Groote Wetering, Aa->Maashorst

The (Brabant) Aa
The Groote Wetering is the northernmost water system that drains water from the Peelhorst to the (Brabant) Aa. The Astense Aa (click here) is the southernmost large water system that discharges peel water into the Aa. In the catchment area of both systems, there are, besides remarkable differences, also clear similarities in the history of the landscape.
Catchment area of the Groote Wetering
The catchment area of the Groote Wetering slopes towards the northwest. In the northeast, near Nistelrode, lies the higher Maashorst, the northern extension of the Peelhorst. In the northwest, from Geffen to Nuland, Maliskamp and Coudewater, lies a cover sand ridge. This allows the water to flow only westward. The catchment area of the Groote Wetering includes the Kleine Wetering in the north and the Wambergse Beek in the southwest. Additionally, the Vinkelsche Loop, Bleekloop, Venloop, Graanloop, and a number of smaller watercourses also flow into the Groote Wetering.
Landscape elements
The Groote Wetering begins at the relatively high Maashorst and flows westward along a number of cover sand hills and some cover sand ridges before ultimately flowing into the Aa.
The cover sand landscape at the Groote Wetering was formed in the colder periods of the Weichselian (the last ice age, 116 to 11.7 thousand years ago) when the wind had free rein over the bare plains and could blow the sand. In prehistoric times, humans adapted to the landscape. From the High Middle Ages (ca. 1000 – 1250 AD) onwards, humans increasingly intervened. Nowadays, there is an increasing awareness that humans need to live more in harmony with the landscape. During the walk along the Groote Wetering, one encounters landscape elements from all periods.
Inhabitation
The first part of the hiking route goes through an area that is wedged between large infrastructural works, bordering an urban environment. Archaeological finds indicate prehistoric habitation here. It is followed by a landscape shaped in the High Middle Ages, traces of which can still be observed despite land consolidation. Further upstream, we see an open landscape that, with the exception of the cover sand ridges, was only permanently inhabited later. In the far east of the catchment area, on the Maashorst, traces from prehistory, the Roman period, and the Middle Ages have been found: evidence that this area was also attractive for habitation early on.
Hiking route along the Groote Wetering
The hiking route starts at the Berlicumse Plas, where the Groote Wetering flows into the Aa, and ends at the Maashorst east of Nistelrode. Across the Groote Wetering runs the connecting road Coppensdijk/Werststeeg, from the Kleine Wetering to the Wambergse Beek. Along this route, a number of characteristic landscape elements can be observed. Ton van Nistelrooij, who grew up on the Coppensdijk by the Kleine Wetering and has lived a large part of his life on the Werststeeg by the Wambergse Beek, has often seen these landscape elements. Once, he took 2 hours and 62 minutes to run a marathon. That is, back and forth, the double hiking route along the Groote Wetering. This hiking route has a length of half a marathon, or 21.0975 kilometers. For those who find this hiking route too long, the route can be interrupted/resumed at the Wamberg, at Coppensdijk, at the Vinkelse Molen, in Munnekens Vinkel, and in Nistelrode. Along the way, there are several benches (click here) to rest and enjoy the surroundings for a while.