Discover Vethuizen: Trails, Water and History

Vethuizen combines open countryside with marked trails, water and tangible traces of its history. The Kemnaderoute runs for twelve kilometres through the rural area around Braamt and the hamlet of Vethuizen. Its length provides a clear framework for planning the day’s hike. This framework concerns the distance, not a fixed walking time; breaks can be planned according to your own pace. Those who want to include exercise and water in their travel plans can list the Kemnaderoute and the Kemperplas as separate points of interest. The Kemperplas remains a separate point of interest associated with Vethuizen.

Marked walking trails and a cycling route towards Zeddam

The Kemnaderoute is signposted with signs showing orange footprints. The Rafelderroute provides additional guidance, with markings consisting of blue footprints. Those who want to distinguish between the two trails when planning can use the colours as a practical reference: orange belongs to the Kemnaderoute, while blue belongs to the Rafelderroute.

Cyclists will also find a specific point of reference: the cycle route to the Hulzenberg observation tower passes through Vethuizen in the direction of Zeddam. The Hulzenberg observation tower is the destination, while Zeddam is the indicated direction. For a cycling tour, this route complements the marked walking trails with a different mode of transport. The direction of Zeddam provides the cycling tour with a clear geographical reference.

Water and cuisine in Vethuizen

The Kemperplas at Hoge Veldweg 4 in Vethuizen is designated as a public bathing area. Havezathe Carpe Diem offers a culinary option: a five-course surprise menu made with fresh, seasonally inspired ingredients is served there. Guests who are not staying at the hotel are also welcome to dine. Alongside the bathing area, the five-course menu provides a culinary focus for planning the day.

Mariakapelle, open-air mass and Groot Vethuizen

The Mariakapelle chapel on Holthuizerstraat (Lange Wei) in Vethuizen is designated as a municipal monument and is also a striking feature of the open countryside. For several years, the parishes of H. Gabriël and Maria Laetitia (Doetinchem and surrounding area) have held an open-air mass there on 15 August. For those interested in culture, the chapel provides a specific point of connection between the landscape, its status as a monument and a religious date.

Groot Vethuizen also tells of an earlier use of the site. The estate was once established as an outlying farm of Bethlehem Monastery. It was a remote agricultural outpost where lay brothers and several monastery priests practised farming and livestock breeding. In the oldest documents, the estate is mentioned as “Havezathe Groot Vethusen”. The ditches around the Groot Vethuizen farm were filled in around 1900; the drawbridge was also removed during this period.

Another specific reference to the local history is the farm at Langeboomsestraat 1 in Vethuizen, which is designated as a municipal monument.

If you would like to consider other destinations for your trip in addition to Vethuizen, you can use these places as a guide: Stokkum, Montferland, 'S-Heerenberg, Braamt, Didam, Zeddam.

Back to the overarching travel overview: Montferland.