Walking & boating route through the New Dutch Waterline

Hiking trail with ferry crossing

This walk is one of the Dutch-Waterline walks in the Biesbosch Line:

The walking and sailing route takes you through two provinces and two fortified towns of the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie. To bridge the river that separates them, you will cross twice by ferry.

You can download the walking and boating route here.

Starting points

You can start the route from several places:

Starting point Gorinchem
Buiten de Waterpoort, Gorinchem
Starting point Sleeuwijk
Hoekeinde 24, 4254 LN Sleeuwijk
Starting point Woudrichem
Waterpoort, Woudrichem

Are you coming by car?

Then pay attention, because in Gorinchem you pay parking fees. In Woudrichem you can park freely and parking Schapendam is recommended.

Walking route through Woudrichem and Gorinchem

The walking and boating route is a walk that takes you into two fortified towns and into two provinces. You will visit Woudrichem in North Brabant and Gorinchem located in South Holland. These two fortified towns have been connected throughout the centuries, despite the wide Merwede that separates them. Or. perhaps thanks to that river.

Woudrichem and Gorinchem are part of both the Old and New Dutch Waterline. In these towns it is almost impossible to get lost. So feel free to deviate from the route over the city walls and wander through the idyllic streets where time seems to have stood still. Then find the ramparts again to continue your route.

As a counterpoint to the urban, on this route we also take you across the Groesplaat, a floodplain between Sleeuwijk and Oudendijk. At high tide, these floodplains fill up and give space to the river. If you encounter high water during this walk, walk between node 57 and 67 on the dike.

As icing on the cake, you cross the Merwede River twice during this trip. The sailing is an experience in itself, because the ferry does not go straight back and forth, but has to go downstream or upstream on the river to take you across.

For the current sailing schedule, visit:

www.riveer.nl

The starting points are near the embarkation and disembarkation points of the ferries. We recommend the versatile catering establishments in Woudrichem and Gorinchem. In Sleeuwijk, Restaurant Boven de Rivieren is a fine starting point where you can also park freely.

Actually, this is a pampering route for all the senses!

You enjoy the silence of nature and the bustle of the city. You feel the wind through your hair on the water and it all tastes like more!