Hiking network The Netherlands

On this walk from Zutphen to Deventer on the west side of the IJssel you walk directly into the so-called “Voorster Klei” ; these are the winter floodplains of the IJssel. Here you will find many storks, herons, geese, lapwings and (still) the Dutch national bird the black-tailed godwit. The floodplains are bordered on a large part of the route by a small medieval dike from the 14th century. This small and winding old dike offers beautiful river views and intimate corners with forest on one side and the river IJssel on the other. This is wonderful hiking with Dutch river scenery at its best.

Through the village of Wilp with its beautifully 12th century church which is on the edge of the floodplains, we walk on to the beautiful Hanseatic city of Deventer, one of the oldest cities in The Netherlands.
The wooden predecessor of that church was built in the year 765 when Wilp was a ferriage on the IJssel from where the Anglo-Saxon missionary Lebuïnus began his mission to Christianize the Saxons. This makes Wilp the oldest Dutch village situated at a dyke and the church of Wilp the oldest church at a dyke in The Netherlands.hiking

In Deventer you will find besides the Lebuïnus church named after the missionary, the Bergkerk, the largest original market square in the Netherlands, the oldest Weighbuiling in the Netherlands which was built for that function, the Walstraat known from the annual Dickens festival visited by over 100.000 people , beautiful streets with special and sometimes peculiar shops and a variety of restaurants and terraces.

In Deventer you have the possibility to book a private city walk.

Hiking from Zutphen to Deventer