My goal was Dirksland, where there is a B&B; I planned to walk down the middle of the island, so as to pass through villages. I would then aim for somewhere close to the mainland crossing for the next day. The first hiccup was walking down a track, which I thought would be a nice short-cut, and finding a big ditch in between me and where I wanted to go… I retraced my steps and carried on. This was the first warm day and my left foot started suffering…phoned the B&B and found they were full… A bit of searching on the internet found the only (?) accommodation in the area at Oude Tonge. I planned to hitch and headed out of Dirksland to get to the main road. On my way out I noticed a bus coming in signed Rotterdam via Oude Tonge, which was perfect. I got to the main road and realised the traffic from the village was going in the opposite direction, and I needed to be at the next junction, so walked back into Dirksland. I spotted a bus parked and it was the one I had seen earlier, just about to leave. I jumped on and had a great ride to Oude Tonge where I stocked up on blister pads and plasters. More route planning, and found that again there was not much (any?) accommodation before Bergen op Zoom. I decided to have a rest day in Oude Tonge, and then plan for 7:15 bus to Sint Philipsland, where I could then walk on the GR5 to Bergen op Zoom.
