8. Oosterhout - Hank / Gilbert van Schoonbekepad

On foot from Antwerp to Veenendaal
Leg 8: Oosterhout - Hank

This route starts in Oosterhout on De Heuvel and under the watchful eye of the tower of the Basilica of St. John on the Markt you leave the city center in a northerly direction. Soon another tower comes into view: the remains of the Slotbosse Tower that have stood proudly here since the Eighty Years' War. A little later, the buildings of Oosterhout are behind you and you enter the Oranjepolder where fields and meadows alternate. A beautiful grass path over the dike along the river Donge guides you to Oranjestad Geertruidenberg. This dike was raised as part of the Delta Works and allows the walker to realize how far the water penetrated the Netherlands during the flood of 1953. There were also houses in the water in Geertruidenberg. The nice monument the 'Last Sandbags' reminds of this. Via the city wall, the route leads to the characteristic Market of the city. On this beautiful square, the tower of the Geertruidskerk and the cooling tower of the Amercentrale compete with each other for attention. Then it goes to the Keizersveersebrug, because the Maas (here it is the Bergse Maas) has to be crossed. Hank is then quickly reached and you are already on the edge of the Biesbosch.

Fastest connection by public transport between start and end point: Over the Kerkstraat in Hank on foot in about 15 minutes to bus stop Rijksweg A27 on the motorway of the same name. From there by bus 400 or 401 to Oosterhout Busstation or further to Breda Station.