We had walked along part of the canal system of Brugge previously, this time we would be walking in the opposite direction, along part we missed last time.
The walk started as last time, from Camping Memling, on leaving the site we turned left and walked along Veltemweg to the end. Then turned right and immediately left onto Maalse Steenweg.
Here we popped into Aldi to check out the beer and got food for lunch while we were in there. Back on Maalse Steenweg, we headed towards the canal, this part of the walk looks like it is a long way but in fact only half a mile.
At the ringroad and canal we turned to the right and crossed the road to the canal crossing kruispoortbrug. The canal is the Ringvaart, part of the Gent to Oostende canal, from the bridge is a very good view of Kruispoort or Cross city gate and also another bridge over the canal.
Over the canal we turned left away from Kruispoort following the canal, from there we stuck to the canal path. As it was dinnertime and as we now had a picnic with us, we continued along the canal until we found a nice spot for us to sit and have it.
The spot we found was at a canal T junction, next to the vertical lift pedestrian bridge, a great place for watching the boats passing by.
We sat, at what looked like, at one time could have been the site of a swing bridge, anyway, it was a nice sheltered place in the sun to have our lunch.
After lunch we turned right at the canal T junction and followed the canal into town along Predikherenrei. This was a walk we had not done before, it was very pretty and very quiet. We walked to some lock gates, crossed over and then came to another T junction.
At the T junction in the canal system, we followed the canal to the left along Groenerei, all the time taking more photos of the canal and bridges as we went.
As the path versed away from the canal where the canal trips start, we crossed over to the other side, and then straight down a passageway to the Grote Markt (City Square).
Dot had an ice-cream and we had a sit in one of the old squares surrounded by pretty old building and watched the world go by. There is a very strange sculpture thing in the centre of the square, seen it twice now and still do not know what it is all about (apparently it's The Toyo Ito pavilion).
We left from the opposite corner onto Breidelstraat, wich leads into the main market square right next to the Belfry. Here we suspended the walk for a while and hit the shops. By the way, you can always find your way back the market square, just lookout for The Belfry Tower (Belfort).
Then it was time for a beer, first we had a beer just off the square, in Bar Des Amis on Eiermarkt.
Next we went into B-café, at the rear of 2be Foodshopping Brugge, down the side of the Belfry on Wollestraat (where you can get the No 11 bus back to the site if you want), it had been improved since the last time we used it. Gone were the stacks of beer grates, replaced by glass cases full of beer bottles and matching classes, a very nice display.
After drinks we continued along Wollestraat, and kept straight, the street name changes to Eekhoutstraat, then Garenmarkt. At the end of Garenmarkt we turned left onto Nieuwe Gentweg then right onto Gentpoortstraat. Gentpoortstraat leeds you through Gentpoort (Ghent Gate) back to the Ringvaart canal.
We had to wait for a barge to pass along the canal first, before we could cross the canal, then turned left and followed the canal, with the main road on our right.
On the way back we passed the vertical lift bridge again, two large cylinders, turned to wind up the footpath deck beneath (see the photo). Never seen anything like it.
The first place to cross the main road is back where we originally crossed at the beginning on the walk at kruispoortbrug. Then back onto Maalse Steenweg the N9, which to your right off the crossing.
Then is is a reverse of the earlier walk but so as not to miss Veltemweg, (the road the site) it is a right then left, at the second set of traffic lights or opposite McDonalds.
Brugge Walk One
Ghent Walk
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