Back in the past along the Zuiderwaterlinie

The municipality Loon op Zand, located in the heart of the province of North Brabant, has been chosen as Walking Municipality of the Year 2021. In the municipality Loon op Zand you can walk beautifully, but with their many accommodations, the church villages De Moer, Kaatsheuvel and Loon op Zand are also extremely suitable as a base for beautiful walks in the area. A must for hiking lovers through the Brabant countryside is the Zuiderwaterlinie Wandelpad.

Zuiderwaterlinie Hiking trail
The Zuiderwaterlinie is the oldest, longest and most used of all the Dutch water lines. All the way from Bergen op Zoom to Grave. A unique chain of eleven fortified towns in Brabant and their surrounding countryside, connected by the typical Dutch story of defending with water as a weapon. The total length of the footpath in Brabant is 290 kilometers, but you can also choose to walk the route in (17) stages. Click here for an overview. Three stages in leisure region De Langstraat we would like to highlight for you.

Zuiderwaterlinie Stage 9: Geertruidenberg - Waalwijk
Geertruidenberg is a fortified town full of impressive monuments. The trail leads you through the center where you will find traces of history behind every corner. And you walk past Fort Lunet at Donge, one of the youngest forts in the Zuiderwaterlinie.

Zuiderwaterlinie Stage 10: Waalwijk - Heusden
Enjoy a lovely walk through nature and the various wheels (lakes) that the municipality of Waalwijk has to offer. At the end of this hike you walk towards the nature reserve De Baardwijkse Overlaat, which lies between Waalwijk and Drunen. When the French passed through De Langstraat in the late ^18th century, the Overlaat served as an inundation area to keep the enemy at bay.

Zuiderwaterlinie Stage 11: Heusden - 's-Hertogenbosch
The fortified town of Heusden grew up around one of the oldest moated castles in northwestern Europe and was one of the first Dutch towns to receive a city wall. Thanks to beautiful restorations, much of the old Heusden has been preserved. But the town is more than an open-air museum. Fun stores, restaurants and art galleries lurk behind the historic facades.

Zuiderwaterlinie walking guide
The Zuiderwaterlinie walking guide is a beautiful reference book and a guide to discover this beautiful Brabant heritage. All walking junctions in the vicinity of the route are visible on the partial maps, so you can also plan shorter walks yourself. Order the walking guide online or visit one of the Tourist Information points in De Langstraat.

Walking municipality of the Year 2021
That the municipality of Loon op Zand has been chosen as Walking Municipality of the Year is not for nothing.
It is a beautiful green municipality, with great scenic diversity. But there are also plenty of hiking opportunities around Loon op Zand. For an extensive route overview, take a look here.