Cycle route around the Bergherbos and Gelders Eiland
's-Heerenberg, Lobith, Babberich
We start this route in the village of Herwen on 't Gelders Eiland. The original Herwen was a sunken village that was slowly but surely swallowed up by the water wolf, the violent river Waal, in the 18th century. It was only when the people of Holland and Utrecht built a serious dyke that the area became habitable again. This dyke still protects the central Netherlands from flooding to this day. The swallowed-up village of Herwen was rebuilt on the other side of the dyke. The next village is Babberich. It belonged to Germany until 1816 and was once pledged to the Duke of Kleve. The Frankish and Saxon influences are still noticeable in the language of the villagers, but also in the architectural style of the churches and the castle Huize Babberich. Just past Babberich, you cycle past a sculpture garden that you can visit by appointment. Then you cycle on to the next village on the route: Beek, in the municipality of Montferland. Although there are signs in this village saying “Welcome to the Achterhoek”, it is not officially part of it. Through the hilly Bergherbos, with surprising views and the occasional challenging climb, you cycle past Zeddam to 's-Heerenberg. This town in the municipality of Bergh is part of the Achterhoek and has a rich history. In the charming town centre, there are several sights that give a good impression of the impressive history that has taken place here. For example, justice was administered here from early on, there was a prison and coins were minted. In the Stadsmuseum Bergh, you can see what else happened here. With your head full of knowledge about Bergh's history, you can hop back on your bike, this time heading for Stokkum. Stokkum lies at the foot of the Hulzenberg. A short distance from the route, on top of the Hulzenberg, there is a watchtower that offers a view of the wide surroundings from the Veluwezoom to the Reichswald near Kleve. You will cross the border for the first time on this route as you cycle towards Elten in Germany. In the Middle Ages, this was still Dutch territory, but in 1355 it came into the hands of the Duchy of Kleve. From 1949 to 1963, it was briefly assigned to the Netherlands as compensation for the occupation, but this time it became German for good. Crossing the Oude Rijn and the border again, you will find yourself back on the island of Gelderland. On this side, in the direction of Lobith, you will notice how important this strategic area has been in the fight against water, but also against the enemy during the Eighty Years' War. On the dyke, you will cycle past the newly constructed Carvium Novum redoubt. This also offers a beautiful view of the surrounding area. Lobith itself is the most famous village on the island of Gelderland. If you learned at school that the Rhine enters our country at Lobith, this turns out to be completely incorrect. When the Rhine still flowed past Lobith, the place belonged to Germany. Once Lobith became Dutch territory, the Rhine no longer flowed past it. Lobith is the last village on this route. Cycling along the De Bijland and De Oude Waal lakes, you return to Herwen to conclude an educational trip through two provinces, along two national borders and around two historically interesting regions!
| Directions | Distance | Total distance | |
|
Start: Polderdijk , 6914 AT Zevenaar | 35.1 KM | |
|
From
28
to
35
|
2238 M | 2.2 KM | |
| Head northwest on Polderdijk | 243 M | ||
| Turn right onto Brugweg | 1.8 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Zwanenwaay | 17 M | ||
| Turn right onto Witte Kruis | 5 M | ||
| Turn left onto Zwanenwaay | 192 M | ||
| You are now at section 35 | 0 M | ||
|
From
35
to
34
|
2857 M | 2.9 KM | |
| Head northeast on Zwanenwaay | 136 M | ||
| Turn right onto Dorpstraat | 1.4 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Kwartiersedijk | 255 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Kwartiersedijk | 296 M | ||
| Turn right onto Eltenseweg | 61 M | ||
| Turn left onto Kwartiersedijk | 354 M | ||
| Make a slight left to stay on Kwartiersedijk | 183 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Kwartiersedijk | 126 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Kwartiersedijk | 37 M | ||
