NIJMEGEN-ROTTERDAM 160 KILOMETER WALK
by Christina Elsenga
After a hard week, the best
thing to do is to go out for a walk. So Friday 19 September I took the train to Nijmegen.
In a hotel in Nijmegen I met my British friend Sue. We could have talked for hours about
walking, but decided a good night's sleep would be a better preparation for the walk we
head in mind for the weekend. During the walk we would have plenty opportunity to talk
anyway.
Saturday morning, after a double-sized
breakfast we went to the Daalsehof, the start of one of the most extraordinary walks of
Netherlands: Nijmegen-Rotterdam non-stop, 160 kilometers. For the 32nd time the
"Rotterdamse Wandel Vereniging," the RWV organizes this event with a route that
almost goes from one side of the country to the other.
At the start one finds that usual frenzy
of walkers getting ready. We put labels on our luggage (one bag per person, to be
transported to every major restpoint by the organization), we have coffee, tea, a
sandwich, we change clothes (again), tie shoelaces (again), we meet good old and young
friends. Marc, from Belgium, tells me I finally made the right decision. I am not sure
yet.
At eleven o’ clock 107 walkers
(incl.13 ladies) leave for Rotterdam. Participants come from all over The Netherlands and
sixteen walkers are from abroad: Belgium, Denmark, Great Britain, Germany and Switzerland.
The route is familiar to those who have walked the four days of Nijmegen. We cross the
Waal and go to Lent where we follow the dike in the opposite direction of the route on the
first day in Nijmegen. The weather is great: a light breeze, sun, some white clouds. Ships
on the river accompany us, there is hardly any traffic to bother us. Everybody is in a
cheerful mood. After 9 kilometers we are treated to drinks and then walk into an area
called The Betuwe. It is famous for its fruit trees. Red, green and yellow apples and
juicy pears shine in the midday sun. The first 20 kilometers we all walk in one big group.
Two marchleaders set the pace at approx. 7 km/h. At Heteren lunch is ready: milk,
buttermilk and piles of sandwiches, so we tuck in. Now we are ready for the real thing. We
cross the river Rhine and walk near Doorwerth to Renkum. Only two weeks ago these roads
were crowded with 30.000 or so walkers on the Airborne March of Oosterbeek, to commemorate
operation Market Garden to liberate the north of the Netherlands, an attempt that so
tragically failed, September 1944. A bus with veterans on a battle tour passes.
The scenery changes. It is all woodland
and heath here. On this beautiful afternoon many people go out on their bicycles. Some ask
us where we go to. When we answer: ‘We walk to Rotterdam’, adding ‘For
fun!’, nobody seems to believe us.
The first major stop is at Ede (39 km.).
At the major stops in cafés or sportcenters, the luggage is at our disposal. The other
stops are on the verge of the road or on a carpark where the RWV supplies us with food and
drinks. After about half an hour rest we start for Leersum. This time we see cornfields,
small farms and little villages, a bit of wood. We cross the Grebbe linie, one of the
places where the Dutch army fought bitterly against the Nazi-German army May 1940. Slowly
the sun sets. It gets colder and I am glad I have a long sleeved T-shirt to put on. The
107 walkers can walk at their own pace now, with a minimum of about 7 km. per hour. If you
do just that, you are never really on your own. Many walkers I have met on other events,
others I meet for the first time. Anyway, there is always someone to chat with and if you
want a moment of quiet, that can be arranged too. At Leersum (59 km.) a lovely hot meal
(vegetarian available as well) waits for us. Now we also really need our luggage. It is
time for dry, non-sweaty shirts and long trousers. I feel a nasty blister coming up so I
take care of it and change the sock. The other foot feels good, so I walk on with one blue
sock and one red sock. Never change a winning team. There is an excellent first aid team
of the RWV just in case.
At 9.15 p.m. we leave the restaurant. It
is dark but the sky is clear. When the eyes get accustomed to the dark I have a good look
at the stars. Carefully, looking at the road often, or I might end up in the ditch. The
Plough, Cassiopeia are very visible. Later on in a more open area Orion can be seen. Hans
shows me the Milky Way right over our heads. There is a crisp smell in the air and yet, at
some places I can still feel the warmth of the daylight sun. This is why I love
nightwalks. And the exciting ouch of being naughty: good girls shouldn’t be out in
the middle of nowhere at this time of day/night. They should on a well organised event
like this one, however! Sue and I think of the friends who walk the 28 hours in Roubaix
(France) this weekend and hope they do well. We walk to Zeist and have a look at some
grand houses. ‘This is where my gardener lives’ is one of the silly night jokes.
We see a walker sitting down and ask if he’s all right. ‘Sleepy’, he says.
It is too cold to just sit down so Hans, Sue and I talk him to getting up and walk a while
with us. What’s your name, want a bite to eat, want a drink? Leon is just very, very
sleepy and longs for a warm bed. All we can offer is our company and pay attention to the
arrows and traffic for him. Hans tells us he is usually the sleepy one. One time he laid
down in a bus shelter and fell asleep immediately. Other walkers picked some flowers, put
them in his hands and one walker made a photo. Hans slept through the whole joke.
