Linge

thumb|Location Linge river near Eldik|thumb thumb|Linge river near Beesd The Linge is a river in the Betuwe that is 99.8 km long, which makes it one of the longest rivers that flow entirely within the Netherlands.

The river starts near the village of Doornenburg near the German border. A legend tells us that if pigs no longer forage at the castle of Doornenburg, the river will dry up. The Linge flows to Zoelen, a small village north of Tiel, and from there it meanders west through the Betuwe, to empty in the Boven Merwede near Gorinchem. Until Geldermalsen, the river is little more than a small, canalised stream. From Geldermalsen on, however, it takes the appearance of a real river complete with dikes and small floodplains. The Linge provides idyllic spots at old towns like Asperen and Leerdam as the picturesque city walls are still in place on the banks of the river.