| You are now at section 34 | 0 M | ||
|
From
34
to
64
|
2949 M | 2.9 KM | |
| Head east on Babberichseweg | 205 M | ||
| Continue onto Beekseweg | 411 M | ||
| Continue straight | 73 M | ||
| Continue onto Beekseweg | 741 M | ||
| Continue straight | 282 M | ||
| Turn right onto Arnhemseweg | 1.2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 64 | 0 M | ||
|
From
64
to
75
|
699 M | 0.7 KM | |
| Head southeast on Arnhemseweg | 450 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Peter Meistersstraat | 14 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Peter Meistersstraat | 8 M | ||
| Turn right onto Arnhemseweg | 227 M | ||
| You are now at section 75 | 0 M | ||
|
From
75
to
76
|
4197 M | 4.2 KM | |
| Head southeast | 22 M | ||
| Exit the roundabout onto Arnhemseweg | 4.2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 76 | 0 M | ||
|
From
76
to
79
|
765 M | 0.8 KM | |
| Head southeast | 186 M | ||
| Continue onto Beekseweg | 579 M | ||
| You are now at section 79 | 0 M | ||
|
From
79
to
81
|
1643 M | 1.6 KM | |
| Head east on Beekseweg | 4 M | ||
| Turn right | 7 M | ||
| Turn right | 1.6 KM | ||
| You are now at section 81 | 0 M | ||
|
From
81
to
80
|
3588 M | 3.6 KM | |
| Head southwest | 57 M | ||
| Turn left | 13 M | ||
| Turn right onto Zeddamseweg | 866 M | ||
| Turn right onto Molenpoortstraat | 240 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Hofstraat | 17 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Hofstraat | 75 M | ||
| Turn left onto 's-Gravenwal | 216 M | ||
| Turn right onto Marktstraat | 216 M | ||
| Turn right onto De Gaarde | 1.7 KM | ||
| Make a slight left onto 's-Heerenbergseweg | 141 M | ||
| You are now at section 80 | 0 M | ||
|
From
80
to
85
|
1746 M | 1.7 KM | |
| Head northwest on Eltenseweg | 1.7 KM | ||
| You are now at section 85 | 0 M | ||
|
From
85
to
10
|
1312 M | 1.3 KM | |
| Head west on Eltenseweg | 1.3 KM | ||
| You are now at section 10 | 0 M | ||
|
From
10
to
25
|
1663 M | 1.7 KM | |
| Head west on Stokkumer Straße | 1.3 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Beeker Straße (L 472) | 344 M | ||
| You are now at section 25 | 0 M | ||
|
From
25
to
32
|
1355 M | 1.4 KM | |
| Head north on Eltener Markt (B 8) | 326 M | ||
| Turn left onto Lobither Straße (L 472) | 946 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Eltenseweg | 83 M | ||
| You are now at section 32 | 0 M | ||
|
From
32
to
31
|
2302 M | 2.3 KM | |
| Head southeast | 20 M | ||
| Turn right onto Eltenseweg | 51 M | ||
| Turn left | 1.8 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Zwartesluis | 59 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Zwartesluis | 143 M | ||
| Turn left onto Walhof | 35 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Walhof | 145 M | ||
| You are now at section 31 | 0 M | ||
|
From
31
to
15
|
160 M | 0.2 KM | |
| Head southwest on Markt | 160 M | ||
| You are now at section 15 | 0 M | ||
|
From
15
to
6
|
497 M | 0.5 KM | |
| Head east on Dorpsdijk | 171 M | ||
| Turn right onto Schipperspoort | 326 M | ||
| You are now at section 06 | 0 M | ||
|
From
6
to
30
|
2759 M | 2.8 KM | |
| Head southwest | 1.1 KM | ||
| Turn left | 81 M | ||
| Turn right onto Batavenweg | 312 M | ||
| Turn right | 18 M | ||
| Turn right onto Overlaat | 224 M | ||
| Turn right | 179 M | ||
| Continue onto Europa-kade | 120 M | ||
| Continue straight | 43 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Europa-kade | 43 M | ||
| Turn right onto Polweg | 204 M | ||
| Continue straight | 283 M | ||
| Turn right onto Zwarteweg | 127 M | ||
| You are now at section 30 | 0 M | ||
|
From
30
to
29
|
2042 M | 2 KM | |
| Head northeast on Zwarteweg | 61 M | ||
| Keep left onto 's-Gravenwaardsedijk | 2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 29 | 0 M | ||
|
From
29
to
33
|
963 M | 1 KM | |
| Head north on Herwensedijk | 267 M | ||
| Keep left onto Herwensedijk | 696 M | ||
| You are now at section 33 | 0 M | ||
|
From
33
to
28
|
1388 M | 1.4 KM | |
| Head northwest on Herwensedijk | 37 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Herwensedijk | 16 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Herwensedijk | 443 M | ||
| Turn right onto Keurbeek | 552 M | ||
| Turn left onto Polderdijk | 340 M | ||
| You are now at section 28 | 0 M |