The Gijster is one of three reservoirs in the Biesbosch. Water from the Meuse River is stored here. It is used for drinking water and for industry.
You need experience to sail this route. You will sail much of the route on the Amer River, where you will encounter commercial shipping.
The great thing about this route is that you paddle through narrow creeks just a few miles away, where beavers may cross your path. The water here is so clear that you can see the fish swimming next to your canoe. In the narrowest creeks, it is sometimes navigating over and between logs and overhanging branches. This only adds to the contrast with boating on the river and makes the trip more adventurous.
In the Ditch of St. John you pass under the Little Bridge of St. John. When at the end of WW2 the south of the Netherlands was liberated, but not yet the north, this little bridge played an important role. The occupiers used the bridge to go from south to north, and refugees went south instead. They were helped by the line-crossers who knew the area like the back of their hand.
The resistance intercepted many Germans near the little bridge. The line-crosser Piet van den Hoek from Werkendam was awarded the Willemsorde for his part in the resistance with the Partisans of the Biesbosch unit. A round of Gijster is a route full of contrasts and that is precisely what makes this ride so special.
