Waal River

The Waal is the largest branch of the river Rhine in the Netherlands, and it carries most of the water that the Rhine brings into the country. It leaves the main stream near the German border and flows west across the middle of the country through the Betuwe, the low fruit-growing region between the Waal and the Lek, before joining the Maas further downstream. Barges of every size use it, and it is one of the busiest inland shipping routes in Europe, linking the port of Rotterdam with the industrial areas of Germany. Tiel sits on its north bank, and the river has shaped the town's life since the Middle Ages.

That location explains why Tiel became an important trading place. In the early Middle Ages it was among the most significant commercial towns in the region, and later it belonged to the Hanseatic network. Merchants brought goods up and down the river, and the harbour was the centre of the town's economy. Today the quayside and the old centre still carry traces of that past, and a walk along the river gives a sense of the scale of the water and the traffic on it. Heavy barges and cargo ships pass at close range, and the wide sky and long horizons are typical of the river country.

Living beside a big river has always meant living with risk. The dykes that line the Waal are among the most important in the country, and the floodplains between the river and the dykes are left open to take the water when levels rise. In 1995, high water in the Rhine and Maas led to the evacuation of a quarter of a million people from the river region, an event that changed national thinking about flood protection. In the following years, projects under the programme known as Room for the River widened floodplains and lowered embankments at several places along the river.

For visitors, the river is a place to walk and cycle. The dyke paths offer long, open views over the water on one side and the orchards and villages of the Betuwe on the other. In spring the blossom turns the countryside white and pink, and in autumn the fruit is harvested and sold at roadside stalls. Cycle routes follow the river for many kilometres, and birdwatchers come to the floodplains for geese, waders and birds of prey in winter.

The Waal suits walkers, cyclists, photographers and anyone who enjoys watching ships. Tiel offers the Grote Kerk, the Flipje museum and cafes. A stroll along the water takes an hour, a bike ride much longer.