Lyrics “One Foot Before the Other” – Frank Turner, 2011
If I really want to turn this blog into a “photo memory / recap of my activities” place, I should get on to sorting the photos (and memories) from my February activities. Operation Mincemeat, Manchester, London. Instead I let myself get distracted by too many other things. Monkey Mind and all that. Anyway, Easter Saturday was a quite lovely day around here, so I decided to tackle the next bit of “my Camino”. (Wrote this on Monday, finally get around to post it on Wednesday. Progress of sorts)
Part 06: Münster-Hiltrup – Drensteinfurt (Mersch)
(KM 78 – 98)
Saturday, 04th April 2026
The distance on the actual path between the green and the red marker on the map above were about 20 km. I gave myself the option to end it earlier (at the orange marker) but I felt fine enough to walk the whole distance. I then also walked about 1 km from the train station to the actual route and another 4 km to the train station again; the grey line in the map. With a small detour for some lunch I came to about 26 km. From 10:00 – 18:00 with about 1 hour of lunch break. Decent enough pace, and even if it weren’t it shouldn’t matter, because it’s neither a race nor a competition.
Why do I do it to myself though? I wondered about that on the last long straight stretch. I guess, I do it, to prove to myself that I can. And use this “you managed to do THAT” experience to help me deal with other things. I don’t know. Maybe I’m just a masochist who likes to push – aka torture – herself?
First stage of this section was urban Münster again, not much interesting to document or anything that would make a good photo theme. Catholic missionaries, Police Academy (sorry, University, but of course the former is so ingrained in my generation’s pop culture).
I crossed the Dortmund-Ems Canal (for the sixth time since I started this in 2024). This time sort of twice – the old canal route – and the newer one.
South of the canal I left the main roads (finally) and entered a bit of a more outdoorsy area. While there were trees and bushes and nature and all that that paths mostly were still paved for all kinds of vehicles (forestry, agriculture and so on) to drive on.
I was glad I have a digital version of the route on my phone because some markers weren’t as easy to find as others.
It seems like I wasn’t the only pilgrim, that day 🙂
The village of Rinkerode was the only place on today’s section where I could sit down to get some lunch (and use the restroom) so I made use of that, of course.
From that on is was pretty much straight down south-east. Woods and fields, wind turbines and the occasional piece of art. In real life it definitely looked more than a big turtle than it might on this photo.
The rest was a lot of walking on straight paved paths between fields and farms and trees. When one road ended, it was either turn left or right and walk on straight on. Again.
These all are indeed different sections of the route. It got kind of boring after 10 km or so in.
There were quite a few cyclists out and a few (dog) walkers as well. I had a lovely chat with a couple on bikes when we shared the same resting space for a bit and also was allowed to fondle a beautiful large dog.
Later on I came across a site where they obviously had recently put up three new wind turbines or were in the process of still putting them up. They looked pretty complete to me from below, but what do I know? They still had the temporary road extension set up. As someone who works in the climate action field I always like to see renewable energy systems of all kinds. Nerdy, maybe, but I’m fine with that.
There were the usual way markers – stickers on lampposts or metal / laminated signs fixed to trees, but also various others which is always nice to see. The last one was the one before I left that day’s route (the photo of the one where I entered in the morning turned blurry and I didn’t notice it at the time)
And then there were the remaining 4 km to the train station. On a seperate walk/cylce path next to a main road. Straight on. What a suprise. By then my feet and legs were quite tired. I resorted to the “proven and tested” (by myself anyway) method of “you only need to walk to the next dandelion (or alternatively pebble on the path / fence post”; literally anything I could see a few feet in front of me.
I was never as glad as that evening to see the signs for the railroad tracks. The train station was right at the traffic lights, where the street crossed the tracks. But obviously no one ever gets there on foot? No sidewalk or anything. Weird.
About 45 hours later I’m still a bit sore from all of that exertion. Still feel quite accomplished that I managed to do it without any real struggles. And I’ve already been sketching out the next trip. Which will have to start with these 4 km from the train station to where I left the “Camino” on Saturday. But I’m sure I’ll manage. It will be the start of the walk that day anyway…
Part 05: Münster-Dorbaum to Münster-Hiltrup (KM 061 – 078), 26th March 2026
Part 04: Greven-Schmedehausen to Münster-Dorbaum (KM 045 – 061), 19th October 2025
Part 03: Lengerich to Greven-Schmedehausen (KM 029 – 045), 27th October 2024
Part 02: Natrup-Hagen to Lengerich (KM 017 – 029), 13th October 2024
Part 01: Osnabrück to Natrup-Hagen (KM 000 – 017), 15th September 2024
