Along the Brabantse Aa - Stage 1 (of 13) Asten

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 river, 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.  

Stage 1: Groote Peel - Heusden

This is where our trip along the Brabantse Aa begins. We are delighted to have you join us. Let us start at the beginning. This is the primeval area of the Aa. Between two breaks in the land, decaying plants retain the water in a solid layer of peat. 

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. It also reflects a long history of farming life.  

History of the area  

The Aa River originates in the Peel raised bog, where water promotes the decomposition of plants and thus forms peat. The Peel lies approximately 30 meters higher than the Meuse, 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 river basin has been rich for centuries in small streams and watercourses. These were partly created by the Peel Fault that runs through the area. A fault in the Earth's crust continues to move, pushing groundwater upward in small streams. There's no real source for the Aa River. The Peel River is its main source of water. All these small bodies of water and streams eventually converge to form the Aa River. "Aa" simply means "water."   All information about this route, including audio stories, can be found here: https://langsdebrabantseaa.nl/wandelroutes/wandelroute-1/  

Handy hiking box  

A hiking box has also been published for the entire hiking route along the Aa River. It contains a beautifully designed booklet with all the interesting facts about the cultural history surrounding the Aa River. 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/