I was blown out at home by my dear neighbours and left towards the Scheldt in Hoboken. From there it was by ferry to Kruibeke, my first Welcome to my garden camping experience at private people's gardens.
Welcome to my garden is a platform of people who make their gardens available to slow travellers (cyclists and hikers) to camp. It is a fantastic initiative that during the corona pandemic was launched by some enlightened minds to make the slow and ecological travel at home.
I did have to search a bit to find my first camping garden, as there are no house numbers listed on the Welcome to my garden website and I had forgotten to ask the residents in the chat.
It was hot today, and I was walking on concrete the whole time. The skin of blisters that I had sustained on my earlier test hike with full backpack (21/6) has come off again, but fortunately no blood was involved. I hope my feet can digest the 20 km to the Stropersbos in Kemzeke tomorrow.
A rather dull and again blood-hot walking day today. There was no tap in Barbara's garden so I left with only a small supply of water. Paul, a man from the neighbourhood who came to help in Barbara's garden knew this and a little later he came cycling after me with a two-litre bottle of fresh water! What a friendly man!
I walked over all the time hot asphalt roads through the polders and first passed through Beveren, where I rested in a café with wifi and updated my social media, and then Vrasene.
At Sint-Gillis Waas I had to throw in the towel. As I feared yesterday, my feet did not hold up. I rang the bell at Annemie and Ivo, a fantastic couple who were kind enough to come with to depower my scorched feet. The last 9 km to the pole campsite in the Stropersbos really didn't add up. And now some blood involved...
From 12 to 15 July, I necessarily stayed at Camping Fort Bedmar. When I left Annemie and Ivo's place, my left foot hurt seriously after only the first few metres. So I decided to step to the nearest campsite and stay there until my foot soles healed.
After a very painful step of 11 km - or rather stumble as it took me almost four hours - I reached the campsite. To my dismay, my front left sock soaked in blood! In the end, after the daily foot bath and disinfection, it was not too bad: a small open gap was the culprit.
My friend Els came after me with some spare shoes which I had left with her to change already if necessary.
The day after, I went to the pharmacy with Els to ask for advice and buy care materials. I have to wait until the 'scorched' spot is closed and only then can Compeed plasters be put on. In the meantime, care with Flammazine and keep it clean with a sterile compress and a windbreaker. So those were my main activities for the next two days.
As the nearest food shop is 3 km from here, I immediately stocked up on enough provisions for several days, as Els is driving back home tonight.
Bloody foot
My left foot sole has already healed considerably. On the scorched spot a firm skin is back, only the unruly gap under my little toe is still a bit open. Today I will trek to a nearby campsite in Kemzeke, a short test walk of 10 km.
I left after the rain, around three o'clock. Near the Bedmar campsite, I passed a boundary post where I had taken a photo of my bike on my way to Cadzand in January. Back then, there was a lot of mud on that dirt road and I was anything but happy that I had to dredge through it with a packed bike. Now I was very happy that my route for 90 per cent over dirt roads walked and not on hot concrete roads.
After delving into the war history of this region yesterday, I passed a remnant of a Linie moat, and in the Poacher's Forest I passed a reconstruction of a defensive wall of the Bedmarlinie, dating from the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1713).
In the Poacher's Forest, I was catapulted back for a moment to my equestrian past (1968-80) when I went straight through the herd had to graze the forest. Firm, nicely 'rounded' (=good in the flesh) horses.
The one above was also kind to me today. Just as it started pouring again for a while, I reached the Trump Chapel, and he had even released the doors so I could take shelter there!
By 18:30 I checked in at Camping Voorhout, cruelly content that my left foot had held out. We'll move on again tomorrow, as a campsite right next to the busy Expressway is not really my cup of tea.
Border post at Bedmar campsite January-July
In the morning, we did not keep it dry in Kemzeke. Today it went for 95 per cent over asphalt but once across the Expressway happily via quiet country roads, except for Stekene village. From Stekene to Moerbeke it went in one straight line from approx. 8 km via a former railway line which has now been repaved as a cycle and footpath.
