- Destination: Oudewater, in the middle of the Green Heart of Holland
- Kind of trip: 5 days of relaxed walking from alovely hotel in the middle of the picturesque village of Oudewater
- Duration: 5 days (5 nights)
- Difficulty trip:
- Inclusive: Five overnight stays in a comfortable hotel including breakfast, English route directions with maps, GPS tracks, free parking, VAT, tourist taxes and a contribution to the Guarantee Foundation
- Exclusive: The outward and homeward journey, lunch, and travel and cancellation insurance and bus fare for two of the walks
- Dog: Not allowed
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Price:
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Due to the high inflation, we unfortunately cannot give fixed prices. If the price is higher after booking, you have the possibility to cancel your trip. The prices quoted here are an approximation as good as possible.
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€ 399- per person based on 2 people
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€ 699,-per person when travelling alone
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Are your traveling with more, then 4, please contact Hike in Holland for pricing
Description:
Oudewater is the oldest city in the Green Heart. It has a wonderful old city centre with striking old buildings like the Witches Weigh House, which is now a museum, but many other old buildings along the canals with stepped gables. Visit the rope museum or relax and have a drink on the cozy market square. There is plenty of time for that, because we offer you five different walks that are not too long. They guide you through the wonderful Green Heart, with its polders, its grass paths, meandering rivers, covered paths, old villages and many water birds and everything else the area has to offer. You are staying in a recently renovated hotel in the middle of the old town centre, so you can have a wonderful relaxed stay in the Green Heart. For more information take a look on the website of Oudewater.
Unique:
The Green Heart is a unique area. The polders here are intersected by countless waterways, large and small, and there are large and small nature reserves that attract all kinds of animals. Many birds, but also deer and hares can be encountered here. Sometimes you’ll walk through an open area with wide views on the typical Dutch skies, but there are also wonderfully sheltered paths between the bushes. What is unique as well, is your hotel. It is not just a beautiful hotel in the centre of town, but you’ll also sometimes be served by staff with a mental handicap, which we think is an extra plus. And finally every walk ends in the centre of the picturesque town of Oudewater where you’ll feel at home in no time.
We are offering this vacation for five days, but because every walk starts and ends in Oudewater, you can of course stay shorter or longer in Oudewater, just let us know!
Oudewater
Day 1 Arrival in Oudewater
You’ll arrive in your hotel in Oudewater. Parking is free in the area, and the bus stop is not far from the hotel as well. You can have a look around the town centre of Oudewater or have a relaxing drink in the garden of your hotel or on the market square. Maybe this is the best time to visit the Witches Weigh house or the Rope museum? In short, start your vacation in a relaxed way.
The square of Oudewater
Day 2 Along the Dubbele Wiericke and the IJssel (12 km)
Today you’ll start with the shortest walk of the week. You’ll leave the town of Oudewater through a nice new park. This brings you to a quite narrow road through the polders, where you will find some farm stores that sell local products. This road brings you to the Dubbele Wierick canal, which is part of the Dutch Waterline, and which will bring you to the small village of Hekendorp. Near a lock with some historical significance (it’s a long story which involves the imprisonment of a female member of the Orange family (still our royal family)) you will meet the river Hollandse IJssel. You’ll follow this river on an old towpath all the way back to Oudewater, where you’ll find your hotel again.
Along the way between Monfoort and Oudewater
Day 3 To Montfoort and Willeskop (16 km)
Today your walk will start in another old town along the river Hollandse IJssel, which is Montfoort. After a short walk through the town centre and through the castle, you’ll exit town, and will pass through the hamlet of Blokland. A gravel road through the pastures will bring you to an old covered embankment which is now a grass path that will guide you through the polders for a while. You’ll reach the nature area of Willeskop. This is a fairly young nature area, but it attracts many, many birds. It is part marsh, part lake, and it is certainly worth it to take some time and have a look around, and in any case climb the viewing tower that has been built here. After visiting Willeskop, you’ll leave the area and will head back towards Oudewater.
In between Linschoten en Oudewater
Day 4 Along the Lange Linschoten and through Snelrewaard (15 km)
This walk consists of three very different parts. You’ll start on an old polder road through the hamlet of Snelrewaard. You’ll follow the meanders of the river IJssel here, and there are quite a few beautiful old farms along the road. Then on an old dike you’ll head straight through the grass lands. This is the most open open path of the whole tour and with the right light it is magnificent here. This path brings you to the last part of the walk which is the small river Lange Linschoten. This is an extremely meandering river, with countless willows along the river. You’ll follow this river back into IJsselstein, where it ends in the river Hollandse IJssel, and where you will find your hotel again.
Tiendweg on the way to Oudewater
Day 5 On the Tiendweg and along the Benschopper Molenvliet (16 km)
This might be the most beautiful walk of the week, but that may be just us. After walking out of Oudewater for a bit, you’ll reach the beautiful path along the Benschopper Molenvliet. This is a beautiful path along the water and between bushes, where you will hear small birds, but if you are lucky you may also encounter deer and hares. After this path, you’ll follow some other polder paths, past small nature areas and sometimes straight through the pastures. This eventually brings you to an old path, the Tiendweg. This is a well-known path between Haastrecht and Oudewater, which will bring you all the way back to Oudewater. You’ll enjoy nice views, but may also meet some cows on the path, and like many paths between march and November, wonderful swans with their cygnets.
A curious sheep
Day 6 On the Hollands – Utrechts Polderpath (13 km) and back home
The last walk starts in the village of Hekendorp. From this small village you’ll walk along the Enkele Wiericke canal towards the hamlet of Hogebrug. From here you will reach the Hollands-Utrechts Polderpath. This is a nice path, directly on the border of two provinces (Utrecht and South-Holland). It is a fairly new path, which has been opened thanks to local farmers who made the land available. The path is surrounded by a lot of green and will bring you to the village of Papekop. From here you’ll follow a path through the meadows, and then through a nice park back to the town centre of Oudewater. It is not the longest walk, so you have plenty of time left to head home. Or of course, you can book an extra night, and reminisce for a bit on your hiking week while enjoying a local beer.
Extending your trip is most certainly possible and very recommendable. There are other walks in the area, but it may also be a good idea to rent bicycles for a day and cycle through the area. Gouda with its larger old town centre is around the corner and certainly worth a visit. Also Schoonhoven with its Silver museum and old town centre is worth a visit. So there is plenty to do to stay for a few extra days.
Prices extension:
| Town |
2 persons |
1 person |
| Oudewater |
€ 70- |
€ 130,- |
This includes breakfast and VAT.
