Kwintsheul – de Zweth

Directions

Navigation system address: Zwet 1D, Kwintsheul. This is the address for the cafe/restaurant/recreation centre de Zweth. As you are using the parking facilities of a catering business, it is of course good manners to order something there before or after your walk.

You could also park just before the Veilingroute bridge (navigation system address: crossing of Hooghe Beer and Lange Wateringkade, Kwintsheul).

The prettier places to walk are along the river, a few kilometers left and right of the Zweth Paviljoen.

Catering

I love love love de Zweth Paviljoen. Here’s why:

Dogs are welcome inside and out. In fact, the owner has the friendliest ‘Vriese Stabij‘. Neither myself, nor my dog, could tear ourselves away from that charismatic dog.
The pavillion has really cool deco (with grapevine on the ceiling and a terrace overseeing the water). The signposts in the establishment are Western-style engraved wood, for added character.
Ideal for children, and the playground even has a pirate ship and a trampoline!
You get access to lots of recreational activities there, with canoes and pedaloes for rent, for example. You can also play crazy golf if that takes your fancy.

Offleash area

Officially, none at all, and if your dog does’t have a perfect recall, I definitely wouldn’t do it – what with all the traffic.

What is so special about it?

The Zweth Paviljoen is one of the dog-friendliest places I know. It is also really to cool off and enjoy a drink and a round of crazy golf, canoe or pedalo trip.

There is a couple of really friendly horses. Their field is fenced off with a beautiful old-style wooden barrier. You can see them just after the Velingroute bridge and the bend on the Wateringsekade (as the road name changes to ‘de Zwet’), as you head for the Zweth Paviljoen from Kwintsheul centre.

What to look out for

There is no pavement and no cycle lane, so ALL road users have to share the one narrow road: cars, motorbikes, horse-drawn carriages, huge groups of cyclists, hikers, etc. Not one second goes past before you are asked to move aside. To compound the problem, it is one of the region’s most popular for race cyclists. As you walk past the Zweth pavillion, the road becomes a cycle lane, and bike traffic intensifies further there.

You cannot do a round tour. As the walk follows the water, you will eventually have to backtrack on yourself.

If your dog is traffic-reactive, it’s not a great idea to take him there as you have to walk under and along the really busy Veilingroute.

The view is not all that, as the landscape is interrupted far too often by ugly city skylines, greenhouses and busy roads.