At the next big stop in Bunnik we are
halfway (81 km.). Time for a coffee with milk and sugar, also for Leon. Those who are in
early manage a catnap. We ‘round’ Utrecht at the south side. The city spreads
quite a bit of light. Suddenly there is a big bright shooting star in the northwestern
sky. It is visible for several seconds.
Just when I think I could do with a
drink, there is another RWV open air restpoint. This time there are drinks and hot soup in
the very early, very dark Sunday morning. Aren’t these people great. We can keep warm
by walking, they just stand there for hours in the cold and take care of us. To rise
spirits the helpers start singing songs. To my amazement songs about Amsterdam, while this
is a Rotterdam club. Maybe that is the reason why it is slightly out of tune. We all have
fun and there is no one near to be wakened.
Near the 100 km. stop at Nieuwegein we
miss an arrow (three actually) and walk straight on where we should have turned right. It
takes a while before we come to a crossing without any arrows. That is a sure sign we went
wrong. All there is to do is walk back to the proper route. There is sad news from Sue.
Her ankle bothers her, it swells, it hurts. Sue decides to stop. ‘There will be other
walks but I have only one body.’ A wise decision but I can see she is disappointed.
The RWV brings her to Utrecht Central Station. It is there where she discovers it is
really cold (4 degrees Celsius).
Now it is ‘only’ 60 km. to go.
Quite an ordinary distance. I tell myself I go for a good days walk, never mind what
happened during the night.
The Netherlands is a low country. About
a third of it is at or below sea level. Where we walk now are polders and canals, very
straight, very manmade even when that originates from centuries ago. We walk to Benschop
and Montfoort. The sun comes up and the cold is even more intense. A blanket of mist
covers the fields. The RWV has a open air breakfast table ready for us: coffee, tea
sandwiches, bananas. Eat and enjoy! Even if you don’t feel like it, you have to and
the RWV helpers have gentle yet firm ways to make you eat and drink. After Montfoort the
manmade land adjusts to nature. We walk on the old dike of the Hollandse IJssel to
Oudewater. This is a very old city. In the days when Dutch ships sailed the oceans it was
known for its rope factories. The city is also known for witch-measurement. People who
were accused of being a witch would be weighed here and if you had a normal weight, you
could not possibly be a witch. For tourists the weighing is still performed. No need for
weighing now: anyone can tell from my blisters I am not a witch. All I can do is dress
them well, breath evenly, relax and walk on. The pain will ease eventually. Every walker
by now has something bodypart that hurts.
On a lovely Sunday morning we follow one
of the most beautiful dikes in Holland. The old dike, the river, the old farms, old fruit
trees, all best to be enjoyed on bike or foot, on horseback if you like. But please, no
cars. The next good part is the road right across the Reeuwijkse Plassen, artificial lakes
just north of Gouda (yes, the cheese). My sister lives in this area. She gave me the key
to her flat: just in case. The key burns in my purse, but I keep walking rather well, so I
just can’t quit. Marc wants me to come to Aubel (200 km.) in October. That
doesn’t sound like a good idea to me, but I promise to come next time, if I
don’t get any worse. Later that week Sue e-mails me writing I am crazy. If that is
true, Sue must be too: she goes this year.
At the last big rest in Waddinxveen I
get a serious warning by the organisation: I am in a feeble position. I wonder why, there
must be at least 50 walkers still on route. Everything is explained with a big smile: I
have number 97 and both 96 and 98 had to retire, so I am ‘on my own’.
The last 20 km. we walk in two groups.
The first group leaves Waddinxveen at 1 o’ clock and will finish at about 4 in the
afternoon, the second group an hour later. We enter Rotterdam following the river Rotte.
It gets quite warm again. At 2 p.m. I feel horribly sleepy. Just like the blister pain it
passes after a while. The last 2.5 km. go through the park with ultra-distance walker
Annie van der Meer holding the RWV flag.
At the finish we have a refreshing
shower. Hans is there, Leon is all right but still sleepy, I lost some skin on my heel,
Marc and Claude have big smiles on their faces. Time for hugs and congratulations. A short
ceremony thanking all the helpers, paying special attention to jubilee-walkers and handing
out the certificates and cups finishes the entire event.
Walking 160 kilometers might seem a big
accomplishment. I must admit I am glad The Netherlands is such a small country. It is a
gift to be able to participate in a well organised and beautiful walk together with other
walkers. Maybe I should have started the story with something like ‘don’t try
this at home’. I do hope to see more people on long distance walks. Fortunately walks
of varying distances are organised in several countries in West Europe. Walking an
organised event is safe and more fun than ‘trying this at home’, provided you
are well trained.
A good way to try a much shorter night
walk is e.g. the Queen’s March, every year on 29-30 April from Rotterdam to The Hague
(75 km.) to celebrate the Queen’s birthday.
P.S. Sue e-mails later that week her ankle is all right again. She had a great time and wants to come again. So do I, I am sure I made the right decision indeed.
For further information, please write to:
RWV
Mr. H. van der Knaap
Schieweg 232c
3038 BP Rotterdam
The Netherlands
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