Cuijk Pontoon Bridge - Middelaar

The fourth and final day of the Nijmegen Four Days Marches heads south, passing through festive Cuijk. To return towards Nijmegen, the participants have to cross the river Maas. This happens in a special way.

On Friday morning, soldiers of the Dutch Army's 105 Engineer Battalion will head to the river in the early morning. Using special boats, they lay several platforms on the water. These floating platforms, called pontoons, together form a 100-metre-long bridge across the Meuse.

The pontoon bridge is an indispensable part of the Four Days Marches, keeping the military origins of the walking event alive. The rest of the year, only a few bars on the banks show that the river can be crossed on foot here once a summer.

After the pontoon bridge, walkers venture one last view of Cuijk's imposing church. After this, they slowly walk towards Nijmegen via Mook and Malden. There they enter the Via Gladiola, the final piece of the Four Days Marches.