I walked as slowly as i could but shin pain returned after a handful of miles and then got worse and worse. I was reduced to 3km/hr. It was another rural day. Belgium has so few shops in its little villages. I couldnt spend money here even if i wanted to. By early afternoon it …
Turned out that the tap at the free site didnt have drinkable water. Stank of sulphur. Another boring day. Flat and rural in a dull way and when civilisation encroached that was boring too. Visited a lidl and bought breakfast snacks and then just walked and walked. Around 5pm stumbled upon a bar and got …
Another very rural day and one that was disappointing for shopping. First of all maps.me directed me to a garden centre rather than a supermarket. Inside i asked a lone woman in french if there was a supermarket nearby. I may as well have been speaking martian. I thought all these dutch speakers could speak …
Didnt mention yesterday, sarah and cyrille took us out for Chinese last night. First time my trainers had been in an enclosed space and their odour was making me feel nauseous. Bleurgh. Late start. Cyrille made a salad for lunch and then boxed up what was left to take away. I left at 1pm into …
Didnt like where i camped last night. Too close to civilisation. Was going to wait out the 10am rain but instead packed at half 8 and buggered off. Rain never came. A nice walk across Brussels. I stopped for a coffee and croissant at a scruffy little caff and walked around an interestingly ethnic diverse …
With rain forecast for 11 i was going to start late and hope to arrive late, plop into the woods and fall asleep no messing about. But then i thought I’d like at least some dry walking and so i was off by 10. Very rural day. Hardly passed a business. Did pass supermarket after …
Cool morning that turned very hot. 4km in, I reached my first 1,000 km. Entirely rural today. Asked to bloke to fill my water bottle and around 2ish stopped for a beer, but mostly to refill depleted water. After a double shop at aldi because everything will be closed tomorrow, continued to campsite through a …
Said goodbye to philippe on a lovely morning. Walked 5 km to aldi. Stocked up. A bit later stopped for a rest a 76 yr old cyclist start to talk to me. He gave me a weird filled waffle. Walked through woods that would be easy if not ideal wild camping. Later i stopped outside …
Today was a big test of the leg, a 30 km walk. I got up early and set off at 8. A nice, mostly countryside walk until, after an Aldi stop to get taboule and pastries, i walked through roubaix, the first scruffy looking place id seen in france. I walked along a canal for …
Got up and went to look at, it seemed, entirely british war cemetery across the road from the campsite. Thousnds of em, all too young. What a pointless waste. And later i saw a sign that mentioned how britian shot over a 100 young sods for deserting. I think the wisest decision for any new …
