Hikes in Watten

GR128-4- Watten ---> Buysscheure 4th stage of the Flanders path GR128 August 5, 2020 at 08:09 22km

The Great Route Path  GR 128 runs from Wissant to Aachen. The route in France is highly recommended due to the tranquility, natural beauty, and authentic villages that sometimes resemble old Flemish ones. I have adjusted the route in France slightly to keep the stages approximately between 12 and 15 kilometers and also to consider available parking spots. We stay for a midweek each time and look for accommodation somewhere in the middle of the stages we plan to undertake. We park the car at the end point of the walk. Then we bike to the starting point. We pick up the bikes by car and then drive back to our accommodation, or make a visit somewhere along the way by car. The route in French Flanders is approximately 150 kilometers. We completed it in 3 midweek stays. The stages are divided as follows:   STAGE 1:        WISSANT – PEUPLINGUES 1                          15 Km walking and 8 Kilometers cycling STAGE 2 :       PEUPLINGUES – HAMES BOUCRES                                       12 Km walking and 6 Km cycling STAGE 3 :       HAMES BOUCRES – BOUQUEHAULT                                    12 KM walking and 15 Km cycling STAGE 4:        LE VENTUS d’ ALEMBON – AUDENFORT                               10 Km walking and 11 Km cycling STAGE 5 :       AUDENFORT – TOURNEHEM SUR HEM                           13 Km walking and 9 Km cycling STAGE 6:        TOURNEHEM SUR HEM – FôRET d‘ EPERLECQUES                           12 Km walking and 8 Kilometers cycling STAGE 7:        Fôret d’ Eperlecques – WULVERDINGHE                           12 Km walking and 12 Km cycling STAGE 8:        WULVERDINGHE – NIEURLET                          10 Km walking and 8 Km cycling STAGE 9:        NIEURLET – BUYSSCHEURE                           12 Km walking and 5 Kilometers cycling STAGE 10:     NOORDPEENE – CASSEL                          12 Km walking and 10 Km cycling STAGE 11:     CASSEL – GODEWAERTSVELDE                           16 Km walking and 15 Km cycling STAGE 12:     GODEWAERSVELDE – BANENBERG (Belgium)                          12 Km walking and 11 Km cycling STAGE 13:     BANENBERG – KEMMEL Via walking junctions and GR 5A to the Kemmelberg where the GR 128 starts in Belgium. ALL STAGES CAN BE CONSULTED SEPARATELY ON THE MAP Recommended off path: The beaches on the Opal Coast Channel Tunnel Expo Visit to Saint Omer Visit to Cassel

GR128-3- Tournehem-sur-la-Hem ---> Watten 3rd stage of the Flanders trail GR128August 4, 2020 at 07:42 20km

We divided this stage into 2 parts: From Watten up into the Fôret d’Eperlecques is about 8 km of walking. From Watten further to Wulverdinghe is another 5 km extra, so in total, we will walk a good 13 km. We parked the car at the top edge of the forest and cycled down to leave the bikes in Watten at a small parking lot. This way, the bike ride was just a downhill glide without effort. We walk the first part through Watten first, visit the church, and then cross the bridge to walk along the canalized Aa for a bit. At "La Bombe," we go left and follow a small stream past some identical houses. Under the railway and then climb through the forest. The Eperlecques forest is one long unpaved but fairly wide forest road. In the Fôret d’Eperlecques, the monumental winter oak dominates the first two-thirds of the walk. A bit further, it becomes more of a mixed forest. Near the end, you come to a small chapel: Notre Dame des 3 Cayelles. According to an old legend, this was once the meeting place for the local druids. In more recent times, vespers were held here on August 15th to celebrate the Holy Virgin; many pilgrims walked here early in the morning to participate in this early Eucharist service. An old legend, however, tells: The word “cayelle” indicates a chair in the local Picardy dialect. According to an old cult, the “3 cayelles” signify the presence of 3 Goddesses who had to guard the crossroads of 3 roads on the path Saint Omer took on his Christianization journey through France. Personal remark: The 3 Goddesses, tired from their guarding task, could not keep wandering here and perhaps asked God for a comfortable chair to rest on from time to time? The second part of the walk goes from Watten to Wulverdinghe, ETAPPE 7B then.

Het tweede gedeelte van de wandeling organiseren we als volgt: Met de auto terug naar Watten waar we de fietsen inladen en ermee naar Wulverdinghe rijden. We kunnen parkeren bij het gemeentehuis. We laten de auto hier achter en fietsen terug naar Watten via de D 326 en de D26 om de wandeling te beginnen. Onderweg met de fiets passeren we voorbij de molen naast de abdij. Op de Mont de Watten, 72 meter hoogte, kun je genieten van een weids uitzicht. De wandeling loopt eerst lichtjes omhoog door het Bois Royal van Watten. Wat verder dalen we terug wat af richting spoorlijn Lille – Calais, het exemplaar waarmee we reeds enkele malen zijn geconfronteerd. Daarna terug wat klimmen om richting een plateau te gaan, een uitloper van de Mont Watten. Dit plateautje is als het ware een bruggenhoofd die uittorent boven de moerassen van  Clairmarais de voortuin van Saint Omer, een oude zeearm die zich geologisch tussen 2 plateaus een stukje landinwaarts wrong. Het vervolg in Claimarais lees je in ETAPPE 8

A la limite de l’Audomarois, un circuit où alternent paysages boisés et vallonnés, villages typiques et champs maraîchers sans oublier l’Aa, ce petit fleuve côtier aux berges propices à la pratique de la randonnée et de la pêche.