Stegeren: Walking Routes, the Vecht and History

Walking routes, riverside scenery and historical remains give you concrete points of reference for considering Stegeren as a destination for your stay. If you are looking for a hotel in Stegeren, you can base your choice on which of these themes matter to your trip. The routes vary in length, surface and scenery; the area’s history ranges from prehistoric burial mounds to memories of resistance during the Second World War.

Walking routes from Stegeren

Five walking routes start from Stegeren; their starting point is at Coevorderweg 19. The Boswachterspad Arriër-Esch also starts there, at Café Restaurant De Bootsman, Coevorderweg 19, 7737 PE Stegeren. There is no public transport stop near the café. If you plan to arrive by public transport, take this specific starting point into account when planning your trip.

The yellow route from Stegeren is a flat, 4.7-kilometre circular walk. It runs mostly through woodland and over unpaved ground. The information about terrain and surface describes different aspects: the route is flat, but not paved throughout. In places, the route follows Wolfveldseweg and Stegerdijk. You can use its length, the amount of woodland and the surface as concrete points of comparison when choosing a walk.

The Vecht landscape and nature at Junner Koeland

The Stuwenroute crosses the Vecht at the weir between Junne and Stegeren. Near the hamlet of Stegeren, it can be extended with a circular walk of about three kilometres. This runs through the former esdorp and across centuries-old pastures along the Vecht. The described extension therefore combines a riverside route with a glimpse of the historic settlement pattern and pastoral landscape.

Junner Koeland is nearby, between the hamlets of Arriën, Junne and Stegeren. The present-day nature reserve managed by Staatsbosbeheer covers about 100 hectares. There is a ten-kilometre walking route there, as well as a shorter 2.5-kilometre walk. A route of about three kilometres to Junner Koeland starts at Stegerdijk in Stegeren. The different distances give you a practical guide to the length of each walk described.

Junner Koeland is also a specific place to go birdwatching: more than 70 breeding bird species can be found in the area, and the best way to observe them is from a birdwatching hide. If you would like to combine nature and local history, the walking routes and landscape offer different perspectives on the area without needing to combine them into a single walk.

Local history and visible traces

Stegeren originally developed as an esdorp and was mentioned in 1244 as “boerscop Steygeren”. The scattered farmsteads are connected by Stegerdijk, which ends in a large loop at the farm ’n Oeverdincken. Stegerveld was once an extensive heathland and marsh area where sheep grazed and peat was cut. These historical details place the landscape in a time frame: today’s appearance sits alongside earlier patterns of settlement and land use.

Dozens of prehistoric burial mounds are still visible in the landscape around Stegeren. Staatsbosbeheer restored the burial mounds at Calsum in 1999. These two details point to different aspects of the area’s past: the mounds that remain visible today and a restoration with a specific date. If you are interested in archaeological traces, you can consider the history of the landscape as well as its walking routes.

The resistance monument in Stegeren commemorates the Salland resistance group from Vroomshoop. From August 1944, the group used a drop zone near the village called “Evert”; around fourteen airdrops took place near Stegeren during the war. The monument shows silhouettes of an aircraft, parachutes and military personnel. The events it commemorates and the motifs depicted make the site another way to explore Stegeren’s history.

Discover more destinations: Arrien, Giethmen, Lemele, Beerze, Vilsteren, Dalmsholte, Ommen, Beerzerveld.

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