I was thrilled to visit the Noordwaard and was not disappointed! Since 2015 the former polder has been transformed to a floodplain for the Merwede river, so the river won’t overflow into urban areas in case of high water.
The artificial landscape between Breukelen station and the A2 motorway. Behind Rotterdam Central. Feyenoord’s home stadium the Kuip is hard to miss from any direction. Four dilapidated houses in Oud-IJsselmonde right next to the Van Brienenoordbrug. The Donkerslootsedijk in Ridderkerk. The Helsluis from 1864 is a connection between the Beneden Merwede and the Nieuwe Merwede. On the Wantijdijk on the edge of Dordrecht. Hidden under grass is the Biesbosch visitors centrum. This nature reserve borders the Noordwaard in the south. Looking south along the Gat van Lijnoorden. I continued on the Witboomkil. Several pumping stations are dispersed through the polder with viewing platforms on top. This is the Gemaal Happenhennip. The view south from the platform. The Noordwaard has an otherworldly quality that was reinforced by the total lack of people this day. Horses grazing in the marshland just outside of the Bandijk. Where Braspenning road ends in the Galeiweg. The land opposite is currently used for water storage. Southern winds were picking up strongly and I was glad for this relative shelter in the polder south of Werkendam. Former pumping station ‘De drie sluizen’ in Nieuwendijk. East of Nieuwendijk a sign said ‘Breda: 26km’. For another time! Fort Altena was a position in the New Dutch Waterline. Taking shelter from the rain was pointless. The last 75km of my trip a heavy drizzle continued me back home.
