Belt-Schutsloot: Canals, Walking Trails and Gondelvaart

Water landscapes, walking trails and the Gondelvaart give Belt-Schutsloot a distinctive profile for trip planning. The canoe route runs alongside the village and continues through De Wieden; the Stellingenpad offers stages of varying lengths. If you are looking for a hotel in Belt-Schutsloot, you can decide whether to focus on nature, walking or a stay during the Gondelvaart. Seasonal access and event details that change each year are also important for planning.

Canals and peat bogs in De Wieden

The Belt-Schutsloot canoe route passes through canals, small pools and lakes. Landscape features along the route also include winding canals, peat bogs, reed beds and flower-rich hay meadows. The route also passes a rare stretch of floating fen in De Wieden. Areas with often rare flora and fauna are among the nature features of this route.

The pools around Belt-Schutsloot also offer a tangible connection to the landscape. They include Stobbenkolkje, where yellow water-lily and bogbean grow. This adds a named location and two plant species to the picture of the canoe route without implying that the water bodies follow the route.

Walking: stages and seasonal access

The fifth stage of the Stellingenpad is 19.6 kilometres long and runs from Belt-Schutsloot via Vollenhove to Blokzijl. Along the way, the route is lined by lakes, ditches, dykes, swamp forests, pastures, canals, reed landscapes and floating fens. Another stage, Giethoorn–Belt-Schutsloot, runs through the lowland peat area between Schutsloterwiede and Belterwiede. The two sections show different parts of the landscape; the fifth stage offers a concrete planning reference in the form of its length.

The two-kilometre Beltiger Kuierpad through the De Wieden nature area is considerably shorter. It starts opposite the bridge over the Arembergergracht and includes a hand-pulled ferry for crossing a ditch. The path is accessible each year outside the breeding season; it was reported open on 11 July 2026. Check seasonal access before setting out. This makes it possible to distinguish between the two paths by their length and access conditions, without inferring difficulty from distance.

Getting there and finding your way

Bus route 70 between Steenwijk and Zwolle stops at Belt-Schutsloot, Belterweg. Check the bus service before travelling. For the fifth stage of the Stellingenpad, drivers are advised to use public car park P4 at Belterweg 15; you should also check parking options in advance.

Gondelvaart, reeds and history

Organised by local residents, the Gondelvaart Belt-Schutsloot takes place every year on the second Friday in August and has been running for more than 80 years. The colourful procession of illuminated gondolas with theatrical performances travels through the Schutsloot and onto the Kleine Belterwijde. Check the date and programme for the relevant year if you want to plan your stay around the event.

Reed cutting has also been part of the village’s history for centuries and is visible in the landscape. Boerderij Havezathe de Belt is an 18th-century building standing on older foundations. According to tradition, it occupies the site of a former havezate. The artwork De Melkvaarder depicts a milkman with a pushing pole on a punter carrying milk cans, evoking another image of life on the water.

Discover more destinations: Sint Jansklooster, Vollenhove, Giethoorn, Paasloo, Blokzijl, Steenwijkerwold, Wanneperveen, Ossenzijl.

For the broader travel overview: Steenwijkerland.