TYPE: CIRCULAR WALK
CLOG PATH: Green signs in a clog shape
Distance: 15 km (can be shortened to 11 or extended to 18,5 km)
Duration: 3-5 hour, depending on the distance
Difficulty: easy
Dogs not allowed
START- and END POINT: WERK AAN HET SPOEL, GOILBERDINGERDIJK 40, CULEMBORG
Public transport: Bus stop Fie Sijbrandstraat in Culemborg, on Prijsseweg. From Culemborg station it is 3 km to the route.
October 17, 2024, a beautiful autumn day in the Netherlands.
Soon after I had picked up my camper last summer, I decided to also have the upstairs bed installed. And yesterday, it finally happened. And I of course had to test it out right away! Fort Everdingen is nearby, the Goilberdingerpad had been on my wish list for a while, and I wanted to eat at Caatje aan de Lek again. A choice easily made.
Being the middle of the week, there weren't too many people at Camping Fort Everdingen. This nature campsite, located on the fort grounds, is especially popular with tent campers, but has also an area for campers. In addition, you will find a brewery tasting room and shop.
Tip: you can book a spot on the camping for example through PiN CAMP, Campercontact and Park4night
The Goilberdingerpad is clearly marked in both directions and passes by Fort Everdingen. So, I decided to start from my camper spot and walk the route in reverse direction.
Right outside the fort gate, the path slopes diagonally down along the fort's moat towards the river Lek. On both banks, you'll find numerous gnawed trees, a sign that beavers also live here.
Between April/May and September, there is a bicycle and pedestrian ferry operating. For the sailing schedule, please check here.
From here the walk takes you along the floodplains of the Lek River, meadows, historic dikes, and farmland. On the viaduct of the A2, you'll find an information board explaining the New Dutch Waterline. On the other side of the highway, you walk along the Diefdijk, passing several bunkers, including the sawed-through bunker, built in 1940 as group shelter. In 2010 this bunker was divided in two and a staircase was added, leading from the dike to a path through the bunker over the water.
Also Werk aan het Spoel is part of the New Dutch Waterline. It was an outpost of Fort Everdingen and had the task of defending the lock and railway embankment. Now it is a meeting place with a restaurant and location for various activities. Think of guided tours and excursions but also theater and dance performances and even a festival, called SPOEL.
On the east wall of Fort Everdingen, you come across another piece of history, namely a memorial column near the chapel of Goilberdingen, which stood here in the 14th century. This monument was recently reconstructed and made into a ‘bat hotel’.
You can also find the Beersluis here, which was used in the past to flood the area behind the Goilberdingerdijk.
In certain areas of the region, you'll find 'grienden'—low willow forests once used for wood production. The walk also touches on climate and sustainability topics. For instance, you'll pass by Zonneproject Den Heuvel, the Netherlands' first solar project featuring vertical panels on agricultural land, which opened in 2022. Along with over 1,000 solar panels on barn roofs, it generates sustainable energy for around 310 households. Other companies in the area produce green electricity through mono-manure fermentation, supplying energy both to their own operations and to the grid.
Unfortunately for me, I arrived at Caatje aan de Lek, the restaurant at Werk aan het Spoel, just before 5:00 PM. That's when they close during the week, so I couldn’t order food anymore. Therefore after a drink, I set off for the last stretch of my walk. Back by the Lek, I was surprised again: from a distance, I saw a young man walking towards the water with two white geese and a dog. After a quick refreshment, the geese came out of the water and followed him back, probably heading home. It was so cute to see!
I enjoyed a great day of walking, full of natural beauty and a bit of history!
