The main stream of the Rhein river flows almost due west across Holland as the Waal river. The flow is unhindered by weirs or locks, all the way to the sea, forming the Rhine Delta in the Netherlands. A parallel, northern branch is the Neder-Rijn, which flows into other branches that are a busy highway for commercial barges and cruise ships. A large portion of the flow turns north at Arnhem on the Gelderse IJssel, into the IJsselmeer. Several ancient branches of the Rhein in the Netherlands continue the Rhein name (Rijn in Dutch): Neder-Rijn, Kromme Rijn, Leidse Rijn, Oude Rijn. The Oversteek bridge is shown above, at Nijmegen; note the water-level scales on each of the bridge supports, showing the range of possible flooding. Land has been opened on the north side of the river at Nijmegen to make room for flooding.
Waal river, Netherlands
The Waal river with its many branches and names are all included in the EuroCanals Guide:
Cruising the Canals & Rivers of the Netherlands
A completely new edition is available for 2023.
Hello Tom, Thanks so much for all the work you have done over all these years and your freely offered support, it really is very much appreciated. So much so it has enabled a group of complete amateurs to take a 40 foot steel Dutch motor boat from Arnhem to very close to the Med, all via your guides, and we're still going!! Stay safe. John C.