Along the Lek: between Ameide and Schoonhoven

First a cup of coffee at Restaurant Rivero Schoonhoven and then you put on your walking shoes. This route takes you along the banks of the Lek through Schoonhoven and the old fortified town of Nieuwpoort. You cross the river Lek twice with a ferry. Around the year 1000 this was the most important river for the drainage of the Rhine water. Until the eleventh century there were no dikes and the river flooded regularly. From the dike you have a wide view over the floodplains and the river. Goldsmiths have been active in Schoonhoven since the Middle Ages. In the current streetscape you can still see old monumental silver workshops and silversmith houses. In the town you will also find the Dutch Silver Museum. The old fortifications are clearly visible.