Oosterhout Values

The Oosterhoutse Waarden is the area near Oosterhout (municipality of Overbetuwe) and the Nijmegen district Oosterhout.

This complex of puddles and lows was created by a dike break in January 1820. The dike – a scissor dike – washed away over a long distance. As a result, two elongated gullies were formed. These communicated with each other on the south side via a remnant of a narrow strang that had been located on the outside of the swept away dike. The eastern part of the lake was eleven meters deep in 1820, the western part twelve meters. These dike breaks and the breach around the Verburgtskolk caused enormous damage to the village of Oosterhout. The transshipment was particularly disastrous. No fewer than 400 hectares of arable and pasture were buried under the sand. Many lands no longer yielded a penny. The water discharge had run out of steam because ditches full of sand had been hit. Also sensitive was the loss of the village's rowing value, which had been overturned during the closure of the dike holes with an emergency dike. Sadly, four children were missing after the disaster. It was feared that they had found a grave under the sand from the gullies. A mysterious voice must have been heard at the Zandkolk. Shortly before the dike broke, the water was alarmingly high against the dike. In the middle of the night, three guards on horseback kept an eye on things. They talked for a while and then parted ways. Two of them drove towards Slijk-Ewijk; the third galloped to Lent. No sooner had they said goodbye than the duo driving west suddenly heard: "The time is there, but the man is not there yet". Startled, both drove in the direction of the shouting. But suddenly the dike broke; The water roared inland. Both dike guards saw their companion and his horse floundering in the swirling abyss. The next day, the horse was found alive. It wasn't until a month later that the decomposed body of the guard was found. Source:LandschapsbeheerGelderland

In 2015, the Oosterhoutse Waarden was redesigned as part of the river system. The area is now officially open to visitors. With more than 135 hectares and a varied landscape, this is an asset to the environment. For residents of the Waalsprong and surroundings a beautiful place to enjoy peace and nature.

The Oosterhoutse Waarden is characterized by two parts that differ from each other in landscape. These parts are separated from each other by the high ridge and summer quay. The southwestern part extends from the riverbank to the summer quay and consists of the sandy beaches along the river, low river dunes on the bank, the partly shallow sand extraction lake and a natural bank wall. There is also room for so-called wet nature where special (water) plants get a chance. On the other northeast side of the area you will find an open landscape with natural grasslands, bordered by ditches and ditches.

The entire floodplain is now freely accessible. There are four entrances to get into the area. The entrances are called Sluisje, Vlugje, Wolfsgat and Zomerdijk.

The walking routes in the Oosterhoutse Waarden are not fixed walking routes, the start and end point is clear, in between everyone determines their own way. There is therefore no marking along the routes. The route at the top right of 'the lock' to 'the quick' is about 2 km long. Here you will come across several step gates to step over the barbed wire. The routes are therefore not suitable for disabled people and strollers. The longest route is 5 km from the entrance of the summer dike to the lock. Here too you will come across step gates and discover unique flora and fauna.

Various animal and plant species live in the Oosterhoutse Waarden. The floodplains are still in use as pasture and hay areas for dairy cows, which is why there is still barbed wire. Instead of the dairy cows, there will be a herd of natural cattle grazers in the future. There are also small animals such as hares and rabbits and if there is no high tide you can also see deer and foxes.

Due to high water levels, large parts of the floodplain are flooded in winter. These then form a sleeping area for thousands of geese, swans and ducks (including small swan and goose). The grasslands in the floodplains are used as a feeding area by the little swan, geese, wigeon, coot and waders and are one of the few grassland areas in the Netherlands where quail kings still breed annually. A unique place to discover and enjoy. Source: Waalsprong

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