Diary of the GR5 Walk in 1999

Well it is now seven days into the walk. I have been a little disappointed with how hard I have found the walking: constant problems with blisters, sore ankles, and chaffing etc. But then this morning I realised I have already walked 121 km in the last seven days, which is over 17 km per day. I am learning to pace myself so that I avoid finishing in worse condition than the previous day. The pack, which weighs between 15-16 kg, seems easier to carry. I carry it higher up on my waist so more of the weight is on my shoulders than at the beginning. This also seems to reduce the chaffing I have been getting.

My appetite is now reduced even at breakfast. Today I left four slices of cheese, three slices of bread and two slices of meat untouched!

Today is a lay day and I will do some more washing and catch up on writing my diary. My clothing consists of two t-shirts, two pairs of shorts, a shirt, a pair of jeans, four pairs of underpants, three pair of heavy socks, and a pair of light socks. So almost nightly a pair of socks and a pair of underpants must be washed. When time permits, the shorts, t-shirts and the other clothes must be washed. So today is washing day.

This afternoon I will go into Bergen op Zoom and become a tourist. This morning it has been very overcast with steady but light drizzle. Hopefully, the weather will clear later in the day.

In the afternoon, I catch the bus into Bergen op Zoom and walk around the city centre. Most of it is for pedestrians (and of course bikes). There are lots of cafes, bookshops and shoe and clothing stores. It is not all that different to any other city in the world. There are four attractions in the way of old buildings. An impressive church in the City Square surrounded by restaurants and cafes, the Markiezen Hof, which is also a museum, the Gevangeport, which is a bastion or gate into the city, when it was protected by ramparts, and a fountain on the road out to Halsteren. Whilst I was photographing them the clouds finally cleared and by 6 pm the weather was bright and sunny. At this time of the year the sun rises at 6 am and sets a little after 10 pm.

My last dinner at de Ram is pork in a cherry sauce. I have eaten nothing since breakfast so have no problem eating all that is served. Tomorrow, my walking will take me into Belgium. I spend the rest of the evening making plans for the next couple of days. I will use the first of the two Dutch topo-gids that cover most of Belgium. It is quite different to the Deltapad topo-gid that I have gotten used to.