Along the Brabantse Aa - Route 6 (of 13)

In the footsteps of Hendrik Verhees   Along the Brabantse Aa, where history comes to life! Walk through the beautiful landscape of the Aa valley. A landscape full of historical treasures. Admire centuries-old castles, impressive watermills, and charming farmhouses that tell the story of Brabant. Feel the magic of times gone by as you stroll through typical Brabant villages and walk along winding paths along the river. Every building and every view has its own story. There's so much to see and experience! Embark on a journey through time and be surprised by the hidden gems along this beautiful route.   Walking along the Brabantse Aa   Walking along the Brabantse Aa, you'll pass places where watermills and castles once stood, or still stand. The walking stages are an average of 15 kilometers and mainly follow the hiking junctions. Along the way, you can listen to exciting and entertaining local stories. With our walks along the Brabantse Aa, we follow in the footsteps of Hendrik Verhees (1744-1813). He also walked here and worked on regional changes around 1790. Using his drawings and maps, our walk will show you what you can see today and what he saw. You'll also see the changes this man brought about in the landscape. His choices remain highly significant to this day.   Route 6: Helmond - Aarle-Rixtel: The starting point of route 6 is at Helmond Station. The end point is at junction 99 at Dorpsstraat 2 in Aarle-Rixtel.   On this route, you can experience just how green the city of Helmond truly is and walk along the Aa River to a surprising landscape full of cultural history and stories.   Discover nature along the Brabantse Aa   The Aa River basin is a patchwork of diverse landscapes. Stream valleys, wet meadows, forests, and historic fields blend seamlessly. The transition between wet and dry, sand and clay, high and low, creates an enormous diversity of plants and animals along the Aa River. It also fosters a long history of farming life.   History of the area: The River Aa originates in the Peel peat bog, where water promotes the decomposition of plants and thus forms peat. The Peel lies approximately 30 meters higher than the Meuse River, allowing the Aa, fed by tributaries, to flow via Helmond to 's-Hertogenbosch, where it continues as the Dieze.   The area is extremely fertile. This is because the Aa's catchment area has been rich in small streams and watercourses for centuries. These were partly created by the Peel Fault, which runs through the area. This fault in the Earth's crust continues to move, pushing groundwater upward in small streams. The Aa has no real source; the Peel is its main source of water. All those small streams and brooks eventually converge to form the River Aa. The Aa simply means "water."   All information about this route, including audio stories, can be found here: https://langsdebrabantseaa.nl/wandelroutes/wandelroute-6/   Handy walking box   A walking box has also been published for the entire walking route along the Aa. It contains a beautifully designed booklet with all the interesting facts about the cultural history surrounding the River Aa. Furthermore, each stage is detailed with a handy route overview and route instructions. A great gift or to buy for yourself: https://langsdebrabantseaa.nl/product/wandelbox-langs-de-brabantse-aa/