Today is the big day: I will complete my first long-distance hiking trail in the Netherlands. Well, the Dutch part, because the Great rivers trail goes even further into Germany towards Kleve. I start in Nijmegen and leave the great rivers behind me. I seek higher ground in the fantastic Berg and Dal region. My finish line is at the Duivelsberg (Devil’s Mountain), where long distance trail 16 the Roman Limespad also ends.
Already a week after my previous hike on the Great rivers trail, I return to Herveld-Zuid. I can almost see the finish line. Unfortunately, the trail takes an unexpected turn. From Herveld, I hike the original trail from the booklet via Slijk-Ewijk, Oosterhout and Lent to Nijmegen. Only halfway along the trail I find out that there is a diversion….
It is once again time for a hike on the Great rivers trail. Moreover, I want to complete all parts of this path on Dutch soil this year (2021). So the upcoming blogs are all about this long-distance trail. This time, I have combined two shorter sections (of about 11 km) into one blog post. Two separate blog posts seemed a bit redundant. These two sections go from Ochten to Hemmen and from Hemmen to Herveld-Zuid. All sorts of towns that mean nothing to me beforehand and which are all located near great river the Waal.
Wooden shoes trails are fun! I liked the first wooden shoes trail trail I hiked so much that I quickly picked another one. In this blog, just a brief description of the trail, a few photos and a simple sketch to illustrate. Nothing more. No need for a hiking map, the info on the website is clear enough. This time I hiked the Eendenkooienpad (Duck decoy trail).
The time has come, the very last hike from the Green Heart hikes booklet: the Zwanburger trail in Warmond in the Netherlands. I have not been able to do this trail before, during the corona crisis the foot ferry, which you use to cross the lake ‘t Joppe twice, was taken out of service. But this year (2021) it departs again and I can still do the last trail. The trail is in two parts, though, because of course something went wrong again. In short: I had missed the foot ferry, I had to wait for 45 minutes in the scorching sun for the next departure. I therefore went back a second time.
The heather season has not yet ended at the beginning of September (2021), so I am hiking another part of the Migration birds trail in the Netherlands. I travel to Baarn and have several options for the finish line: Hollandsche Rading, Lage Vuursche or perhaps Soesterberg. As you can see from the title, it has become Hollandsche Rading. On the way, I have been busy photographing the many mushrooms, heather and other flora and fauna. So the hike is not very long this time.
It is August (2021), I am still on my holiday and the Migration birds trail cannot be missed in my hiking series. The heather season (heather in bloom) has just started and the next part of the Migration birds trail goes over the heatherlands near Hilversum! So, the choice for a hike is easily made. Today, I walk a bit over the Bussumer heide (Bussumer heatherlands), but also over the Westerheide (Western heatherlands) and the Zuiderheide (Southern heatherlands). After that, the trail goes through the forest and over the Groeneveld estate towards Baarn.
Wooden shoes trails are great! I didn’t want to write a blog post about them at first, I have plenty other trails to do, but I am so enthusiastic about these paths. That’s why I created a shorter version for Wooden shoes trails, or in other words: a trail shortener. Just a short description, a few photos and a simple sketch to illustrate. That’s it. A hiking map is not necessary; the information on the website is clear enough. This time I hiked the Benedeneindse trail.
In mid-August 2021, I have three weeks off, so that means a lot of hiking! I have already picked out several trails, including the second-to-last trail from the booklet Green Heart hikes: the Bethlehem trail. I am also very curious about the Groene Jonker nature reserve that is not far from the Bethlehem trail. I have heard great stories about it. I decide to combine the two trails. Both are around 5 km. But how do I get to the trails? That’s not easy as it is difficult to reach by public transport. Via an approach trail of approx. 3 km from Mijdrecht, I succeeded in making it a substantial hike.
In previous hikes of the Great rivers trail, I often walked along the river Linge. Today, it is the turn of a really big river: the Waal! I travel to Tiel and follow for a large part of the trail this mighty river, up to the town of Ochten.
