6 Walking tips from guide Roeland Visman
Walking is hugely popular in winter. Get away from the computer screen, stretch your legs and clear your head. There is plenty of space around Gorinchem to get a breath of fresh air. VVV guide Roeland Visman, himself an avid walker, shares his 6 favourite nature walks with you. The dog can usually come along, leashed or not. So you can let it out again!
Around the ramparts
By far the favourite is the walk around the ramparts. If you walk all the way along the footpath, you have already completed 5 km of exercise. Not to mention the beautiful views of the river along the way. You can enter the footpath at any entrance to the fortress, whether you start at the Dalempoort, the Arkelpoort, the Kanselpoort, Buiten de Waterpoort or the Fifth Exit. At the Vijfde Uitgang, you can also stroll a bit below to the Dalem dike. Dogs are allowed, but on a leash.
Strolling along the river Waal
The Hondswaard is temporarily not accessible from Fort Vuren due to work on the dike. From the village of Vuren, however, the area can be accessed.
De Hondswaard near Fort Vuren is the ideal place to get a breath of fresh air along the river. You can easily park your car or bike in the parking spaces near Fort Vuren. From there, you can walk straight down into the floodplain and have a lovely stroll along the beach, through reed beds and back past the old Heuff brickworks. This Forestry Commission area is also home to cows, so dogs must be kept on a leash. One lap not enough? The Struinroute langs de Waal runs all the way to Beuningen near Nijmegen, so you can extend the route as you wish or do it in stages.
Klompenpad
The Vurensche Polderpad also normally starts at Fort Vuren and goes partly through the Hondswaard. Because of the dyke reinforcement, the route starts at the Dorpsplein in Vuren. From there, the route continues through the village of Vuren and the Lingebos to the Linge and back again. You walk along the former Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie and over historic dykes and paths. Soms you walk on private land, where cattle also graze. The entire route is 15 km, but you can also make it 7 or 18 km. The route is for sale at the VVV tourist office.
The Arkelpad
Fancy a brisk walk? The Arkelpad is a 14 km junction route; you walk from Gorinchem to Arkel along the Linge and the Merwedekanaal. If you start Buiten de Waterpoort, the route first runs along the vestingwallen. But you can also shorten the route and start and finish at the station; look here for the junctions. The doggie can come along on a leash again!
Avelingenroute
The Avelingenroute is also a junction route of almost 13 km between Gorinchem and Hardinxveld-Giessendam. If you find that too long, you can also take a short walk through De Avelingen nature reserve. At junction 19 is a small car park. There you walk into the nature reserve with reed and hay meadows, willows and open views of the ever-imposing Merwede. Deer also leven in the area; in some parts, therefore, the dog must be leashed, but there are also places to run. Dogs are not allowed on the dike along the Steenenhoek Canal (between junctions 34 and 21). Look here for the junctions.
The Lingebos
There are two walking routes in the Lingebos (a red route of 4 km and a black route of 3 km), but of course you can also find your own way. If you come with the dog, choose the dog-walking area, where dogs can run and swim. In the rest of the Lingebos, dogs must be kept on a leash. From Gorinchem, there is a free parking area to the left before the barriers. From here you walk straight into the Lingebos and find the dog walking area on the left. Turn right into the De Kleine Waterlinie play forest, a must for children! With cannons, a play fort surrounded by water, a water game and a maze, their day can't get any worse!
