Waterliniepad (LAW) | The protection of a small country

The Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie is a very important line of defence in Dutch history. Over a length of 350 km, a long distance hiking path stretches along all the defences of this line: the Nieuwe Waterliniepad. This path is a combination of the regional path ‘Stelling van Amsterdam’ and the already existing old Waterliniepad. It runs from North Holland over the Defence Line of Amsterdam via Utrecht to the Biesbosch. A walk along this path will take you along rivers like the Gein and the Lek and through beautiful nature like the Vechtplassen and the Biesbosch.You will walk through beautiful cities and old fortress towns such as Volendam, Naarden, Culemborg and Gorinchem, which are part of the UNSECO World Heritage. Everywhere along the route, you will come across forts, bunkers, locks and canals that remind you of the battle that was fought to defend the country. They form an extensive defence system that was used in various wars. In these wars, clever use was made of the water to defend against the enemy. In total, there are 95 forts along the route, some of which you can even visit.See all the stages of the Westerborkpad in this collection and read stories about it on my website: hikedaway.com/hikes/the-netherlands/waterliniepad