Top 20 Lakes around Steenbergen

Completely separate growth of bushes in a kind of ball shape in the watery marsh area. Very nice to see.

The Volkerak locks, west of Willemstad, were built as part of the Delta Plan. A secondary dam had to be built in the Volkerak to close off the Oosterschelde and the Haringvliet. However, the closing off of the Volkerak, which was planned in 1969, would also block an important shipping route between Rotterdam/Germany and Antwerp/France. It was therefore decided to build a lock complex in the dam to be constructed. The first two inland navigation locks were built in 1964. In 1977, the complex was expanded to the northwest with an additional lock for inland shipping, an inlet lock and finally a separate recreational lock. Bridges had already been built over the newly constructed locks: a fixed bridge and a double movable bascule bridge over the southern lock for commercial shipping. To the south of the locks are various service houses and a workshop and storage area for the emergency power supply and the nuclear shelter below. On the south bank of the Volkerak, at the beginning of the lock, there is a lookout tower, with a storage area for the reserve gates underneath. In addition, a new lock keeper's office was built around 2012; the old lock keeper's house between the eastern and middle locks was demolished shortly afterwards. At some distance from the locks on the south bank, there is another office and a door storage / workshop. In 1988, the complex was mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest inland shipping object in the world. The commercial shipping locks are each 325 metres long and 24 metres wide. The locks are built of concrete and each has four pairs of steel doors; two pairs for ebb and two pairs for flood.

De Pluimpot is a small but fascinating nature reserve on Tholen. You can access it via some accesses to the walking paths with information boards such as here. You can also access it via the parking lot at the tiny beach and the village. On the other side of the road you see a sign for a piece of nature, Tholen Dorpsbos St. Maartendijk, but that is only a small piece of green and not really a forest. Back to De Pluimpot. You can read everything about the nature reserve on this link: https://www.zeeland.com/nl-nl/visit/190_nl/natuurgebied-de-pluimpot There you can see that the Pluimpot was one of the largest channels when Tholen still consisted of small islands separated by channels. De Pluimpot was even the sea channel that divided Tholen in two after all the salt marshes had already been reclaimed. Already in the sixteenth century, people started to dam the Pluimpot and the last part was closed in 1957. Today's nature reserve was created after that damming and is therefore a dammed creek where you will find many water birds (and others) and also a specific flora. Binoculars are useful with all those birds. There is a wooden bridge over part of the creek and there are paths that run all the way next to the water, to or from the area around the Sint-Maartensdijk swimming pool.

Once the protector of the harbor, then an oyster farm, a lobster park, and built up with industry. Now the canals, ramparts, and inner courtyard have been restored to their former state. But so much has happened at this extensive bulwark as a vital point in the defense of the fortified city of Bergen op Zoom. William of Orange approved the design of this large fort in 1584. Many sieges followed, which the fort withstood. However, it lost its function as a defensive work, but what remains is the interesting history of the Waterschans.

The Waterschans is the oldest fortification in Bergen op Zoom and has recently been restored. The area has been reconstructed in recent years according to drawings found from around 1880. Experience the history of the extensive stronghold, surrounded by the water of the Scheldt. From the 16th century onwards, the Waterschans protected safe access to the city for several centuries. The buildings with stone buildings were like a small village for the soldiers. After its function as a military fortified city was abolished, the canals, which were clean due to the ebb and flow of the tide, were used as breeding ponds for fishing. Later still, the entire area in and around the fort was filled with factory halls. This involves often polluting industries such as an iron foundry, asphalt factory and oil tanks. The fort has now been restored to its former glory and forms a beautiful nature reserve for recreation.

The oldest fortification in Bergen op Zoom.

The Volkerak is a body of water located southeast of the South Holland island of Goeree-Overflakkee. On the east side of the Volkerak are the Volkerak locks to the Hollands Diep; The Krammer is located on the west side. In the south of the Volkerak, the Scheldt-Rhine Canal to Antwerp begins

A beautifully varied forest, narrow paths, beautiful avenues, along heath fields but also on the edge along meadows and of course De Zeezuiper. You hear and see birds everywhere and if you are lucky you can enjoy the beautiful deer in this area.