in the Grote Markt where I stopped for coffee.

Diest was important in the medieval cloth trade as it lay on the route between Cologne and Bruges, then an important port. There were some fine old buildings on the Grote Markt.

The northern side of Diest still has its old defensive earthworks and I left the city by passing under the inner rampart by the Schaffensepoot.

I then crossed the river Demer on a bridge and followed a path that climbed up to the outer rampart. I joined a road by the railway. Ahead I could see the Belgian walker. He turned and waved to me. I thought he was going the wrong way but by the time I had reached the fork in the road, seen the GR sign and checked the map it was too late. He was out of sight.

The hiils had gone and I was back on flat terrain. I continued on roads and a short path to reach the Heesterheide woods. The path wound its way through the wood, which was quite pleasant. Then it was my turn to miss a turn. After an interval I started picking up GR trail marks but these must have belonged to another route. I exited the wood far to the north of where I should be.

I decided to cut my losses and continued up the road to Meldert. I could now turn on the the fairly busy N725. This started out OK as there was a cycle track but after a few hundred metres I had to walk on the verge. Happily I was able to pick up the GR5 again after a couple of kilometres. I returned to the countryside and followed a path alongside fields and trees to De Duizendjarige Eik (the thousand year old oak). I don’t know how you tell how old a tree is. It looked old but I was not going to chop it down and count the rings.

The path rejoined the N725 to cross a motorway but then it took another detour through woodland so, in the end, there was not too much road walking to Lummen. I walked through the centre of Lummen where there was an impressive Gemeentehuis.

I walked past the bus station where there was an interesting ploy to try and get people back on public transport. I do not think it will catch on. It must be something lost in translation because the drop off zone at Geneva Airport is called Kiss and Fly.

Distance walked: 17 miles/28km.

Two shocks today. Firstly, it does rain in Belgium and secondly there are hills in Flanders. I had a total ascent of 103 metres today. While this not going to excite Munro baggers it is more ascent than I have done in all the days combined up to now. Today started humid and cloudy. The rain never really got going but there was enough at one point to put my cagoule and rucksack cover on. There was very little road walking.

I came out of the youth hostel and set off on a broad track into the forest, signposted to De Ster. After about 500 metres there was indeed a star, consisting of six footpaths. There was no problem in finding which one to take. In fact, signage has been impeccable for most of the walk. If you come to a junction that isn’t waymarked it’s worth considering that you are on the wrong path and retrace you steps to the last GR sign.

My path continued through woodland and UP A HILL!! Well, an incline really but imagine my shock. I came to the Grote Nete which was, to be fair, deeper than the Kleine Nete that I had followed earlier but not much wider. Calling it Grote was giving it delusions of grandeur. It was a pretty walk. There were a lot of joggers out this morning and very few dog walkers. The ubiquitous cyclist were present and, as it is Sunday, there were a few peletons of cycling clubs out on the road.

I was now back at the southern end of Westerlo. A two mile detour to avoid one mile of road but well worth it. On the other side of the river was Westerlo Castle which has been the residence of the Merode family since the 14th century. Originally the head of the family was titled Count but, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Belgian independence he was elevated to prince, although the Merode do not have a blood connection to the Belgian royal family. The castle is not open to the public.

After the castle I turned away from the river and walked through scrubland to reach the town of Bergom. GR5 follows roads round the edge of the town and then enters Hertbergbossen. the path through the woods was beautiful. The gentle undulations made the walk more interesting than staying on the flat. It started to rain. At first it was quite light but it became heavy enough for me to put on my cagoule and get the waterproof cover for the rucksack.

I emerged at the village of Blauberg and after a short road section entered the Averbode woods and heath. This path is part of the pilgrimage route between the Tongerlo and Averbode abbeys that take place every Ascension day. Today it was quiet apart from a few ramblers. It was a lovely walk. The path through the open heath passed several ponds and I saw an egret.

The rain stopped but it remained cloudy. At the end of the forest at the top of a small hill was Averbode Abbey.

By now it was quite warm again. I stopped for some Averbode beer. Very nice, more bitter than the Tongerlo. I walked into the abbey courtyard but felt I should not go into the abbey itself as it was Sunday and I did not want to disturbed the worshippers. Opposite the entrance I crossed a small park to the Kroningskapel

I then walked down the hill dropped down to a road that went through the suburb of Averbode and took me to the wetland woods and heath of Demerbroeken. Just before I left the road I passed a memorial to a miner that was shaped like a miner’s lamp.

I enjoyed the walk through Demerbroeken. The path wound its way through the woods and then crossed open heathland by passing between ponds.

