In Beuningen, walking and cycling routes meet a dynamic river landscape and places with very different stories. Two questions are especially useful when planning your visit: would you prefer a short walk or a longer route, and are you more interested in nature, industrial heritage or historic buildings? The options vary considerably in length and theme.
On foot: Ommetjes and landscape routes
The Beuningse ommetjes are walking routes two to five kilometres long, following paved and semi-paved paths in and around the villages. A Beunings Ommetje can be walked with a free guided tour on request. The guide shows you the way and points out features along the route; check local availability. Beunings Ommetje 1 is different: this 4.4-kilometre walking route is fully wheelchair-accessible and can also be cycled.
The Doddendaelpad runs through the countryside around Beuningen, Ewijk and Weurt. Along the way, orchards, meadows and woodland alternate with the Doddendael estate. This gives the route a different character from the shorter ommetjes: it connects several landscape types and places along a longer route. Access to the floodplains may vary depending on water levels.
Waal floodplains and nature watching
Ewijkse Plaat is an area left to nature in the dynamic floodplain landscape of the Waal. Lush vegetation along the dykes and river shapes the area; flooding may affect access. A nature area was re-established in the Beuningse uiterwaarden in the early 1990s. Much of it is easily accessible and grazed by Konik horses and Rode Geuzen. The two areas offer different perspectives on the river landscape: one features diverse plant life, while in the other grazing is also a visible feature of the landscape.
Uitkijktoren Weurt offers another perspective on nature and design. The ten-metre-high observation tower has stood near the Beuningse uiterwaarden at Weurt since December 2017. Its design references the chimney of a former brick kiln and includes bat boxes. Weurtsche Straatje is a natural walking path leading to the peninsula with the tower.
Cycling routes with different themes
The Doortraproute Beuningen is 23 kilometres long, starts in Winssen and returns there. Steengoed is longer, at 40 kilometres, and focuses on the heritage of the brick industry in Land van Maas en Waal; the route passes through Winssen, Beuningen and Weurt, among other places. Comparing the stated distances can help you choose the length of your ride, while each route’s theme determines its character.
Dijkgeheimen Oost takes you to historic sites around Overasselt, Wijchen and Beuningen and past Dijkmagazijn Beuningen. Built around 1900, the Dijkmagazijn houses a nature and environmental education centre. Walks, lectures and workshops are held there; programme details may vary. Here, nature and history meet not only in the landscape but also in an educational programme.
Buildings and local history
Slot Doddendael in Ewijk is a medieval castle surrounded by a moat and built in the 1330s. Remains of a secret church used when Catholic worship was prohibited have been preserved in the cellar. These surviving traces make the history of religious use a distinctive part of the building’s story; this does not imply that the building is generally open to visitors.
Several buildings in Winssen tell stories from different periods. The Oude toren is the surviving tower of a medieval village church. In the late Middle Ages, flooding of the Waal destroyed much of the old village. Cultuurkerkje was built as a hall church in 1805 and extended with an entrance porch and bell tower in 1873. Today it is a municipal monument and an official wedding venue for the municipality of Beuningen; if you are planning a visit or a celebration, check the arrangements in advance. Muziekkoepel Winssen is also a municipal monument, located in the village centre between the church and the old tower.
Windmill, wine and recreation
The post mill Korenmolen De Haag, built in 1704, has been extensively restored and is run by a dedicated mill team. It grinds flour, which is offered for sale; milling and sales may vary. Wine tastings are offered at Wijndomein Doddendael in Ewijk. They cover Dutch, French or Italian wines, grape varieties and the winemaking process. Dates and availability vary.
Groene Heuvels in Ewijk is an officially designated bathing site where water quality, safety and hygiene are monitored. The recreational area includes extensive beaches, climbing and paintball at Fundustry, and play equipment for children. Individual facilities may change; conditions at the bathing site are subject to ongoing monitoring. For a trip across the river, the H4 de Weerder bicycle and pedestrian ferry runs between Beuningen and Slijk-Ewijk in the municipality of Overbetuwe in spring and summer. Check the current timetable before travelling.
Discover more destinations: Ewijk, Winssen, Lingewaal, Wageningen, Oude Ijsselstreek, Nijmegen, Elburg, Putten.
For the broader travel overview: Gelderland.
