Unfortunately, the mills along this 23 km stage of the Dommel Path are quite rare. Fortunately, the surroundings are no less beautiful! You pass two water mills or the remains of them. Along the way, you cross the border from Belgium to the Netherlands.

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 course of the water mills from south to north. And upstream from north to south following the narrative of nature along the Dommel. Check out the entire Dommel Path at visitbrabant.com/dommelpad.

The Pearls of the Dommel
A hundred years ago, more than fifty water mills were in the catchment area of the Dommel River. From the source in Peer to the 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, rapeseed oil was pressed, or tannin was extracted from oak bark. This tannin 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 old water mills. Moreover, the Dommel meanders through a beautiful piece of Belgium and the Netherlands. Border-crossing beauty!

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

String of Pearls
To work effectively, the water mills could not stand too close together a century ago. On old maps, you can see 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 major energy suppliers and therefore of great importance to the economy of that time. As a result, they often belonged to fortified farms, castles, or defensive structures.

Impact on the Landscape
As water was dammed at the mills with the help of dikes, the area upstream became wetter. This influence sometimes extended up to two kilometers. Over the years, "water mill landscapes" developed in these dammed areas with wet, peaty soils and the corresponding vegetation, which you can still see today. Ready to see all this? Let's go!

The Groote Heide
The Dommel Path runs through the Groote Heide, a diverse nature reserve of six thousand hectares that stretches from the German Eindhoven to the Belgian Pelt. The landscape along the Dommel was shaped by a string of water mills that dam the water. Discover the regional stories and all the beauty that this border region has to offer at degrooteheide.eu.

About this Route
The Dommel Path is signposted via the hiking junction system in Brabant and Belgium/Flanders. Follow the signs and simply hike from one numbered junction to the next. Arrows indicate the way to your chosen number. Is something wrong with the route signage? Let us know via visitbrabant.com/meldpunt. You can also call for free at 0800-4050050.