On the dikes of Lamswaarde

Appointment at the Saint Cornelis Church of Lamswaarde (V) in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen. With the church on your right you start. You step past the Petrus en Paulushoeve 1 with a short golf course next to it and follow the Boudeloodijk to the right at the junction. From the paved dike you get a nice view of the village on the right. At the end of the Boudeloodijk you are in Roversberg. At the fork turn right, past a white house and at the next fork you choose left, direction Drowned land of Saeftinghe. You now walk on the Kruispolderse Dijk, a straight narrow asphalt road with the Kruispolder on the left and the Melopolder on the right. Leave the Oude Graauwse Dijk on the right and continue straight on until you reach the crossroads in the Duivenhoek. Walk straight ahead into Duivenhoekstraat. In the distance you can see the cooling towers of Doel. You step past a picturesque white house and keep walking down the dike until you reach Paal. At the white house De Stulp turn right. Straight ahead, it runs dead. You enter the Havenstraat and follow it to the right. Then turn left and on the T turn left again. You now follow the Zeeweg from the van Aldesteinpolder to café In 't Zicht der Schelde. Here you climb the dike with a staircase and you can enjoy a magnificent view of the Westerschelde, with the marina of Paal 2 and the building of the W.V. Saeftinghe just in front of you. Walk further over the dike to the left, past 't Klapkot 3, a charming building where you can go for a quiet chat in the wind. Because 'Clap' comes from 'claps', known in many dialects. After the harbor you go down the dike again and walk further down the dike, with the Scheldedijk on your right. You step past the Paal pumping station and ignore the road to Kruispolderhaven on the left. You can also climb a staircase on the Scheldekijk to view the ship traffic on the Scheldt. Descend again and continue your way along the Scheldedijk and a farm with a low-stemmed orchard. In the hamlet of Baalhoek - with picturesque houses and a sloop on dry land, on the left of the road - you climb the dike and 'the private road' via a staircase. Dogs are not allowed there. On the other side, descend the dike again and follow to the left. 'Enter at your own risk' was written at the bottom of the stairs and that will have everything to do with tides. Further on, the path is paved. Keep walking next to the Scheldt until the dike bends to the right. Climb the stairs to the top of the dike. There is a sign explaining the navigation system on the Westerschelde. Descend the dike, cross the road and walk past the monument of the flood disaster of 1953 4 and at the fork choose right, direction Walsoorden. You walk down the dike of the Kruisdorpsedijk, past a beacon, leave the Kruisdorpstraat on the left and choose at the fork on the left, direction Lamswaarde. Leave the Kruisdorpstraat a second time and keep following the Kruisdorpsedijk until the end. Left. You now have to follow the busier President Roosveltstraat for a bit. Just before the bend you take the Schapersdijk on the right, so almost straight ahead. You step through a cross dike with slots to insert bulkheads and along a beautiful 'weel'. At the fork, turn left onto the Boudeloodijk. From the unpaved dike you have a magnificent view of the polders. At the junction with the Kruisstraat you choose on the right and on beautiful view. You walk along the ferme de Bane Sart 2, at 390 m altitude. You arrive at the bend of the Daverdisse-Porcheresse road and walk straight ahead, past the daverdisse agglomeration sign. Don't worry about side roads and descend to the crossroads with the road to Wellin on the left. If you think 7 km is enough, turn left here until you reach the church. If you want to experience even more beauty, go straight ahead, direction Redu, and follow the signs of the blue walks 1 and 2. At the fork you leave the road to restaurant Le Trou du Loup. You continue walking on a narrow asphalt road, at first between the houses, then between the meadows. After two bends you cross the Franc Ri, a narrow stream that flows to the Lesse. If you want, you can walk straight ahead to see the Grotte Notre-Dame de Lourdes. Turn left over the bridge and continue to follow the asphalt road. Don't worry about side roads until you can step left over the Franc Ri just before the bend, where walk 2 bends right with the asphalt road. Note! Walk 1 is not indicated here. On the other bank, follow the wide forest road to the right. You will again come across signs from walk 1 and see the stream flowing into the Lesse. The forest road ends at a lawn. Cross that and continue walking on the other side. The path becomes narrower and rougher and you have to cross a gué (ford). After prolonged rainfall, waterproof footwear is a must here. the next fork on the left. You still follow the Boudeloodijk, past a 'weel' with picnic area and a beautiful view of the church of Lamswaarde, to the junction with the chapel. Turn right until you reach the departure point. In the Petrus en Paulushoeve you can enjoy a snack and / or a drink on the terrace or in the old barn.