Streekpad 21 Betuwepad - walking in the fruit garden of the Netherlands

Blooming blossoms, juicy fruit, rivers, floodplains and characteristic towns. That is the Betuwe in detail. Literally even, because walking is a perfect way to discover the region. With the Betuwepad guide in hand, you walk 146 kilometers over grass paths, dikes and quiet asphalt roads through a small-scale river landscape. You can of course divide this large circular walking route into smaller stages and make it a multi-day tour.
You start and end in Tiel, the city of Flipje. For years, the jam factory used the berry man to promote its products. Flipje symbolized the Betuwe fruit. View his statue on the Markt or find him in the nearby museum.
Nowhere in our country is so much fruit produced as in the Betuwe. Why here in particular? Because fruit trees grow well on the fertile lands along the river. The old-fashioned standard orchards in particular adorn the region. However, the low-stemmed trees are cheaper and more efficient to use.
Back to the route. From Tiel you first walk to Buren, the Oranjestad with which the royal family has a special bond. De Linge leads you to the Mariënwaerdt estate, where they sell delicious regional products. Between Culemborg and Rhenen you regularly walk through the floodplains of the Lek and the Lower Rhine. Villages such as Maurik, Ingen and Lienden are located along the path. Past Rhenen you dive to the south, where the Betuwe is bordered by the Waal. You return to Tiel via polders, lakes and dikes.
Finally, a tip: the Betuwe is at its most beautiful in the spring, when the blossoms are blooming. But even in late summer, when the fruit hangs on the trees ready for picking and is offered for sale in fruit stalls along the road, the Betuwe leaves you wanting more.