2026/19 - Historical Gorkum Ramparts Walk

 When you know me a little (and loads of you lovely people do by now), you know I love a ramble. My walks are slower than they used to be by necessity, and shorter too, due to artrosis in my left knee. But I still walk, and historical fortified towns are a love of mine.

Will you just look at that? As Dutch as it gets! Gorkum, or Gorinchem as it is officially named, is a fortified town in Zuid-Holland, situated on the rivers Boven-Merwede and Linge. It has four town gates, the one above is the Dalempoort. The corn mill in the background is called De Hoop (hope) and functioning.

This is the same gate, looking towards the ramparts. And those ramparts...absolutely gorgeous!

You can walk them all around the historical town centre, taking you approx. 10 km, which we did. You are surrounded by trees, huge plantanes and horse chestnuts, and (right now by the end of April) rapeseed, cow parsley and all kinds of shrubs in bloom. Most of the time you have a view across the watermeadows towards the river.

Gorinchem is properly old, around the year 1000 there was a fisherman's village here already.

The first castle was built before 1290.

There used to be as many as 7 town gates, and in 1388 almost the entire town burnt down, to the loss of 1500 houses.

It was rebuilt, and like most Dutch fortified towns knew riches around the 15th century and then decline, then a slow restart after Napoleon was sent back to his own country in the 18th century.

Ramparts used to be tree-less, for obvious reasons; the canons needed a clear firing range. But nowadays they are covered in vegetation, and thus are idyllic.

There is an upper path and a lower path...this is the lower one, in the dappled shade of the trees. Right now I was thankful for the sun, but I imagine in the height of Summer folk are happy to walk in the shade.

So lovely!

From time to time we switched to the upper path, and as you can see in some parts there is even a third path, next to the water.

The views are spectacular. It is hard to imagine you are in a town of almost 40.000 people!

Living next to a river myself, I must admit mine is topped by this view. And not having petrochemical industry on the other bank helps a lot!

This is the Veerhaven.

With the Grote Kerk in the background, it is always nice to meet some other ramblers, especially when they suggest we can swop being photographers of eachother.

But all circular walks reach the point where you started...and we needed to get back to the station. In some alley to the Lingehaven we came across this wall, a communal living arrangement.

Sorry about the leaning house...it does not lean quite as badly. These houses overlooking the river Linge still have the rooms jutting out over the water, typically Dutch.

Like all old towns, Gorkum has a market place. Theirs is rather grand, with a fountain and an impressive museum.

Lots of cafés, always nice after a long walk.

Gorkum caters for tourists...not so strange when you know it was voted best historical town for 2021. But the ratio 'tourists tat' vs 'normal' shops is well balanced.

I really enjoyed our day there. 

On the station forecourt I was said goodbye to by my Puck in bronze. Well, not my doggie, obviously, but she could have posed for it! She was patiently waiting for me at home, and politely listened to my adventures as we took our normal walkies. Trees, yes, she likes trees, especially sniffing them. Rivers, yes, rivers are cool, as long as she is not required to swim. But I could sense her tuning me out when I started about the history.

I hope you have enjoyed taking this walk with me. Next week it is back to gardens, promise.

Look me up on my website, at Renée Grashoff Schrijft where you can find my monthly blog on Brielle and books.

Have a good week, wherever you are!

Renée Grashoff