L’Escaut à Boire / Drinkbare Schelde (370km, 30 days)

April 22nd – May 23rd 2025

We are walking in 30 days from the source of the Scheldt to its mouth in the North Sea, over 370km. This takes place from 22 April to 23 May 2025.

For this walk, we invite people to walk with us: residents, schoolchildren, farmers, fishermen, teachers, rowers, journalists, politicians, environmentalists, mayors and artists – you are all welcome.

Along the way, several large and small events will take place in the context of a clean and healthy Scheldt.

Nous marchons en 30 jours de la source de l’Escaut à son embouchure dans la mer du Nord, sur 370 km. Cette marche aura lieu du 22 avril au 23 mai 2025.

Pour cette marche, nous invitons les gens à marcher avec nous : habitants, écoliers, agriculteurs, pêcheurs, enseignants, rameurs, journalistes, politiciens, écologistes, maires et artistes – vous êtes tous les bienvenus.

Le long de la route, plusieurs événements, petits et grands, auront lieu dans le cadre d’un Escaut propre et sain.

We lopen in 30 dagen van de bron van de schelde tot de monding in de Noordzee, ruim 370km. Dit vindt plaats van 22 april tot 23 mei 2025.

Voor deze wandeling nodigen we mensen uit om mee te lopen: inwoners, schoolkinderen, boeren, vissers, leraren, roeiers, journalisten, politici, milieubeschermers, burgemeesters en kunstenaars – jullie zijn allemaal van harte welkom.

Onderweg zullen er verschillende grote en kleine evenementen plaatsvinden in het kader van een schone en gezonde Schelde.

Walking route updates

Check the most up-to-date (starting) points on the map.

This interactive map highlights all the important points of the walk. You can use it to see where the walk wil start, end and where local events are organised.

For the latest changes, please always double check the day prior.

This map is for both the main route and the parallel route.

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Find your (start) point

Walk planning overview

Find here the daily start- and endpoints of the route. Regular walking days start at 10AM (after a water measurement, at 9AM).

April

22 Gouy (source) – Bantouzelle
23 Bantouzelle – Cantaing-sur-Escaut
24 Cantaing-sur-Escaut – Thun-l’Evêque
25 Thun-l’Evêque – Haulchin
26 Haulchin – Valenciennes
27 (Rest day)
28 Valenciennes – Vieux-Condé
29 Vieux-Condé – Brunehaut
30 Brunehaut – Tournai (Doornik)

May

1 Tournai (Doornik) – Celles
2 Celles – Wortegem-Petegem
3 Wortegem-Petegem – Kruisem
4 (Rest day)
5 Kruisem – Ghent
6 Ghent (Event day, no walking)
7 Ghent – Melle
8 Melle – Wichelen
9 Wichelen – Dendermonde
10 Dendermonde – Baasrode
11 Baasrode – Drie-Goten (Hamme) (near ferry)
12 (Rest day)
13 Drie-Goten (Hamme) (near ferry) – Rupelmonde

14 Rupelmonde – Antwerp
15 Antwerp (Event day, no walking)
16 Antwerp harbour – Beveren (Kieldrechtsluis) (partly by boat)
17 Fort Liefkenshoek (Kieldrecht) – Ouden Doel (Zoetenberm)
18 Ouden Doel (Zoetenberm) – (Paal or) Walsoorden
19 (Rest day)
20 Walsoorden – Terneuzen
21 Terneuzen (along canal)
22 Terneuzen – Hoofdplaat
23 Hoofdplaat – Vlissingen (take ferry across)

Parallel route (by Jan).
Check for more info here.
Gather at 10:30AM, depart at 11AM:
16 Antwerp – Berendrecht
17 Berendrecht – Bath
18 Bath – Waarde
19 Waarde – Biezelinge
20 Biezelinge – Scheldeoord
21 Sheldeoord – Borssele
22 Borssele – Ritthem
23 Ritthem – Vlissingen

Video impession

Join the walk

We invite everyone to join the walk along the Scheldt. Fill in your details and receive all information you need to know as a co-walker, about the Scheldt walk.

