ronse munkzwalm

Main route: 161 km

The GR 122 starts in Hulst and introduces you to the vast polder landscapes of Zeeuws-Vlaanderen. The fort lines along the way are silent witnesses of the Eighty Years' War. After 25 km, you cross the border and enter Moerbeke, the Sweet Waasland of Reynaert de Vos. Among dome-shaped fields, the Moervaart leads you from Lokeren to Lochristi. Azalea and begonia fields cast colorful blankets over the fields in this Flower Region. In Laarne, you join the GR 128. From Wetteren, the Scheldt takes you further westwards to Melle and Merelbeke. The gently rolling Land of Rode is a prelude to the Zwalm region, where windmills and watermills testify to the past. You follow the picturesque river upstream to the spring forests in Brakel. The hills of the Flemish Ardennes lie on your path, offering you the most beautiful panoramas. You cross the Brakel Forest, Music Forest, and finally the Kluis Forest. Here, the GR 122 connects with the GRP 123 Tour de la Wallonie picarde. From the Walloon Bernissart, the GR 122 chooses its own route again. It crosses the border near Bon-Secours to connect after 470 km with the GR 12 near Son via Valenciennes, the fortified town of Le Quesnoy, the Forest of Mormal, the Avesnois, and the French Ardennes.