In July 2016 Free Spirit made her way from the French Border to Ghent on the River Leie via Kortrijk, Deinze and Sint- Martens-Leerne. A beautiful journey, especially on the old Leie from Deinze to Ghent. If possible, avoid doin this part of the journey on a weekend as the traffic can be quite intense ! We stayed at Jachthaven Merelbeke in Ghent, a very friendly and well located Club !
leie snelvaarders
Belgium 2018-05-08: Packraft Oude Leie
On a warm evening after work I head to the nearby Oude Leie in Astene (Deinze) for a “sundowner” packrafting cruise.
The Oude Leie is a 4.7 km meander that got separated from the main river in 1861/62. Since then it has remainded largely untouched and now offers a fine natural habitat with clean water and a good stock of fish.
One interesting feature is the small tow ferry named “Bathio” that allows people to get from Deinze to the outdoor swimming facilities at Vosselare Put.
Boottocht op de Leie en Ringvaart.wmv
boottochtje met Sarah, Dennis en Luca op de leie en de ringvaart... en tof dat da was..... jiehaa ;;;tsjik tsjak vollenbak !!!
Drongen Ringvaart - Snepkaai Gent
Drongen Ringvaart - Snepkaai Gent
Belgium 2018-08-06: Packraft Oude Leie
On one of those great many tropical evenings of the summer of 2018 I make another after work packrafting trip on the Oude Leie in Astene (Deinze). As usual the atmosphere created by the sun setting over the placid water is mesmerizing, it is therefore with regret that I notice 3 empty bottles of wine floating around in the water. As a result of the gorgeous weather youngsters have been partying all summer long by the shores of the old river branch, which as such is perfectly fine since summer and youth indeed need to be celebrated. What is however not fine is that some apparently find joy in throwing empty bottles into the otherwise surprisingly clean water. My good deed of the day is therefore to collect those bottles and expedite them to the nearest waste bin once back ashore...
Belgium 2018-05-06: Packraft Leie
On an absolutely gorgeous Sunday in May I make an 18 km packrafting trip on the river Leie. I start at the public jetty in Sint-Martens-Latem and paddle downstream to the 3 Leien. Here I take the old branch of the river that leads to the monumental historic abbey of Drongen. Subsequently follows a stretch over the Ringvaart canal in order to rejoin the actual Leie at Krommeham. Finally, it goes via Afsnee and its early medieval church back to the 3 Leien and Sint-Martens-Latem.
I do the first 15 km in the morning (starting at 9:30 and returning at 13:30) and meet my family for a picnic at the picturesque site around the Latem jetty and 17th / 18th century Tempelhof. In the afternoon I do the remaining 3 km with no real purpose except for enjoying the gentle waters and posh pleasure yachts…
Bootje varen in lovely City Gent #VLOG 25
tijdens openamens voor een heel mooi documentaire over geloof, familie en hoop ook even tijd om te ontspannen tijdens een boot tochtje in Gent.
Het een van de beste dagen tot nu toe met mooie temperaturen hopelijk komen er nog zo dagen.
Whaleboat sloop Nina - Leie summer 2008
A summer afternoon with the Nina on the pittoresque river Leie in Gent, Belgium