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The GR5 Trail - Benelux and Lorraine

The North Sea to Schirmeck in the Vosges mountains

ISBN

9781852849597

Availability

Published

24 Sept 2018

Reprinted

2 Oct 2024

Edition

First

Pages

312

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.75cm

Weight

350g

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Guidebook to walking the northern section of the GR5 - 1000km starting in Hoek van Holland and passing through the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Lorraine to Schirmeck in France. A long-distance route covering a variety of cultures and landscapes. The full GR5 from the North Sea to the Mediterranean is one of the world's greatest trails.

Seasons

A three-season trail, best between April and October. Abundant public transport links even make it possible to seize an opportunity to walk on the GR5 during fine days in winter.

Centres

End points: Hoek van Holland and Schirmeck; numerous cities between them: Bergen op Zoom, Diest, Maastricht, Spa, Vianden, Echternach, Metz.

Difficulty

The GR5 Trail - Benelux and Lorraine, also known as 'The Northern GR5' is relatively easy: level terrain in the Netherlands and Flanders; hilly, but not difficult in Wallonia and Luxembourg; mostly gentle slopes in Lorraine. The final stages of the walk enter the Vosges Mountains, where trails are steeper. No special equipment is needed, just comfortable walking shoes; some people use trekking poles.

Must See

Voornes Duin (Netherlands); Maten Nature Reserve (Flanders); Fagne de Malchamps (Ardennes); Little Switzerland (Luxembourg); Côte de Moselle hills and forests (Lorraine). Cities: Bergen op Zoom, Diest, Maastricht, Echternach and Metz. Museums: not just art (Pompidou-Metz); there are also museums dedicated to social history (Bokrijk), tugboats, flint, papier mâché and salt. Other highlights: historic churches and abbeys, medieval castles and modern fortifications.

ISBN

9781852849597

Availability

Published

24 Sept 2018

Reprinted

2 Oct 2024

Edition

First

Pages

312

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.75cm

Weight

350g

Overview

A guidebook to trekking the northern section of the GR5 trail between Hoek van Holland and Schirmeck. Covering 1,000km (621 miles), this long-distance trek through the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France is ideal for those who don’t want to hike steep mountains.

The route is described from north to south in 49 stages, each between 8 and 30km (5–19 miles) in length. The route is divided into 5 sections with transport options given for those wanting to break the trek into shorter sections.

1:100,000 maps included for each stage
GPX files available to download
Detailed information about accommodation and facilities along the route
Advice on planning and preparation
Part of a 3-volume set, accompanying Cicerone guidebooks The GR5 Trail and The GR5 Trail – Vosges and Jura are also available

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

Map key

Overview map

Route summary table

Introduction

What it’s like to hike the Northern GR5

Landscape

Wildlife

History

When to go

Getting there (and back)

