Belgium GR129.
"Dwars door België" hike,
from Brugge to Dinant (and perhaps later to Arlon ?).
19/May/2021 to 06/Jun/2021.
21 hiking days.
The GR 129 is one of the many long distance hiking routes in Europe. The GR 129 is also known as "Across Belgium" (Dutch: Dwars door Belgie; French: La Belgique en diagonale).The total length of the path is almost 600km and goes all the way from Bruges in the North West to Arlon in the South East of Belgium.
Wednesday 19/May/2021.
Home to Brugge journey.
---- Bus from Home to Aix-en-Provence.
---- Bus from Aix-en-Provence to Marseille.
---- Ouigo fast train from Marseille Saint Charles to Lille, 10:04-14:29, 4h25, 21€.
---- IC train 19718 from Lille-Flandres (F) to Tournai (B), 15:08-15:33, 0h25, 18.90€ (for this and the next two trains).
---- IC train 3236 from Tournai to Kortrijk, 15:53-16:22, 0h29.
---- IC train 8906 from Kortrijk to Brugge, 16:34-17:20, 0h46.
|---| Bernadette & Kris' house, Sint-Kruis.
Thursday 20/May/2021.
HIKE 1 - Brugge to Beernem hike (15km).
 |
| Official starting point of the GR129. |
 |
Introducing my sister
and my brother in law
(we'll hike together towards Dinant). |
 |
Assebroek,
Our Lady Immaculate Conception church. |
 |
| Assebroek. |
 |
| A fanatic/nostalgic GR129 hiker ? |
 |
"Assebroekse Meersen" wetland
nature reserve. |
 |
"Assebroekse Meersen" wetland
nature reserve. |
 |
End of another beautiful day.
|
|---| Bernadette & Kris' house, Sint-Kruis.
Friday 21/May/2021.
HIKE 2 - Beernem to Doomkerke hike (17km).
 |
Domein Lippensgoed.
|
 |
| Domein Lippensgoed. |
 |
| Heideveld-Bornebeek. |
 |
Ruiselede, antique transmission towers
for broadcasting with Belgian Congo, 284m. |
 |
| Reaching Doomkerke. |
 |
| Day debriefing at Bernadette and Kris' house. |
|---| Bernadette & Kris' house, Sint-Kruis.
 |
| Astene, "'t Oud Sashuis". |
 |
| Deurle, Lourdes cave. |
 |
| Hotel for tonight and tomorrow. |
|---| Boldershof, Deurle, 79€/n incl breakfast.
Sunday 23/May/2021.
HIKE 4 - Aarsele to Kruisem hike (17km).
 |
Same picture, now with the
lovely morning sun. |
 |
| Temporary merge with the GR 128. |
|---| Boldershof, Deurle, 79€/n incl breakfast.
Monday 24/May/2021.
HIKE 5 - Kruisem to Oudenaarde hike (16km).
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| Lozer, "Lozerbos" forest. |
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| Lozer. |
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| Lozer, a tower near to the castle |
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| Reaching Moregem. |
 |
| "Adriaan Brouwer", a local beer. |
 |
| "Felix", another local brew. |
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| Oudenaarde, townhall. |
Oudenaarde.
|---| De Zalm, Oudenaarde. 100€/n incl breakfast.
Tuesday 25/May/2021.
HIKE 6 - Oudenaarde to Louise-Marie hike (16km).
|---| De Zalm, Oudenaarde. 100€/n incl breakfast.
Wednesday 26/May/2021.
HIKE 7 - Louise-Marie to N529 road hike (16km).
 |
| Lourdes cave. |
 |
| Happy hike with my sister. |
 |
| Excellent local thirst quencher. |
|---| Lou Pahou, Ronse, 72€/n incl breakfast.
Thursday 27/May/2021.
HIKE 8 - N529 road to Ath hike (15km).
Ath.
 |
Crossing the Via Tenera at Ath.
(green dotted line on this pilgrimage map). |
 |
| Ath, town square. |
|---| Lou Pahou, Ronse, 72€/n incl breakfast.
Friday 28/May/2021
HIKE 9 - Ath to Lens hike (14km, made in opposite direction).
 |
| Attre castle. |
|---| Petit Dragon, Mons, 50€/n/p.
Saturday 29/May/2021.
HIKE 10 - Jurbise to Mons hike (14km).
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| Jurbise. Town Hall. |
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| Erbisoeul. |
 |
Erbisoeul.
A copy of Paris' Eiffel tower ? |
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| Moulineau. Pilgrimage chapel |
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| Moulineau chapel. |
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| "Bois Brulé" forest. |
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| Bridge over the Nimy-Blaton canal. |
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| Mons. Belfry. |
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| Mons. Fontaine Pilori. |
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| Mons. "Lucie" at the Square Roosevelt. |
 |
Mons. Calatrava-designed railway station
(eight years late, budget multiplied by ten).
|
 |
| How it must look like... |
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| Mons. Grand-Place. |
|---| Petit Dragon, Mons, 75€/n/p.
Sunday 30/May/2021.
HIKE 11 - Hyon (Mons) to Givry hike (12km).
|---| Au Crapaud Charmant, Labuissière, 69€/n.
