Arnèke, Esquelbecq and Wormhout

In search of the young Iron in the "bare earth"

29.4 km
The walk takes you through an almost flat polders landscape where traditionally the winds of the Pas-de-Calais had free rein and which was only gradually conquered from the sea from the ninth century. The soil is sandy, but extremely fertile due to the clay particles that the sea has provided for centuries. The vast farms are interrupted only by quiet villages with dominant churches and French names: Arnèke (Arneke), Esquelbecq (Ekelsbeke), ... Despite their annexation by Frankrijjk in the early eighteenth century - Peace of Utrecht 1713 - you still meet the Flemish soul. You can still hear to a limited extent 'Vlèmsch', a Flemish dialect that belongs to West Flanders. The old popular devotion is never far away: where you take the Flemish (French) roads, you will come across Maria chapels. The cemeteries are full of bearers of Flemish names.
The common thread of this visit is the Yser. A third of this typical lowland river - in flat farmland there is practically no decomposition - is located in France. The source of this river has long been a topic of discussion, but is officially located in the Franco-Flemish Buysscheure, just outside our hiking area. Where you will see it for the first time is just a large stream, no wider than its main tributary, the Peenbeek.