Pereboomsgat hiking route

In the State-Spanish War, the land border played an important strategic role. As part of the 'Linie van de Nieuwe Vaart', the Spanish built a pentagonal fort surrounded by water on the Moerspui, an offshoot of the Westerschelde, around 1600. The site could hold 300 troops and included a church, residences and a windmill. When Hulst was captured, the fort fell into State hands and quickly lost any significance.

Today its shape and size can still be recognised from the greenery in the middle of the fields in the shape of a pentagon, although of course it is best seen from the air. If you are looking for an original way to view the site from the air, book a flight in a glider at EZAC, the Eerste Zeeuws-Vlaamse Aero Club, in the municipality of Axel. You can book a flight from mid-April to the end of October.

Het Zand is an offshoot of the border village Koewacht, which since 1830 has consisted of a Dutch and a Belgian part, and was created during the Eighty Years' War. To protect the border, the Spanish built a series of forts: the Line of Communication between Hulst and Sas van Gent. Fort Masereels grew into present-day Koewacht.

It was manned by French mercenaries, which explains the French loanwords in the local dialect, an otherwise bizarre mix of Flemish and Dutch. You can find out for yourself over a hearty pit-stop at Fietscafé 't Zand, a typically Dutch café where cyclists are welcome.

They look like the llama's little brothers, but that doesn't make alpacas any less cuddly. In Alpaca World, not only can you have your picture taken with a woolly friend, but also go on a walk with them through the Zeeland-Flemish landscape. Booking in advance is highly recommended.

To prevent spies, deserters and smugglers from fleeing to neutral Holland, the Germans set up an electric barrier more than two metres high along the Belgian-Dutch border during the Second World War, with six wires under high voltage. Many individuals tried their luck anyway. Many of them touched a wire in the attempt, thereby receiving a 2,000-volt shock and usually dying immediately. The barrier was therefore nicknamed the 'Death Thread'. In 2018, schoolchildren from the area planted a line of crocuses along the former route on the Grote Kreek. Every spring, during March, the white flowers commemorate a piece of history. You'll head past it, here at the little creek on your left, just before you reach the Grote Kreek.