Monday 31/May/2021.
HIKE 12 - Grand-Reng to Labuissière hike (<28km).
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| Grand-Reng. |
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| Solre-sur-Sambre. |
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| Solre-sur-Sambre. |
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| Labuissière. |
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| Labuissière. |
|---| Au Crapaud Charmant, Labuissière, 69€/n.
Tuesday 01/Jun/2021.
HIKE 13 - Labuissière to Aulne hike (19km).
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| Near Sars-la-Buissière. |
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| Sambre river. |
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| Entering Lobbes. |
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| Lobbes. |
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| Château d'Hourpes castle. |
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Hourpes train stop.
Belgium's smallest station (11 people per day). |
Aulne Abbey.
 |
| Abbey farm. |
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"Abbaye d'Alne" abbey.
|
 |
| Hotel for tonight. |
|---| Auberge de l'Abbaye, Thuin, 80€/n.
Wednesday 02/Jun/2021.
HIKE 14 - Aulne to Gerpinnes hike (26km).
 |
| Leaving the "en-suite bathroom"-hotel. |
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| Gerpinnes, Saint Michael church. |
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Gerpinnes, "Rolande de Gerpinnes"
reliquary shrine. |
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| At the right hand side, the B&B. |
|---| Chambres d'hôtes de la Quairelle, Gerpinnes, 54€/n.
Thursday 03/Jun/2021.
HIKE 15 - Gerpinnes to Maredsous hike (25km).
Meredret Abbey.
 |
| Reaching Maredret Abbey. |
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| Meredret Abbey church. |
Maredsous abbey.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maredsous_Abbey |
| Maredsous Abbey. |
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| Maredsous Abbey beer. |
 |
| Gerpinnes. |
 |
| Another nice evening-celebration |
|---| Chambres d'hôtes de la Quairelle, Gerpinnes, 54€/n.
Friday 04/Jun/2021.
HIKE 16 - Maredsous to Dinant hike (18km).
 |
| Weather is changing. |
Dinant.
 |
| Dinant. |
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| Dinant, along the Meuse river. |
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Spooky hotel for tonight
(a recycled nun-convent). |
|---| La Marveilleuse, Dinant, 95€/n.
Saturday 05/Jun/2021.
Private day in Liège.
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| Liège train station, another futuristic one from Calatrava. |
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| "Never in a Cage". |
|---| Bernadette & Kris' house, Sint-Kruis.
Sunday 06/Jun/2021.
Brugge to Home journey.
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| Ouigo train from Lille to Aix-en-Provence. |
---- Local train 2309 from Brugge to Kortrijk, 09:05-10:05, 1h, 16.10€ (for this and the next train).
---- Local TER train 19712 from Kortrijk (B) to Lille (F), 10:13-10:51, 0h32.
---- Ouigo fast train 7841 from Lille to Aix-en-Provence TGV, 11:38-16:10, 4h32, 44€.
---- Bus from Aix-en-Provence TGV to Aix-en-Provence bus terminal.
---- Bus from Aix-en-Provence bus terminal to Home.
|---| Home.
GR129 Continued, August 2024
Tuesday 06/Aug/2024.
Home to Dinant journey.
 |
| Dinant, as seen from the hotel. |
Transportation:
---- NMBS train from Gent to Brugge (Michel).
---- Car ride from Brugge to Dinant (Michel) & car ride from Lippstadt to Dinant (Patricia).
|---| La Marveilleuse, hotel, Dinant, 134€/room incl breakfast.
Wednesday 07/Aug/2024.
HIKE 17.
Dinant to Gendron-Celles (13km + 2km detour).
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| Another wayside chapel. |
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| Coffee-stop at Le Vieux Marronnier |
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| Boisseilles. |
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| Château de Boisseilles. |
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| Near Furfooz. |
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| Crossing the Ruisseau des Forges. |
|---| Tent setup in the garden of Hotel le Val Joli, Celles.
Thursday 08/Aug/2024.
HIKE 18.
Celles to Gendron, Houyet and Lavaux-Sainte-Anne hike.
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Waking up in the garden of
yesterday's dinner restaurant. |
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| Leaving Celles. |
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| Château de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne castle. |
|---| Tent setup near Lavaux-Sainte-Anne.
Friday 09/Aug/2024.
HIKE 19.
Lavaux-Sainte-Anne to Wellin.
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| Château de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne castle. |
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| Château-Sainte-Anne castle. |
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| Coffee stop. |
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| Chapelle Notre-Dame de Walcourt. |
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| Sticky mud walk. |
|---| Well'In Hotel, hotel, Wellin.
Saturday 10/Aug/2024.
HIKE 20.
Wellin to Beauraing (no longer along the GR129).
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| Wellin. |
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| The famous butchery of Wellin. |
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Grotte de Notre-Dame de Lourdes,
Revogne. |
|---| Tent setup near Beauraing.
Sunday 11/Aug/2024.
HIKE 21.
Wellin to Beauraing.
|---| Home.
 |
The book that thrilled Bernadette & Kris
for their first long distance walk. |
