We leave our car in the large parking lot of Fort Honswijk/Lunet on De Snel. From there we go a short distance until over the bridge. On the right we see Lunet aan de Snel. Here we will walk through later. On the left you see a kayak pier, here we go on the water.

Take the packraft equipment out of the backpack, snap the paddle together properly and inflate your packraft with the air bag provided there. At the end, always blow air well with your mouth. Make sure the most important things that need to stay dry are in the waterproof bag: wallet, smartphone,… Attach the backpack securely to the front of your packraft with the tension strap. You can test if it’s secure by lifting the packraft. Does the packraft come up with you? Then your packraft is secure. Put on your life jacket and then you are ready for your own water adventure.

At 1.16 km we see Fort Werk on the Korte Uitweg on the left. You can paddle around this and then come back to the same point. On the right we have to get out of our packraft at the kayak pier to get past the weir. You can also paddle straight ahead, but that makes your packraft route shorter and less varied. So we continue our route on the right so we can see all the beautiful parts.

Right after the weir you have another canoe landing to get back into the water. Be sure to grab the packraft securely and lift it off the ground when transferring. What an advantage that our packraft is light weight, especially versus a canoe!

We paddle through inundation field Blokhoven. An inundation field is a field that can be temporarily flooded. In the past, an area was flooded as a defensive measure against attackers. Nowadays, the purpose of the inundation field in polder Blokhoven is to temporarily collect water during heavy rainfall. You can recognize this spot right away by the 80m long boardwalk across the water, followed by a tow ferry. On the right side you will see before the weir, back a canoe landing stage.

Here we get out of our packraft, walk past the weir and then head back out onto the water. We continue our route on the right until we see a small bridge. Here we turn left and paddle straight toward St. Michael’s Church until we can go no further. Then we see a canoe landing stage on the right. We will make our final crossing here. If you are already hungry or feel like having a drink, you can go to Restaurant Jonkheer De Ram. They have their own canoe landing stage right out front. Check out their
opening hours in advance via their website, that way you avoid standing in front of a closed door. We continue via the kayak pier on the Schalkwijksewetering. Around 4.77 km we paddle past Ridderhofstad Vuylcop. Did you know that residential tower Vuylcop was built in the 14th century and has a ridge height of 16 m?

We turn left at 8.47 km (No. 115). We get off at the jetty at Hajé hotel-restaurant Nieuwegein. Let the air out of your packraft, fold the packraft and snap your paddle apart. Make sure you properly stow everything back in your packraft. Didn’t you forget the lashing strap or your waterproof pouch? Then we can move on. You can choose to have a nice dinner at the restaurant or you can continue with the packraft route. Along the way there are sure to be great places to eat your own picnic.