At window cleaner Robby I found Pauwels an ideal little garden wall to rest and have lunch on, and afterwards easily hoist the heavy rucksack back on the back.
Robby just came home and started cleaning the windows of his house. I found it remarkable that he got the windows dry by using two jets of water spraying from his brush with a back and forth motion to move the brush downwards without touching the window. There was no rag or sponge involved. Robby explained to me that he can clean without streaks because he osmotic water used that was first filtered seven times so that all lime, minerals and other substances are removed from it. Punishment, I thought.
In Kemzeke village, I photographed a house that received the 2016 Stekene's 'most beautiful facade' award won.
Thanks to the 'Welcome to my garden' platform I spend the night in Moerbeke in the garden of Brenda, a fantastic host family with three children, a cool dog, chickens, goats, and little pigs. A little after me, a family with four children from Hove also arrived by bike.
As for the feet, the Compeed plasters had shifted a bit and stuck to the edges in my sock. Removed them so the feet can air overnight, and put new plasters on tomorrow. And now another small watery blister is developing on my right little toe, but I am experiencing little discomfort from that .
Most beautiful facade Stekene
At 10 o'clock I was ready to leave. It was already quite warm, but the route was very kind to me: after a kilometre, I crossed the beautiful Heath Forest, and once Wachtebeke past I dove into the cool Monastery Forest.
Between those two forests, I had to cross the former railway in full sunshine again.
For lunch, a fresh bowl of strawberries from 'den ALDI' in Wachtebeke came in handy. At least this way I can get some fruit, because the kilos I consume every week at home can't be dragged along.
After the Kloosterbos, I had to go under the E34, and then came the most miserable part of this stepping day: during over 2km in full sun next to busy Kennedy Avenue at Zelzate. I could almost feel the soles of my shoes melting, and those of my feet began to scorch correspondingly. This calvary was pleasantly interrupted by a phone call from Paul Thyssen, the man who had brought me a bottle of Spa in Kruibeke. He asked how I was doing in the meantime. How many kind people there still are! Why don't such warm-hearted faits divers ever make the news?
I was holding my heart and expecting some more loose sheets when I took off my socks, but the new compeed plasters I had applied in the morning stayed on nicely. The burning sensation was caused by overheating, and not because of new blisters. That said, I still cannot walk completely pain-free.
I spend the night in a Welcome to my garden garden at Sonja and Luc in Zelzate. The only garden that was within walking distance. I was lucky I could still get there, as Sonja and Luc are leaving on a trip tomorrow.
I thought it was going to be another hot day and was already up early. At eight o'clock I left the garden of Sonja and Luc, who had left for France by then, and walked in the direction of Canisvliet creek in the Netherlands. I decided to take the rather large diversions via Sas van Gent and Assenede to make because the shortest way from Zelzate to Lembeke is exclusively via busy roads.
The walking rest on the banks of Canisvliet Creek was salutary. I first met two anglers who had been sitting there since four o'clock in the morning with several fishing lines in the water, but had not caught anything yet. I asked them if they weren't getting tired of the long peering at the floats, but they turned out with high-tech fishing lines without floats to work that give a beep and light signal when a fish bites. I immediately got a live demonstration. So you can sit back and relax while fishing, the line will beep you awake. Now that's sport....
Down the road, I came across six young people who had camped at a bivouac site and offered me to have breakfast with them.
For Sas van Gent, I had to make the broad Ghent-Terneuzen Canal about. Walking across that bridge, I wondered where the drawbridge was actually located. Down on the bank, I got the answer from an information board: this is a 'swing bridge' those between 1965-1969 built became and was then the largest swing bridge in Europe.
On a green raised embankment in Sas van Gent, I walked along the Bulwark Generality. After that tuneful village, the outskirts of Assenede, which seamlessly connects to Sas van Gent, looked rather gloomy ...
After Assenede followed a long monotonous provincial road of about eight kilometres to Lembeke. As I am staying at a campsite tonight and will have a day 'foot rest' taking to wash my clothes, Els came after me again.
Swing bridge Ghent-Terneuzen Canal
16 September: Opening the door at Diamondway Buddhist Centre in Tallinn The centre's meditation sessions are open
