Day 6: From Wanzele to Horebeke

Overnight showers, grey clouds and the rain radar do not bode well for today. But we decide to leave for Oudenaarde anyway. Although that turns out to be foolhardy. In Schellebelle we end up in a downpour in which cycling is impossible. Luckily, we can shelter under a row of trees on the village square. After a quarter of an hour we are able to move on again and take another ferry. Although it is not the first on this trip, the ferry continues to amaze. For that reason alone, we can recommend the Scheldt Route, especiallywith children.

What also makes such a cycling holiday so much fun are the chance encounters along the way. Just after the crossing, away in the distance, we saw someone approaching us high above the cycle path. It turned out to be a cyclist on a penny-farthing, dressed in a retro cycling outfit. I learned afterwards that it was someone from Ostend who rode the entire Art Cities Route on his penny-farthing as homage to his late father.

Yesterday’s picnic went down so well that we are opting for the same formula today. First we stop for a moment at the memorial stone of the Scheldt peloton. A few kilometres further on, we find a nice spot on the edge of the Scheldemeersen. Our sandwiches with cheese spread taste delicious.

For dessert and for some extra energy, we look for a terrace in Gavere. A coffee for the parents and a hot chocolate for the children.  From the terrace we witness a wedding and we can already taste a bit of the atmosphere of the Flemish Ardennes. That feeling will only increase as we move on later to Horebeke to our accommodation.