Why 350 sheep are strolling through Belgium as part of a relay

A very woolly queue has set off from Diest, moving at exactly three kilometres an hour, as part of a relay, but its not a race and not a single driver has honked.

The great big woolly commute

Roughly 350 sheep left Diest at 8.30am on Monday, October 5 on a leisurely walk bound for Kortenaken, where they will stop for lunch and bed down for the night. Father and son Johan and Toon Schouteden lead the way with their dogs and a team of helpers, but noone is in a hurry, the flock averages about three kilometres an hour, with a nice long break for grazing in between.

Where are they going and why?

The walk is part of the European Shepherds’ Walk. It is a relay across Europe, which according to Johan comes from an idea from German shepherds, where a shepherd’s staff is passed from flock to flock across several countries to raise awareness for Shephers. In Belgium the walk is known as the Herderstocht, the sheep set off from the Achelse Kluis, a Trappist abbey (home to monk-brewed beer) near the Dutch border. At the border, a Dutch shepherd then hands the staff to a Flemish one. After Brussels it heads through Luxembourg and back into Germany, finishing in Hannover.

What is the reason for the walk

Because shepherds are rarer than you might think. Johan says only about fifteen work full time in Belgium. The United Nations has named 2026 the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, so the walkers want politicians to give them room to carry on. Grazing animals  help soil store carbon and look after wildlife, which is a lot of good work for a bunch of woolly commuters.

You can follow the sheep live at herderstocht2026.be, but just be warned it could take a while.