Great Rivers Path part 1
Hiking from Hoek van Holland beach to Maasland (23.67 km).
Hoek van Holland owes its existence to the construction of the Nieuwe Waterweg to Rotterdam, which caused many Rijkswaterstaat workers to settle in the ‘Oude Hoek’. From here you can walk through the Staelduinse Bos past abandoned bunkers towards Maassluis. In the distance, the enormous ships sail.
Hike report
Start of a journey that follows the rivers of the Netherlands from Hoek van Holland to Kleve in Germany.
There is the Nieuwe Waterweg. Digging started in 1864, first usage in 1872. Constructed to keep the port of Rotterdam accessible to seafaring vessels.
Atlantikwall museum: since 1943, there is a German bunker on the northern pier in Hook of Holland. This type 611 bunker, designed to station a field gun, was part of the infamous Atlantic Wall during the Second World War. Nowadays it is a museum.
Hoek van Holland has a large beach and beautiful dune area. You can relax, sunbathe, and walk here. It seemed quiet the day I was there.
Out of the dunes
Staelduinse Bos (Dutch); much of the primeval dune and nineteenth-century estate can still be seen in this deciduous forest.
Cute house, I want it! It seems an idyllic location.
Bunker from the Second World War. There was a whole village of bunkers used by the Germans.
Walk along side the Nieuwe Waterweg
Maasland, I can see the finish line for this route in the distance.
Details of hike
- From: Hoek van Holland beach
- To: Maasland
- Distance: 23.67 km
- Duration: 5h 17m
- Speed: 4.47 km/h
- Elevation: 74 m
- Average Heart Rate: 126 bpm
- Energy burned: 2097 kcal
- Weather: 21˙ C, cloudy, 75% humidity
More info
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