Hooge Zwaluwe, Oosterhout, Geertruidenberg

This part of West Brabant is wonderful to cycle through. Fortified town Geertruidenberg is the town with the oldest city rights in the county of Holland. As early as 1319, the city was surrounded and walled in, because of its strategic location on important shipping routes. Nowadays, it is part of North Brabant. You will visit the places Hooge Zwaluwe, Lage Zwaluwe, Terheijden, Oosterhout and Drimmelen. But did you know that 'lordly' has several meanings during this cycle route?

King Willem-Alexander can put the title 'Lord of Hooge and Lage Zwaluwe' on his visiting card, which means that you are actually cycling over royal territory. In Drimmelen, you pass Herengracht (translated: Lord canal), a small street along the Breede Vaart canal with beautiful houses from the 18th and 19th centuries. Terheijden also has something lordly. In the past, this place was a fiefdom with its own bench of aldermen: seven aldermen led by the sheriff. At De Kleine Schans, you can see the remains of what was once a fortress. On the information board, you can read about what happened here. Oosterhout is also home to the remains of lordships. The lord of Breda had his seigniorial rights here. Kasteel Strijen, where the lords lived, once stood in the middle of Oosterhout. Nowadays, you can only find a corner of the main tower there, called the Slotbosse tower.

Wander through the narrow village streets and the rural surroundings in search of the delicious tracks. Do you feel like a king already?