During this 22.5 km hike, you will be treated to many watermills. Along the way, you will encounter five of them. In the following information, you will learn more about the history and function of the watermills that you see in Peer and Pelt.

The Dommel Path
The Dommel Path takes you over a distance of 125 kilometers from Peer to 's-Hertogenbosch and back. With this 6-day hiking route averaging 20 kilometers per day, you follow the history of the watermills from south to north along the current. And upstream from north to south, you’ll follow the history of nature along the Dommel. Check out the entire Dommel Path at visitbrabant.com/dommelpad.

The Pearls of the Dommel
A hundred years ago, there were more than fifty watermills in the catchment area of the Dommel River. From its source in Peer to its mouth in Den Bosch, the mills did their work. The water flowed, the mills turned, and with the energy gained, grain was ground into flour, oil was pressed from rapeseed, or chestnut bark was harvested. This chestnut bark was used in the tanning of leather. If you follow this hiking route along the Dommel, you can see with your own eyes what remains of the watermills from earlier times. Furthermore, the Dommel meanders through a beautiful piece of Belgium and the Netherlands. Limitless beauty!

Crossing Points
The mills were often built at narrow points in the river where the gradient was somewhat steeper. The water of the Dommel flowed with power there, allowing the watermills to turn well. And since the mills formed a kind of dam in the water, these were also suitable places for people to cross the river.

String of Pearls
To operate effectively, the watermills a hundred years ago could not be too close together. Therefore, old maps show that the mills formed a kind of string of pearls along the banks of the river. For a long time, the mills were our only large energy suppliers and were therefore of great importance to the economy of that time. That is why they were often part of fortified farms, castles, or fortifications.

Impact on the Landscape
Since the water was dammed at the mills, the area upstream became damper. This impact sometimes extended up to two kilometers. Over the years, these dam areas developed into “watermill landscapes” with moist, peaty soils and the corresponding vegetation that you can still see today. Ready to see it all? Let's go!

The Groote Heide
The Dommel Path runs through the Groote Heide, a diverse nature border park of six thousand hectares, extending from the Dutch city of Eindhoven to the Belgian Pelt. The landscape along the Dommel has been shaped by a string of watermills that dam the water. Discover the stories of the region and all the beauty that this border area has to offer at degrooteheide.eu.

About this Route
The Dommel Path is signposted through the hiking junction point system in Brabant and Belgium/Flanders. Follow the signs and simply walk from one numbered junction point to another. Arrows will guide you to the number you have chosen. Is there something wrong with the routing signs? Let us know through visitbrabant.com/meldpunt. You can also call the free number 0800-4050050.