Accommodation

Food and drink

Clothing and equipment

Waymarking

Maps

Language

Money

Staying in touch

Health and safety

Using this guide

1 The Netherlands

Stage 1 Hoek van Holland to Maasland

Stage 2 Maasland to Brielle

Stage 3 Brielle to Rockanje

Stage 4 Rockanje to Goedereede

Stage 5 Goedereede to Herkingen

Stage 6 Herkingen to Nieuw-Vossemeer

Stage 7 Nieuw-Vossemeer to Bergen op Zoom

2 Flanders

Stage 8 Bergen op Zoom to Kalmthout

Stage 9 Kalmthout to Brecht

Stage 10 Brecht to Zoersel

Stage 11 Zoersel to Herentals

Stage 12 Herentals to Westerlo

Stage 13 Westerlo to Scherpenheuvel

Stage 14 Scherpenheuvel to Diest

Stage 15 Diest to Lummen

Stage 16 Lummen to Stokrooie

Stage 17 Stokrooie to Bokrijk Provincial Domain

Stage 18 Bokrijk Provincial Domain to Zutendaal

Stage 19 Zutendaal to Maastricht

Stage 20 Maastricht to Eben-Emael

3 Wallonia

Stage 21 Eben-Emael to Visé

Stage 22 Visé to Soumagne

Stage 23 Soumagne to Banneux

Stage 24 Banneux to Spa

Stage 25 Spa to Stavelot

Stage 26 Stavelot to Commanster

Stage 27 Commanster to Ouren

4 Luxembourg

Stage 28 Ouren to Obereisenbach

Stage 29 Obereisenbach to Vianden

Stage 30 Vianden to Bleesbréck

Stage 31 Bleesbréck to Beaufort

Stage 32 Beaufort to Echternach

Stage 33 Echternach to Wasserbillig

Stage 34 Wasserbillig to Grevenmacher

Stage 35 Grevenmacher to Remich

Stage 36 Remich to Montenach

5 Lorraine

Stage 37 Montenach to Saint-Hubert

Stage 38 Saint-Hubert to Metz

Stage 39 Metz to Gorze

Stage 40 Gorze to Pagny-sur-Moselle

Stage 41 Pagny-sur-Moselle to Montauville

Stage 42 Montauville to Liverdun

Stage 43 Liverdun to Bioncourt

Stage 44 Bioncourt to Vic-sur-Seille

Stage 45 Vic-sur-Seille to Tarquimpol

Stage 46 Tarquimpol to Gondrexange

Stage 47 Gondrexange to Abreschviller

Stage 48 Abreschviller to Col du Donon

Stage 49 Col du Donon to Schirmeck

Appendix A Route planner

Appendix B Four 5-day itineraries on the GR5

Appendix C Accommodation along the route

Appendix D Useful contacts

Appendix E A little Dutch and French for hikers

Updates

May 2024

Stage 15

A reader who has recently hiked Stage 15 reports that the trail from Diest to Zelem has been 'completely re-designated'. However, the prior route (as described in this guidebook) still has GR marks. He recommends that hikers either follow the description in the book, ignoring the new GR marks, or follow only the new marks with reference to the map on an official Belgian website.

June 2023

Steen Hoeve

Page 77: A reader reports that, as anticipated, a new route has been marked for a short distance after Steen Hoeve; it is well-marked.

June 2019

Updates

Stage 42: The café in Rogéville is reported to be closed.

Stage 39: The chambre d’hôtes in Gorze (La Renaissance) has closed.

Stage 27: The café within the Burg-Reuland castle has closed.

May 2019

Stage 11 – The Kinderboerderij Lentehei, a petting zoo located near the bridge across the Kleine Nete, is a good place to stop for refreshments.

Stage 18 – As anticipated, the signpost in the forest south of Genk has been modified to conform to the description in the topoguide: the trail going to Zutendaal is the main GR5 route, and the trail leading to Genk is a variant.

Stage 20 – The new route of the GR5 through the ENCI-groeve quarry remains closed to walkers. Therefore (until the new route is finally opened), follow the alternative route described in the text.

Stage 21 – There is no longer a café in Wonck.

Stage 38 & Appendix C – The chambre d’hôtes in Vigy has closed.

Reviews

One of the world's best long-distance walking trails

As springtime inches closer, it is time to start thinking about getting back out in the fresh air and if you really want to challenge yourself this year why not take on a trekking challenge? One of the world's best long-distance walking trails, the GRS covers 1423 miles from the North Sea, down through the length of eastern France to the Mediterranean with varied landscapes and cultural experiences along the way. Cicerone, a guidebook publisher that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month, has detailed guidebooks that cover the GR5 trail over three titles. The northernmost section from the North Sea coast in Hoek van Holland, Netherlands to the Vosges mountains in France is covered in The GRS Trail - Benelux and Lorraine, then, the GRS Trail - Vosges and Jura covers wooded hills and river gorges, and The GRS Trail - Through the French Alps from Lake Geneva to Nice covers the southern stretch. The books have clear route descriptions, maps, information on landscapes and points of interest as well as practical advice.

Living France

The guide is a good read and is recommended.

The GR5 Trail is one of the world's famous trails. It runs from the North Sea to the Mediterranean. Guides to the mountainous sections have been available from Cicerone for some years. At last the northern section has a guide. This section runs through four countries, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France., for 990km. Running from Hoek van Holland on the coast to Schirmeck, north of the Vosges mountains, it is the most varied section of the GR5, and is relatively easy walking.

The guide begins with an introduction to the trail in the standard Cicerone format; this is an interesting read as the northern section of the GR5 is very varied. Then follows the route description, 49 stages, with 1:100K mapping, together with details of transport, accommodation, refreshment possibilities, and information on the culture of the area. There are campsites along the trail, or nearby, wild camping is not generally permitted but is possible if done discreetly. The author describes four 5 day itineraries suitable for a week's holiday.

The guide is a good read and is recommended.

Slackpacker

Downloads

The GR5 Trail - Benelux and Lorraine - GPX File

By Carroll Dorgan

Carroll Dorgan was born and educated in the United States. Pushed by the absence of jobs for inexperienced history graduates where he happened to be living in 1975 and pulled by his wanderlust, Carroll pursued a teaching career for a decade in international schools in Iran, Belgium, England and France. He then returned to California to qualify as a lawyer, but soon moved back to Europe to practice international law in the Netherlands and France. In all of those places, he explored nearby hiking trails. Now retired, he can devote time to writing about those trails.

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