Stuvetjesroute

The walk starts in Nieuw-Stuivekenskerke, but the history of the area reaches much further back. In Roman times, this was a landscape of tidal flats and salt marshes where human activity was already present. Storm surges in the 4th century flooded the area again and settlement disappeared for a time before the land was gradually reclaimed.

The name Stuivekenskerke is old as well. It comes from the Germanic ‘Stuvinas karika’, meaning the church of Stuvin. The present village centre only developed in the 19th century; the original settlement, Oud-Stuivekenskerke, lies a few kilometres away and appears later on the walk.

From the church, the route heads towards Kasteelhoeve Viconia. The farm began in the Middle Ages as an outlying estate of an abbey and later grew into a large agricultural site with a brewery, smithy and bakery. During the First World War, it was used by German troops and heavily damaged in 1918.

After the Viconia clay pits, you reach the Yser. Across the river lies Tervate, known for the heavy fighting around its bridge in October 1914. After taking Keiem, German troops tried to continue towards Nieuwpoort. More than 900 soldiers were killed in the fighting.

The Stuvetjesroute turns right here and follows the Yser for a while. This is the most heavily paved part of the walk and the path is also used regularly by cyclists. When the grass is not too high, it is often possible to walk beside the paved surface instead.

Before reaching the oil tanks, the route turns onto the Oud-Stuivekenspad. Anyone interested in the wartime landscape can make a short detour to the tanks. German troops used them as an observation point and held the position despite several attacks.

The open polders lead towards Oud-Stuivekenskerke and the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwhoekje. During the First World War, this was an advanced Belgian position. The old church tower served as an observation post and formed part of a network of trenches, bunkers and forward positions.

Under Lieutenant Martial Lekeux, the Zuidelijke Grote Wacht was established here. The tower was heavily shelled and largely destroyed. An unexploded shell that landed near a statue of the Virgin Mary later played a part in the creation of the Onze-Lieve-Vrouw ter Zege chapel. Memorial stones around the chapel now commemorate Belgian units that fought in this sector.

A little farther on, the route passes an archaeological site where traces of medieval settlement have been found and where a feudal motte may once have stood. The walk then reaches Reigersvliet. Belgian forward positions stood along this waterway and were connected by footbridges. Heavy fighting took place here in March 1918 during what became known as the Battle of Reigersvliet.

In the final part of the walk, you return to the Viconia clay pits. I added an extra loop through the nature area here, passing the birdwatching tower before rejoining the official route.

The former clay pits are now a wetland of reedbeds, grassland and open water with plenty of birdlife. After the open polders and the longer paved section beside the Yser, this part feels noticeably greener and quieter.

The route then continues through a sheep pasture, over a wooden bridge and along a grassy path beside Reigersvliet before returning to Stuivekenskerke. You finish in the same polder landscape where the walk began, but after almost ten kilometres it feels rather different.