Sentier des Gueux

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A pleasant route in Belgium.
This is the Sentier des Gueux (Geuzen walking route), the end of which I have modified.
It uses the same signposting as the Mont Kemmel and Mont Rouge routes.
It is an easy walk along small roads, wide farm tracks and some very pleasant paths (including a "paved slanting street"!).

Details

n°9052290
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.82 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 95 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 96 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 75 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 27 m
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Photos

Nieuwkerke
Bridge
Third pond
Second pond

Description of the walk

Park in Nieuwkerke, on the Markt, near the church.

(S/E) Pass "Le Chaplin" (on your right) and turn right into Steenwerkstraat. Follow this road to the end. Cross the main road (N 331) and follow it to the left for about 200 metres, looking out for a path that branches off to the right.

(1) Take this path. Cross a small road and continue straight ahead until you reach a T-junction. There you will find marker 40.
Follow the small road a few metres to the left, then leave it and take the path towards 41. Pass a farm on your right before reaching another T-junction.

(2) Follow the small road on the right. Ignore the road on the left and, at the crossroads (marker 41), continue straight ahead towards 46. Continue straight ahead for about 800 m and you will find a path on the right (easy to spot thanks to marker 46).
Follow this very narrow path (see practical information) until you reach a crossroads (marker 45).

(3) Turn right, then immediately right again (marker 44) onto Papestraat. This is a beautiful paved slanting street that descends gently. Ignore a turn-off to the left and continue to a small road (marker 43).
Follow it on the left to reach a T-junction.

(4) Turn right onto Kauwakkerstraat. At the three-way junction, keep right and, 200 m further on, you will find a wide path on the right.

(5) Follow this long path through the fields to reach a road (marker 39).

(6) Follow it to the left. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead, then after 100 metres turn left.
At the end of the path, continue straight ahead on the small road. Ignore the path on the right (marker 37). The road eventually turns right to reach the N 322.

(7) Cross (carefully!) to take the small road opposite. After 50 m (at marker 36), turn right onto a good path. You will reach a T-junction.

(8) Turn left onto a beautiful grassy path, which is sometimes very narrow and initially heads north, then after two right-hand bends, heads almost due south. You will arrive at a small bridge (marker 35).

(9) Climb up this bridge by scaling the embankment (you can also go underneath to find a nice staircase on the left). Then turn left (right if you came up the stairs) to reach a road (Kemmelstraat, marker 30). Cross it and take the path opposite.
You will come to another road (Nieuwkerkestraat). Follow it to the right for about 20 metres, then turn left into Zuidlindestraat. Follow this road for about 100 metres, looking out for a small lane on the right.

(10) Take this small lane, which leads to the neighbourhood you want to cross.
Basically, keep going in the same direction. There are a series of small lanes and streets, with the imposing church in your sights.
After the third left/right turn, leave the housing estate and you will find yourself in front of the church.
Go around it on the left to reach the Markt (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 60 m - Nieuwkerke, the Markt
  2. 1 : km 0.69 - alt. 58 m - Path on the right
  3. 2 : km 1.8 - alt. 42 m - T-junction after the farm
  4. 3 : km 3.43 - alt. 71 m - Crossroads, markers 45, then 44
  5. 4 : km 4.49 - alt. 59 m - T-junction
  6. 5 : km 4.8 - alt. 56 m - Wide path on the right
  7. 6 : km 5.98 - alt. 71 m - Crossroads at marker 39
  8. 7 : km 7.16 - alt. 46 m - Junction with the D 322
  9. 8 : km 7.74 - alt. 60 m - T-junction
  10. 9 : km 8.42 - alt. 50 m - Small bridge
  11. 10 : km 9.28 - alt. 64 m - Turn right towards the city.
  12. S/E : km 9.82 - alt. 60 m - Nieuwkerke, the Markt

Notes

Until point (9), follow the signs for "Geuzen wandelroute".

The route is easy, but some paths become very muddy in wet weather.

The narrow path at marker 46 can be very difficult. You can then continue another 300 metres along the small road and turn right onto a path. After a farm, you will reach a small road which you follow to the right to reach point 3.

Make sure you wear suitable footwear!

Worth a visit

And when you arrive, Café Chaplin welcomes you with open arms. It is advisable to book, especially at weekends.

We ate there a few years ago and had a very pleasant experience (mussels and chips).

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 7 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
La Pie
La Pie

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant walk, well signposted
Apart from a detour around a factory, the route is very pleasant, taking you along small country lanes and narrow streets in Nieuwkerke
Beautiful scenery
Little traffic on the roads taken this Sunday
Best done in dry weather

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Pierre59110
Pierre59110

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant and varied route without any major difficulties.
Taken on Easter Monday, very busy with hikers and cyclists, probably because of organised hikes on that day.

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zick
zick

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, bring suitable footwear in case of rain (muddy path).

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joorange
joorange

I walked this route this morning.
It's true that the little rope ladder is very original.

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bernard5962
bernard5962

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 22, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Well done

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chantounette
chantounette

Thank you for your diligence.
At point 9, under the bridge, the staircase has disappeared and been replaced by a wooden panel with a rope to climb up the embankment, which is more athletic and original! No problem!

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joorange
joorange

The Papestraat trail is approximately 600 metres long (1 km between points 3 and 4).

At point 9, you have to go under the path to find the stairs (if they haven't disappeared...).

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chantounette
chantounette

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 13, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

In the description at point S/E, it should be added that there is a signpost pointing towards 40 on the right.
It would be helpful to mark the junctions on the map, as they are very useful for following the route.
Can you tell me how long the Papestraat path is, as unfortunately I couldn't use it because it was too muddy!
At point 9, there is no longer a staircase, just a wooden panel with a rope to climb up!
The downside is that the route is not well maintained, with missing planks, untrimmed bushes, etc. If you are walking with a group, be extra careful!
In conclusion, it's a lovely walk because you get to see beautiful landscapes with views of the mountains, as you're at a fairly high altitude.

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Chris593012
Chris593012

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 14, 2022
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The very narrow path before reaching point 3 was too muddy. It is bordered by barbed wire, so it is dangerous if you slip and fall. I would not take my walking group there. Fortunately, there is a way to bypass this path by turning right a little further on.
Otherwise, it's a very beautiful hike. Magnificent views of the Flanders plain.
Thank you for this route.

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cemoi62
cemoi62

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful and pleasant hike, peaceful, along pleasant paths and through beautiful countryside.
However, we were surprised by the lack of maintenance on certain sections (which is quite rare on Belgian trails), particularly the narrow path before reaching point 3, where you walk through tall grass and sometimes have to squeeze between brambles on the left and barbed wire on the right (but nothing that blocks your way). There is also a section on the paved slanting street of Papestraat that remains muddy even in dry weather, but this is not surprising given the start of "summer" we are having.
In any case, thank you for this route!
We then continued with the "Around Mont Kemmel in Dries" hike, which complements this one very well, with a fairly close starting point and different views of the Flemish countryside.

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