This hiking route runs over 21.5 km from the village of Boxtel to the city of Den Bosch, where the water of the Dommel flows into the Dieze. Along the way, you can read the stories of the watermills that once did their work along the river.

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

The Pearls of the Dommel
A hundred years ago, more than fifty watermills were located 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 produced, grain was ground into flour, oil was pressed from rapeseed, or animal hides were obtained from oak bark. This animal hide was used in leather tanning. If you follow this hiking trail along the Dommel, you can see with your own eyes what remains today of the watermills of the past. Moreover, the Dommel winds through a beautiful stretch of Belgium and the Netherlands. Cross-border beautiful!

Crossing 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 watermills to turn well. And since the mills formed a kind of dam in the water, they were also suitable places for people to cross the river.

String of Pearls
To work effectively, the watermills from a century ago could not be located too close to each other. 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 major energy suppliers and were therefore of great importance to the economy of that time. Therefore, they often belonged to fortified farms, castles, or fortifications.

Influence on the Landscape
As the water was dammed at the mills, the area upstream became wetter. This influence sometimes extended up to two kilometers. Over the years, these dam areas became “watermill landscapes” with moist, boggy soils and the corresponding vegetation that 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 border park of six thousand hectares, extending from Eindhoven in the Netherlands to Pelt in Belgium. The landscape along the Dommel was shaped by a string of watermills that dammed the water. Discover the regional stories and all the beauties that this border region has to offer at degrooteheide.eu.

About this Path
The Dommel Path is signposted using the hiking junction system in Brabant and Belgium/Flanders. Follow the signs and easily walk from one numbered junction to another. Arrows indicate the way to your chosen number. Is something wrong with the signage of the path? Let us know at visitbrabant.com/meldpunt. You can also call 0800-4050050 (free).