I am certain I saw a stork. There is a colony of storks in Belgium, although their usual habitat is in southern or Eastern Europe. Unfortunately I did not bring binoculars and the zoom on my phone is not powerful enough, but see what you think.

The path brought me out into Zichem, by the railway station.I was able to walk round most of Zichem on tracks, past the Virgin tower. This is all that remains of Zichem castle. Legend has it that it got its name because a Lord imprisoned his daughter there when she refused to marry the man he had arranged for her. She eventually jumped from the tower and was drowned in the river.

The castle was besieged in the 80 years war between the Dutch and the Spanish (the Brielle uprising I mentioned a few days ago also occurred in this war). Dutch resistance held the castle and it was besieged by the Spanish. The castle was taken after four days and the defenders killed. Some were hung from the castle walls as a deterrent, others were thrown in the river.

There was a small amount of road walking then I joined a series of farm tracks that took me over the hill to Scherpenheuvel. In the centre of Scherpenheuval is the Basilica of our Lady of Scherpenheuval. It is said that this was a site of miracles that involved a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary. The original statue was lost but the Spanish Archdukes Albert and Isabella commissioned the construction of the basilica in 1627.

Distance walked: 11 miles/18.5km

This was a short day so I had a leisurely breakfast. The hotel is an old Carmelite nunnery. The rooms are modern but breakfast was served in what I took to be the old refectory. The cloisters are still there but the open square has been enclosed to make a conference room. Once again, a good breakfast, I doubt the nuns ate as well.

I wandered leisurely down the Grote Markt to an old gate of the city. There was no reason to rush, I was staying in a youth hostel tonight and it didn’t open until 5pm. I passed a cycle shop. Outside was a tool station and a pump available for anyone to use. What good customer service. I walked down to the Bocholt-Herentals canal. This was an important link to Antwerp in the 19th and early 20th century. It must have been! There was a very impressive lock keepers cottage.

I followed the canal for a kilometre or so. There were quite a few people fishing. Angela is of the opinion that the main reason they do it is to get some peace and quiet and to avoid the DIY. Maybe I should take it up. I could always buy some battered cod from the chippie on the way home, she would never suspect…

It was a short distance through a wood and between houses to the Albert canal. This was a much more impressive waterway. It was completed in the 1930s, presumably to take the bigger boats. The Herentals canal is now only used for leisure. There were three locks in parallel and I watched a barge go through one of them.

After a short distance on road I took a path that wound through fields to Buulmolen. Apparently there has been a mill here since 1362. It burnt down and was restored in 1744. Once a month the miller demonstrates the mill to the public I haven’t included a Belgian mill so here it is.

I then arrived at the small town of Olen. In the centre of Olen there is a fountain consisting of three beer tankards. One has one handle, one has two and the third has three. This is in honour of a legend about Emperor Charles V who visited the town and tried to buy beer from a barmaid. The story is too long to recount here in detail but essentially he visited the tavern three times and each time the barmaid wouldn’t let go of the tankard. The first time she was holding the glass by its handle so Charles told her to use a glass with two handles. The next time the tankard had two handles but was heavier so the barmaid held it by both handles. The third time it had three handles but the third handle was pressed against her chest. If you Google the “Solitarywanderer three beer tankards of Olen” she will explain all.

Once out of Olen there was some superb woodland walking through the Domein Tenenberg and Sterschotsbos. A more boring, but not too long, section of road walking brought me to Tongerlo Abbey. This is run by Premonstratensian canons (not monks) and it was founded in 1130. My understanding is that canons live together in the abbey but have more contact with the outside world than monks. If I have got this wrong I apologise.

There was a really nice Tea garden across the road from the Abbey and I might have sampled the abbey beer. (How about a GR trail round all the Belgian abbeys that brew beer?) A canon was talking to a group at the next table so they are less reclusive than monks. Incidentaly, the Premonstratensian canons wear white habits.

I was staying at a youth hostel in the woods outside Westerlo so I nipped down the road into Westerlo to get lunch for tomorrow and a bite to eat. On the way I passed the rather fine Gemeentehuis (town hall) and there was a nice fountain in the Markt

Distance walked: 17 miles/ 27km

My first task today was to walk a few kilometres down the road to meet up with GR5 at the entrance to a forest. On the way I picked up another sandwich that was large enough to feed me all day. There was much less tarmac today. I entered the forest on a wide unmetalled road but GR5 soon branched off on to a proper footpath. It was great. The trees were a mixture of pines and broad leaf trees and they were widely spaced so there was plenty of undergrowth. The GR waymarks were annotated “Nordzee-Nice” or “Nordzee-Riviera” giving me not so subtle repeated messages that I have to come back to complete the walk. It was sunny so there were dappled shadows on the path from the branches and leaves, all very nice.

