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.

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

    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.

    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? 

    Press release

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

    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.

    Li An Phoa
    initiator, river walker Scheldt

    Vincent Traas
    coordinates Dutch/Zeeland

    Marie Parent
    coordinates France

    Tom DHaeyer
    coordinates Flanders

    Justine Quintin
    coordinates Wallonia

    Jan Flechner
    walks parallel route Westerscheldt

    Leon Dhaene
    coordinates mayors event in Ghent 6 May

    Anaëlle Gourlet 
    supports in France

    Toon Malevé
    coordinates schools in Flanders for citizen science

    Lieven Symons
    coordinates local event in Flanders

    Partners

    Tributary walk Kleine Nete

    In March 2023 we walked along the Kleine Nete, a tributary of the Scheldt, in Belgium.

    Together, we have made a charter for a Drinkable Kleine Nete. Already a lot of people have shown their support by signing the charter.

    Contact

    Voor meer vragen of suggesties

    More questions or suggestions, please contact us

    Pour plus de renseignements ou des suggestions