GR in Europe
GR trails in Wallonia
Wallonia also has an extensive network of GR trails, many of which connect to the Flemish network. The GR 129 takes hikers across all of Belgium, for example: from Bruges in the northwest to Arlon in the southeast. The GR 126, GR 122 and GR 564 cross the language border as well. The Walloon network has a lot to offer: lush hills, beautiful rivers, vast landscapes and forests, world-famous abbeys along the river Meuse, industrial heritage ... While Wallonia may be close by, the hiking experience it provides can feel very different.
To the GR network in Wallonia
GR trails in Europe
You will come across white-red and yellow-red markers in other European countries as well, as the total GR network comprises over 100,000 km worth of hiking trails. In France and Wallonia, the letters GR stand for Grande Randonnée, in Spain for Gran Recorrido and in Portugal for Grande Rota. The same markers are also used in the Netherlands, although the trails are called LAWs there, the Dutch abbreviation for Long-Distance Walking Paths. The Flemish GR network also links up with the network of Fernwanderwege in Germany and the Long-Distance Footpaths in Great Britain.
This gigantic European network provides hikers with the opportunity to explore almost all of Europe on foot. It is possible to follow an uninterrupted GR path from east to west, from the Baltic States and Poland to Ireland, from the North Sea to the Mediterranean, from the North Cape to Gibraltar.
European Ramblers’ Association
Boundless walking in Europe, that is the ambition of the European Ramblers Association (ERA). ERA has over 60 members from 30 European countries. Within the association, agreements are made regarding cross-border trail connections and international signposting. On their website, you will find more information and links to hiking sites from various European countries: www.era-ewv-ferp.org and www.traildino.com.
ERA has also developed several “European Paths”, known as E-paths, by combining existing national and regional walking paths into cross-border long-distance trails. Two E-paths cross Flanders:
E9: The GR 5A is part of the European Path E9, the coastal trail that runs from Cabo de Sao Vicente in southern Portugal to Saint Petersburg (Russia). It follows the GR 5A from De Panne (French border) to Hoeke (Dutch border).
E2: The GR 5A, GR 565 and GR 5 are part of the European Path E2, which runs from western Ireland to Nice. Hikers reach Belgium from the Netherlands on the eastern variant and follow the GR 5 from Bergen-op-Zoom to Zoersel. The western variant enters Flanders in De Panne from France and then runs along the GR 5A to Kruibeke, where an E2 connection to Deurne has been made. From Deurne, hikers follow the GR 565 to Zoersel, where the eastern and western variant join up. From there, the E2 continues along the GR 5 towards Maastricht, eventually ending in Nice (France).
