17/03/2025
For centuries, the marshland area was divided into long, narrow strips of grassland, sometimes only 1.5 meters wide and a kilometer long, just wide enough to mow back and forth with one swing of the scythe, long marshes. Natuurpunt has a red walk (5.7 km starting at Donkstraat 1) and a green walk (3.6 km starting at Meersstraat 12). This GPS walk (80% unpaved) is a combination of both routes, starting with red, then we switch to green (it's a loop) and then we follow a section of a hard field path (instead of following the paved Meersstraat) from the mountain bike route that then reconnects to the red route. The walk runs along the banks of the Schelde with its hayfields, not on the towing path but on the unpaved field road below, past the domain of Abbey Beaulieu and the golf course of Oudenaarde. Parking is available in the spacious parking lot at Donkstraat 1, Oudenaarde (access via Minderbroederstraat or N453).