Scheldt walk diary by Li An

Lisez les faits marquants du jour

Read our daily highlights

Sign for a Drinkable Scheldt

Whether you live along the Scheldt, one of the tributaries, in the watershed or outside of it, please join us in the ‘Sign your Lifeline’ campaign and sign your own Scheldt Lifeline at the button below.

Signez pour notre l'Escaut

Teken voor onze Schelde

Events

During the walk, a lot of events are being organised. Here you can find the posters of the events. Everyone is welcome to join.

22/04/25
Gouy
Open poster FR / NL

23/04/25
Noyelles-sur-Escaut
Open poster

24/04/25
Proville
Open poster

26/04/25
Thiant
Open poster

26/04/25 17:30u
Valenciennes
Open poster

28/04/25 13:30u
Fresnes-sur-Escaut
Open poster

28/04/25 15:30u
Vieux-Condé
Open poster

29/04/25 15:00u
Maulde
Open poster

02/05/25 13:00u
Avelgem
Open poster

03/05/25 Wandel mee met de Maarkeerders
Geef je op

03/05/25 10.00u
Oudenaarde
Open poster

03/05/25 13:00u
Ename Oudenaarde
Open poster

03/05/25 16:00u
Nederzwalm
Open poster

03/05/25 17:30u
Kruisem
Open poster

06/05/25 Gent
(bestuurders-event)
Open poster

06/05/25 10:30u
Gent, de Lieve
Open poster

06/05/25 12:00u
Gent
Open poster

07/05/25 10:45u
Gent
Open poster

07/05/25
Melle
Open poster

08/05/25 12:00u
Wetteren
Open poster

09/05/25 9:00u
Schoonaarde
Open poster

09/05/25 10.00u
Schoonaarde
Open poster

15/05/25 15:00u
Antwerpen
Open poster

15/05/25 16:30u
Antwerpen
Open poster

16/05/25 8:00 – 16:00u
dagoverzicht Antwerpen
Open poster

16/05/25 8:00u
Antwerpen
Open poster

16/05/25 12:00u
Kallo
Open poster

18/05/25 9:00u
Hulst
Open poster

18/05/25 12:30u
Saeftinghe
Open poster

19/05/25 11:45u
Kruiningen
Open poster

The Scheldt Walk is organised without funding. Would you like to support us and make a donation?

Make a donation

Make a donation (tikkie)

Press release

Find here the Drinkable Scheldt press release. Feel free to share it.

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Lire le communiqué de presse

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Lees het persbericht

Media

(14/05/25) Vlaamse gemeenten moeten sneller werk maken van open zwemwater – GVA
Watch (NL)

(14/05/25) Podcast aflevering #36 Li An Phoa, Drinkable Rivers – Loek in Loek out
Listen (NL)

(13/05/25) Internationale actiegroep voor drinkbare rivieren trekt door de Scheldevallei – TVOost
Watch (NL)

(11/05/25) 60 litres of rubbish collected in clean-up operation along Scheldt – The Brussels Times
Read (ENG)

(06/05/25) Noord & Zuid: water en wat het voor ons betekent – Folio magazine
Read (NL)

(06/05/25) Project ‘Drinkable Rivers’ onderzoekt waterkwaliteit van onze rivieren – AVS
Read (NL)

(02/05/25) Sans eau, la vie n’existe pas – l’Avenir
Read (FR)

(02/05/25) Plus de 360 km à pied pour faire de l’Escaut une « rivière à boire » : le combat étonnant de Li An Phoa de passage à Tournai – Sud Presse
Read (FR)

(30/04/25) L’Escaut à boire, une longue marche d’un bout à l’autre du fleuve pour faire parler de la qualité de son eau – Notélé
Watch (FR)

(30/04/25) L’Escaut, témoin d’une croisade pour la nature et l’environnement : “Sans eau, la vie n’existe pas” – l’Avenir
Read (FR)

(25/04/25) Elle rêve de rendre l’eau de l’Escaut potable – l’Avenir
Read (FR)

Team

Together with people from various civil society organisations and municipalities, we have come together as we see a similar opportunity and need to jointly organise a walk to mobilise people in the Scheldt river basin for a drinkable Scheldt.