Hooge Zwaluwe, Oosterhout, Geertruidenberg

This part of West Brabant is lovely to cycle through. Fortified town Geertruidenberg is the town with the oldest city rights in the county of Holland. As early as 1319, the town was surrounded and walled in, as its strategic location on important shipping routes made it very popular. It is now part of North Brabant. You will visit the towns of Hooge Zwaluwe, Lage Zwaluwe, Terheijden, Oosterhout and Drimmelen. But did you know that “royal" has several meanings during this cycle route?

King Willem-Alexander may put the title 'Lord of Hooge and Lage Zwaluwe' on his business card, so you are actually cycling over royal territory. In Drimmelen, you pass Herengracht, a small street along the canal Breede Vaart with pretty houses from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Terheijden, too, has something delightful about it. This place used to be a seigniory with its own bench of aldermen: seven aldermen led by the sheriff. At De Kleine Schans, you can see the remains of what was once a fortress. On the information board you can read what happened on this spot.

Remnants of lordships can also be found in Oosterhout. The lord of Breda had his seigniorial rights here. Kasteel Strijen, where the lords lived, once stood in the middle of the town of Oosterhout. Now all you find there is a corner of the main tower, called the Slotbosse toren.

Wander through the narrow village streets and rural surroundings in search of delicious trails. Do you already feel like royalty?