The walk of the world
Nijmegen, Mook, Berg en Dal
What began as a military fitness training exercise in 1909 has become, the largest walking event in the world, in the 21st century. Every third Tuesday of July, tens of thousands of walkers gather in Nijmegen for the Nijmegen Marches. Participants from as many as eighty countries take part and the march travels in four different rounds through the wide surroundings of the city in Gelderland. The Walk of the World has become a multifaceted event with a strong character. This cycle route passes the highlights of the Nijmegen Four Days Marches. Originally, about 300 soldiers walked to the Brabant town of Breda during the first edition in 1909. In the years that followed, the start and finish locations changed regularly and the Four-Day Walk remained mainly an event for the army. This changed after World War I. The four-day march soon took the form it still has today: in 1925, Nijmegen was chosen as the fixed start and finish for all four days, partly because of the city's beautiful location. One man in particular was responsible for this. From 1922, Jaap Breunese began to slowly renew the Four Days Marches into the Nijmegen Marches. Breunese would eventually remain the organiser of the event until 1963. Under his leadership, participants from every country in the world were allowed to participate, the number of citizens taking part increased rapidly and the stages took the form they still have today. Since 1925, the distances per day have changed slightly. But the places the event passes through are still the same. Nowadays, participants can choose from three different distances per day: thirty, forty or fifty kilometres. The routes of the four rounds are very varied and have both a traditional and modern character. On the first day, walkers walk a route through the vast Betuwe region, north of Nijmegen. The west is sought on the second day, culminating in the festively decorated Wijchen. On Wednesday, a tough day with lots of altimeters through the forests around Groesbeek is scheduled. On the final day, the event heads south and ends on the Via Gladiola. Where year after year a wonderful walking tradition was built, the cultural status of the Nijmegen Four Days Marches also grew. The number of participants doubled in the 1950s and entrepreneurs in the city saw opportunities to turn Nijmegen into a place of celebration during the event. Since 1970, during the Four Days Marches, the annual Summer Festivities have been organised, which are visited by more than a million people in four days. From the 1980s, Pink Wednesday during the Four Days Marches has been considered a day of celebration for the LGBTQ+ community. The walking event itself also continued to grow: wheelchair users are now also allowed to participate, and since 2005 a draw has been held when the limit of 47500 registrations is exceeded. Nijmegen residents also play an important role in the Four Days Marches, for example by offering accommodation to international walkers as lodgers. The heroic walks, the great parties, the masses of supporters and the international character make the Four Days Marches a special and versatile event. Partly because of these characteristics, the Four Days Marches was declared national intangible heritage by Unesco in 2014. And the people of Nijmegen are rightly proud of that! This Premium Cycle route was compiled by our editor: Huub Mol.
| Directions | Distance | Total distance | |
|
Start: Gerard Noodtstraat , 6511 SX Nijmegen | 41.2 KM | |
|
From
1
to
81
|
172 M | 0.2 KM | |
| Head southeast on Sint Jorisstraat | 69 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Keizer Traianusplein | 81 M | ||
| Make a slight left to stay on Keizer Traianusplein | 22 M | ||
| You are now at section 81 | 0 M | ||
|
From
81
to
57
|
3923 M | 3.9 KM | |
| Head east on Keizer Traianusplein | 41 M | ||
| Turn right onto Graadt van Roggenstraat | 2 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Beukenlaan | 367 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Berkenlaan | 617 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Jan Dommer van Poldersveldtweg | 802 M | ||
| Turn right onto Oude Kleefsebaan | 62 M | ||
| You are now at section 57 | 0 M | ||
|
From
57
to
60
|
720 M | 0.7 KM | |
| Head west on Oude Kleefsebaan | 14 M | ||
| Make a slight left to stay on Oude Kleefsebaan | 3 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Oude Kleefsebaan | 703 M | ||
| You are now at section 60 | 0 M | ||
|
From
60
to
59
|
689 M | 0.7 KM | |
| Head southeast on Oude Kleefsebaan | 293 M | ||
| Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Clarenbeekseweg | 11 M | ||
| Exit the roundabout onto Clarenbeekseweg | 385 M | ||
| You are now at section 59 | 0 M | ||
|
From
59
to
29
|
2251 M | 2.3 KM | |
| Head southeast on Zevenheuvelenweg | 284 M | ||
| Turn right onto Zevenheuvelenweg | 2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 29 | 0 M | ||
|
From
29
to
88
|
2331 M | 2.3 KM | |
| Head south on Zevenheuvelenweg | 311 M | ||
