Cycling from Utrecht

On this trip you stay in Utrecht, taking day trips out to explore the surroundings. On your first day take time to discover the canals and many cosy cafes, national monuments, including the Dom Tower, museums and even world heritages sites. Utrecht is also the town of designer/architect Gerrit Rietveld and Dick Bruna who created the children's books about 'Miffy'. Stay at the Hotel Mitland with Breakfast for 5 nights.

The Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie (1870 - 1940) was an important military defence line in Dutch history. Canals and sluices made it possible to inundate large expanses of land to prvent the advance of enemy troops and vehicles and where inundation was not possible forts were built, blending in with the landscape - these have become local tourist attractions. The 85km length of the defensive line has become a green corridor, where wildlife has flourished due to restrictions on land use and building. You can shorten the route by 5km by taking a ferry at Fort Everdingen, the home of the Duits & Lauret brewery, also a great place to stop for refreshments (B).

Follow the River Vecht to De Haar Castle, the largest castle in the country. Beautifully restored in 1892, in neo-Gothic style, the castle welcomes visitors to tour its stunning rooms and halls as well as the beautiful gardens. Continue cycling to follow the River Old Rhine to the historic fortified town of Woerden then on to Oudewater where you can opt to visit the Weighing Hall (1482) where women used to be weighed to determine whether or not they were witches.

Step on the scales to find out if you would have been deemed light enough to fly on a broomstick. Enjoy the natural scenery along the River Hollandsche Ijssel, which leads to the fortified town of Montfoort and its historical buildings. Follow the River Leidse Rijn back to Utrecht. Today you can shorten your route by 9 km by skipping Oudewater and the smaller rivers (B).

Today's route takes you northwards to the Oostelijke Vechtplassen - the collective name for the 7,000-hectare nature reserve and lake district, created largely as a result of long-term peat extraction and important to many bird species. Cycle along its southern border, passing several New Dutch Waterline forts. Then cycling along the River Vecht, you visit a series of beautiful old villages such as Maarssen, Breukelen, Loenen aan de Vecht and Vreeland.

You eventually reach the Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park where you enjoy panoramic views. The wetlands beyond are also beautiful and tranquil with their very rare habitat type (floating mats of sphagnum mosses and other vegetation, anchored by sedges, on the surface of the water or on top of very wet peat). You can shorten your route by 8 km by skipping Vreeland and the nature reserves at Tienhoven and Molenpolder. Cycle directly to Groenekan instead (B).

From Utrecht, today's route follows the Kromme Rijn and the Langbroekerwetering canal to historical Wijk bij Duurstede. Between the 7th and 9th centuries the city was a centre of international trade that was pillaged by the Vikings. The city has the only drive-through windmill in the world and the ruins of Duurstede Castle and the Castle Park are worth a visit. The nearby St. John the Baptist Great Church is a Gothic pseudo-basilica with an unfinished tower and is a national monument.

The countryside scenery today alternates between meadows, castles, orchards and stately country houses. You also get to cycle through the woods at the edge of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park. On your way back to Utrecht, you reach the town of Doorn and its impressive castle, Slot Zeist, surrounded by a beautiful English landscaped park. You can also take a 5mi / 8km longer route. After Wijk bij Duurstede, follow the 'Limes', the old frontier of the Roman Empire, along the Lower Rhine. The beautiful village of Amerongen and Amerongen Castle are worth cycling the extra distance (B).

After breakfast depart from Utrecht (B).