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New Nijmegen walking tradition

wandelen nijmegen

A pilgrimage route

Almost everyone who wants to walk in Nijmegen knows the Nijmegen Four Days Marches and the N70 walking route.

But do you know the Walk of Wisdom?

This 147-kilometre pilgrimage route was opened in 2015. The multi-day trip is set out as a reflection on your life and place in the bigger picture. The route connects the most beautiful nature reserves in the region and was awarded the Gelderland Landscape Prize in 2018. Around 15,000 pilgrims have already registered, yet the route is experienced as very quiet.

Distinguishing features

  • The Walk of Wisdom is 147 kilometers and goes through two countries, three provinces and eleven municipalities.
  • The start and end point is the most popular monument in Nijmegen: the Stevenskerk.
  • The route is well marked and largely unpaved.
  • With, among other things, the un-Dutch height differences of Berg en Dal, the fairytale Sint-Jansberg in Limburg, new wilderness on Maas (Keent) and Waal (Ooijpolder), the Hatertse Vennen, the vast German Reichswald and old villages and towns such as Leur, Grave and Ravenstein.
  • The route is easily accessible by public transport.
  • After registration , you will receive a starter pack with a route guide including 34 detailed maps, GPS track, accommodation list for every budget and the symbols of the tour.
  • The route is inspired by the life force of nature and artists Huub and Adelheid Kortekaas designed the symbol.
  • With free departure ceremonies for a moment of reflection organized by volunteers.
  • Part of the registration fee goes to the landscape.
Wandelen Nijmegen

A modern pilgrimage route

Wandelen Nijmegen

All the clichés about pilgrimage turned out to be true

“In July 2020 the time had finally come: backpack on, hiking boots on, Pilgrim pinned, and the (then) leather strap for the bird rings. After a months-long pilgrimage that consisted of reading literature on secular pilgrimage, listening to stories of pilgrims of the Walk of Wisdom during interviews, and writing endlessly, I started my own Walk of Wisdom.

My name is Lonneke, and for the past year Walk of Wisdom has been central to me, because I wrote my master’s thesis about it. Partly because it was part of my research, but even more because I felt the need to do so; Take a break, reflect on the past year, on themes that are at play, and go for a nice walk.”

Read the report by Lonneke Hermans