"Fruity Betuwe-village on the dikes of... " a Driel Travel Page by Pavlik_NL

In the flat country of the riverlands between the Rhine and Waal, Driel is pressed against the dike from where you almost can look over the whole village. The houses are spread throughout a green landscape of fields and treegardens. Only in the village centre houses are in the typical Dutch rows and shops, schools, other public buildings and few churches are rivaling for the interest of Driel's several hundred inhabitants (around 1.200). The village is loosing terrain fast as Arnhem has taken the lands East of Driel and is planning new settling neighbourhood (Schuytgraaf) here that will in total excete far in numbers of citizens then the village itself. Driel itself is calmly awaiting what is coming. Like it always has done.

With the village on one hand, walking along the dike of the Rhine, you will be amazed about a huge wide monster rising up on the other side. Within the riverbed heads, like the one-eyed cyclopses, are standing on two crooked legs. The lights are red. When the lights are however green, a large black ring is sticking out from the water in between the heads. This is one of three regulator dams in the river Rhine and a masterpiece of Dutch water engineering. Just about twenty kilometers upstream the Rhine splits and the IJssel starts running up North. Simply said this dam regulates weather normal amounts or extra amount of water are going into the IJssel (more about this technical wonder in must see activity tips).

The backbone of Driel is agricukture. Surrounding the village are many farms and farm supporting industries. In the "uiterwaarden" (grassy fields within the dikes and along the river) are the cows and sheeps domain. Here the graze juicy grass, which later becomes milk or delivers the nice steak on your plate. But Driel (and the Betuwe) is especially fond of it's fruit tree gardens. Apples, pears and before all others cherries are sold everywhere in the season.