Looberghe – Poperinge – French chateau to Belgium WW1 museum
Bourbourg is a pretty town but everything closes at 9.00 p.m. As we walked around looking for something to eat, the restaurants, the take-away pizza and even the fritteria closed in front of our eyes. So it was ham, bread and yoghurt, washed down with red wine for dinner last night in the camper van.
Overnight it rained heavily (missed it again) but this morning it was dry and cloudy with a fresh westerly breeze. We drove down to our stopping point by the canal and Sandra and I set off at 8.30 – a good start. It is taking me longer and longer each day to get into my stride but we were soon through Drincham and spotted the short cut we missed when checking out the route and saved ½ mile – every yard counts when your legs ache all the time. In Zegerscappel, Phil took over from Sandra and we picked up the pace and had the first stop at Esquelberg after 10.5 miles.
We had a decent break and some bread and cheese and a nice cup of tea and set off again through the town and were soon in Wormhout going well. The route is just about the shortest one possible at the moment along minor roads that run straight and have limited traffic – ideal. The sun began to break through and it became another perfect day for walking. After Wormhout, we crossed the A26 motorway to Lille and followed the signs for Herzeele and Houtberque with its 16 th century church. The names were sounding more and more Flemish but it was only after Houtberque that we crossed the border into Belgium on a very minor road – only the map confirmed the fact.
It was at this point that we had found another short cut so instead of finishing at Wayou, as planned, we carried on to Poperinge, another 4 miles on. This will make tomorrow's ‘'easy day' even easier – only 8 miles before we go and pick up Dan and Jonno from Lille .
Poperinge is a very friendly Belgium town, somehow tidier than its French counterparts, and on the edge of the WW1 battle zone. We are staying tonight at Talbot House, the site of a WW1 museum and a former home for soldiers. It is a wonderful place full of history and run by TOC H. Sylvia, the volunteer warden from Sheffield, made us a welcoming pot of tea when we arrived and didn't take too much prompting to tell us some of the stories about Talbot House and Tubby the founder of TOC H – the name comes from the signallers' shorthand for Talbot House.
Amazingly, we are all bathed and showered and ready to go out before 6.00 p.m. The sun is shining and we might just go for a little walk around the town before finding a nice restaurant for a good meal. Another good day.
Yellow jersey award for walker of the day – Phil for sorting out the gas and water heater and walking with me.
Distance covered – 22.1 miles Total covered – 192.0 miles |