I came into a clearing where there was an old cottage. The Guide describes it as a Boshuisje which translates as forest cottage. When I googled this it appears that these are available to rent. The only other thing I could find out about this particular cottage is that Henrik Conscience, a pioneering Dutch language novelist, wrote De Loteling, one of his books, here. At the time most novels were written in French and he was one of the first to write in his native Dutch language.

The path continued through the forest. It emerged to pass an equestrian stables. Horses were a major feature on today’s walk. Stables were present in most of the open areas that I walked through. The path joined a road which crossed a motorway and then ended at a busy dual carriageway. I thought it prudent to take a short detour and cross at traffic lights. There was then a short path through a wood that joined a road that went past houses and then several stables.

This was followed by another welcome long segment of forest walking. As well as being easy on the eye it was cool, this was another hot day. At one point I stopped for a drink and two lads (well I am getting old because later they told me they were about 30) came past. One of them greeted me in Dutch. “I’m English” I said. “So are we!” He exclaimed. It transpired that he is English but is living and working in Rotterdam with his partner. His companion was at university with him and they are walking GR5 in segments.

The path continued through the wood and joined a forest road by the Kapel van Lovenhoek

The forest track emerged from the wood, passed between fields then entered another wood and finally joined a road. I walked past some houses. I then passed on old watermill at Grobbendonk. A mill has been here since the 12th century, the current mill is about 300 years old and still functions.

A little further on I crossed the mill stream to arrive at the ruins of Neerhof castle where I met up with the other backpackers and had a (soft) drink. They are camping. I have passed very few campsites and they told me that when they want to stop they just knock on a door and ask to camp in the garden. It usually works.

I returned to the road. After a few kilometres it crossed the Kleine Nete river. I joined a very pleasant riverside path which I followed for about 4km to Herentals.

I arrived in the impressive Grote Markt in Herentals. This is dominated by the 16th century Lakenhall, or cloth hall. In the Middle Ages trade in wool and cloth was a major industry in Belgium. I am not far from Antwerp which was an important textile centre. Thomas Cromwell was employed by English wool merchants in Antwerp before he entered the court of Henry VIII.

Distance walked:9.5 miles/15.5km

Too short a day today but the next place with accommodation is Herentals which is another 20km. Wild campers could find pitches in the forests but water supply would be a problem. Also I am not carrying a tent.

I had a leisurely start wandering along the Main Street of Brecht and through a park. There was then a long segment of road walking through a residential area and then farmland to get to the Dessel-Turnhout-Schoten canal. Here I joined the cycle path and followed the canal for about 2.5km to a bridge. Along the way I passed a show jumping yard. There was a girl exercising her horse and I waited for her to do some jumping but they were just trotting between the fences.

As I approached the swing bridge there was a notice painted on the ground informing those who passed that access was for every form of transport.

I stopped for a cold drink at a cafe by the bridge and then followed the road. After about 400 metres I turned on to a farm track that took me between fields for several kilometres. On the right I could see the tower of the Our Lady of Nazareth Abbey, run by nuns.

Like Westmalle, which I will pass later in the day, this is a Trappist Abbey. Trappists are a Cistercian order and have strict rules regarding prayer and silence. They are inspired by the Strict teaching of the monastery of La Trappe in France that dates back to the 1664. Any product produced with a Trappist label has to be produced in or near the abbey and monks or nuns have to be involved with the production.

The path continued between fields, mostly arable. In one field an area had been set aside for model aeroplane enthusiasts. There were tables from which to launch the aircraft and a windsock. Someone was doing acrobatics with his model while I passed, it was quite impressive but I am not tempted by this alternative hobby.

The track entered woodland and passed a shrine. I had settled in to my thoughts and nearly missed a turn. Fortunately I noticed a red and white cross on a tree which indicates the GR trail has turned off. I retraced my steps and soon came to the walls of Westmalle Abbey. I followed these round to a road.

The abbey is closed to the public. The monks brew Trappist ale and there is a cafe opposite. How fortunate this was a short day!

I saw a house made with liquor bottles in Nevada and now an arch made from beer crates. And a fine beer it was too. I settled for the 7.5% ale as I still had some walking to do.

In fact, I didn’t have far to go. I struggled a little for accommodation but found a hotel in Sint-Antonius which was a few kilometres down the main road.