Pelgrims Path part 03

2026-05-09 17:00

Hiked part 3/27 of the Pelgrims Path, 17.6 kilometres from De Kwakel to Aarlanderveen.

After Fort de Kwakel, part of the Defence Line of Amsterdam, you walk to the Amstel on the border of North and South Holland. Along the towpath of the small river, silence reigns, and only meadow birds and swans look at you questioningly. In the distance, you can see the church towers of Nieuwveen.

Hike report

Asphalt path beside a quiet canal with houses on the left and a person walking ahead under a clear blue sky White wooden drawbridge over a canal with yellow wildflowers in the foreground Fort de Kwakel, a low concrete bunker of the Defence Line of Amsterdam, with picnic tables and umbrellas in front Canal flanked by pollarded trees with deep red foliage and pink azaleas Brick farmhouse with a stepped gable beside a canal and small white drawbridge House framed by tall trees, mirrored in the still water of a canal Wide view of the Amstel river with moored boats and houses along the far bank Marina on the Amstel with moored pleasure boats and a yellow tugboat named Uithoorn Gravel path winding through tall reeds beside open water Goats wandering in the yard of a small white farmhouse beneath a copper beech tree Helmeted guineafowl standing in the long grass beside the path Towpath along the Amstel with yellow flowers in the foreground and a cyclist passing ahead Sheep grazing along a narrow gravel path beside a canal with houses behind Two sheep half hidden in tall meadow grass beside a narrow ditch Wooden jetty with a small boat on a calm pond, dandelions and reeds in the foreground Tall conifer towering beside a brick house with a steep dark roof View across a wide stretch of the Amstel with lily pads in the foreground and houses on the far shore

A duck and a small chick swimming on water dotted with lily pads Small white cottage with a small apple tree in the front garden House and garage smothered in cascading purple wisteria, with a black car parked beside Grey heron stalking through reeds at the edge of a lily-padded pond Small iridescent green-blue beetle crossing a gravel path Track running between a hedge and a field of yellow rapeseed in bloom Sweeping view across a golf course with a putting green and red flag under a wide cloud-dotted sky Wooden magpie figure on a fence post overlooking a golf course with houses behind Calm canal flanked by green banks under a bright blue sky scattered with white clouds Mute swan gliding on calm water beside a fringe of bright green reeds Open polder landscape with cattle grazing along ditches reflecting drifting clouds Wooden kissing gate at the edge of a polder track beside a quiet canal Ewe and lamb watching from a polder track stretching toward the horizon Red and white cows grazing along a canal bank, reflected in the still water Vast green polder with grazing cattle and a faint horizon under towering clouds Brown horse grazing in front of a paddock with sheep in the distance Two white domestic ducks swimming side by side on rippled water Mute swan on the grassy bank of a canal in front of a low industrial building Capsized rowing boat resting on the bank in front of a brick house Brick house with a steep dark roof beside a canal crossed by a narrow wooden footbridge Coot and small chick swimming among reeds at the water's edge Two red and white cows lying down in lush green pasture Long paved cycle path running through wide-open polder under a big cloud-streaked sky Red tractor mowing a meadow in front of a farmhouse half hidden behind trees Traditional Dutch farmhouse with a white facade nestled between two large trees Great crested grebe swimming on a canal that mirrors the reeds along its bank White domestic duck swimming with two fluffy ducklings close behind Slim church spire of Nieuwveen rising above the trees, with a coot on the canal below Approach to Aarlanderveen with the village church visible across a green field and a hiker on the path Tall white-capped windmill standing behind a small black-painted house and a calm canal Three paragliders with red, orange and blue canopies drifting against a clear blue sky with a single cloud and a contrail Red rowing boat moored beside a brick house in Aarlanderveen, with the church spire rising behind