| Keep left onto Zevenheuvelenweg | 1 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Nieuweweg | 82 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Nieuweweg | 454 M | ||
| Make a slight right | 7 M | ||
| Continue onto Molenweg | 429 M | ||
| You are now at section 88 | 0 M | ||
|
From
88
to
87
|
493 M | 0.5 KM | |
| Head south on Dorpsstraat | 476 M | ||
| Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit | 17 M | ||
| You are now at section 87 | 0 M | ||
|
From
87
to
18
|
364 M | 0.4 KM | |
| Head west on Mooksebaan | 18 M | ||
| Make a slight right to stay on Mooksebaan | 346 M | ||
| You are now at section 18 | 0 M | ||
|
From
18
to
46
|
1808 M | 1.8 KM | |
| Head southwest on Mooksebaan | 1.8 KM | ||
| You are now at section 46 | 0 M | ||
|
From
46
to
45
|
2994 M | 3 KM | |
| Head southwest on Groesbeekseweg | 607 M | ||
| Keep right onto Groesbeekseweg | 1.4 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Generaal Gavinstraat | 1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 45 | 0 M | ||
|
From
45
to
16
|
1717 M | 1.7 KM | |
| Head northwest on Kanaalweg | 330 M | ||
| Turn left onto Kerkstraat | 364 M | ||
| Turn left onto Kadeweg | 58 M | ||
| Turn right onto Middelweerd | 675 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Maasdijk | 231 M | ||
| Turn left | 59 M | ||
| You are now at section 16 | 0 M | ||
|
From
16
to
50
|
540 M | 0.5 KM | |
| Head northwest | 53 M | ||
| Continue onto Halderweg | 487 M | ||
| You are now at section 50 | 0 M | ||
|
From
50
to
35
|
1540 M | 1.5 KM | |
| Head northwest on Oosterkanaaldijk | 740 M | ||
| Turn left onto Oosterkanaaldijk | 800 M | ||
| You are now at section 35 | 0 M | ||
|
From
35
to
27
|
1494 M | 1.5 KM | |
| Head northeast | 171 M | ||
| Turn left onto Jan J. Ludenlaan | 666 M | ||
| Turn left | 209 M | ||
| Continue onto Oude Boterdijk | 448 M | ||
| You are now at section 27 | 0 M | ||
|
From
27
to
26
|
897 M | 0.9 KM | |
| Head southwest on Dorpstraat | 455 M | ||
| Turn left onto Maasbanddijk | 151 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Maasbanddijk | 101 M | ||
| Continue onto Maasdijk | 190 M | ||
| You are now at section 26 | 0 M | ||
|
From
26
to
25
|
1179 M | 1.2 KM | |
| Head west on Maasbandijk | 226 M | ||
| Continue straight | 8 M | ||
| Turn left | 164 M | ||
| Turn left | 54 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Vosseneindseweg | 727 M | ||
| You are now at section 25 | 0 M | ||
|
From
25
to
41
|
1337 M | 1.3 KM | |
| Head west on Vosseneindseweg | 1.3 KM | ||
| You are now at section 41 | 0 M | ||
|
From
41
to
28
|
1181 M | 1.2 KM | |
| Head northwest on Loksheuvelseweg | 1.1 KM | ||
| Turn right to stay on Loksheuvelseweg | 123 M | ||
| You are now at section 28 | 0 M | ||
|
From
28
to
69
|
1657 M | 1.7 KM | |
| Head north on Sint Walrickweg | 30 M | ||
| Turn left onto Hessenbergseweg | 1.6 KM | ||
| You are now at section 69 | 0 M | ||
|
From
69
to
76
|
738 M | 0.7 KM | |
| Head northeast on Geitweg | 253 M | ||
| Turn left onto De Vendam | 485 M | ||
| You are now at section 76 | 0 M | ||
|
From
76
to
75
|
783 M | 0.8 KM | |
| Head northwest on De Vendam | 64 M | ||
| Make a slight right to stay on De Vendam | 468 M | ||
| Turn left onto Weg ter Horst | 235 M | ||
| Turn right | 16 M | ||
| You are now at section 75 | 0 M | ||
|
From
75
to
79
|
1945 M | 1.9 KM | |
| Head west on Weg ter Horst | 649 M | ||
| Turn left onto Panhuisweg | 10 M | ||
| Turn right onto Groenewoudseweg | 376 M | ||
| Turn left onto Mengelsweg | 455 M | ||
| Turn right onto Heumenseweg | 445 M | ||
| Make a slight right | 10 M | ||
| You are now at section 79 | 0 M | ||
|
From
79
to
53
|
1863 M | 1.9 KM | |
| Head northwest | 49 M | ||
| Turn right | 20 M | ||
| Turn right onto Graafseweg | 1.6 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Nieuweweg | 147 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Nieuweweg | 23 M | ||
| You are now at section 53 | 0 M | ||
|
From
53
to
52
|
2325 M | 2.3 KM | |
| Head northeast on Nieuweweg | 126 M | ||
| Make a slight right | 19 M | ||
| Turn left onto Nieuweweg | 112 M | ||
| Turn right onto Oude Smallesteeg | 933 M | ||
| Turn right | 338 M | ||
| Turn left onto Streekpad | 598 M | ||
| Turn right onto Takenhofplein | 58 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Takenhofplein | 141 M | ||
| You are now at section 52 | 0 M | ||
|
From
52
to
21
|
2357 M | 2.4 KM | |
| Head east on Wijchenseweg | 2.4 KM | ||
| You are now at section 21 | 0 M | ||
|
From
21
to
45
|
2724 M | 2.7 KM | |
| Head north on Muntmeesterlaan | 63 M | ||
| Turn right onto Fleminghstraat | 433 M | ||
| Continue onto Hatertseveldweg | 1.1 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Graafseweg | 1.1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 45 | 0 M | ||
|
From
45
to
1
|
1129 M | 1.1 KM | |
| Head southeast on Keizer Karelplein | 204 M | ||
| Exit the roundabout onto Bisschop Hamerstraat | 98 M | ||
| Turn right onto van Welderenstraat | 827 M | ||
| You are now at section 01 | 0 M |