Country houses and lakes route
The Buitenplaatsen en Plassen cycle route is a succession of beautiful water and nature areas, Dutch landscapes with windmills, historic farms and centuries-old castles and country estates. It is a, versatile route that offers plenty of room to stop off for a refreshing dip, delicious lunch or visit the Vechtstreek Museum or Slot Zuylen.
Plassen
From the starting point you cycle past Utrecht's largest windmill, which drained the Polder van Westbroek, and the smallest, for the Polder van Buitenweg. A little further on are the Maarsseveense Plassen, a versatile recreational area where you can take a refreshing dip or, if it's really too cold, stop for a snack. You then cycle on to the Loosdrechtse plassen a wonderful area for cycling and enjoying the beautiful nature. The route goes along a dike, right through the lakes area.
Buitenplaatsen
Het…
The Buitenplaatsen en Plassen cycle route is a succession of beautiful water and nature areas, Dutch landscapes with windmills, historic farms and centuries-old castles and country estates. It is a, versatile route that offers plenty of room to stop off for a refreshing dip, delicious lunch or visit the Vechtstreek Museum or Slot Zuylen.
Plassen
From the starting point you cycle past Utrecht's largest windmill, which drained the Polder van Westbroek, and the smallest, for the Polder van Buitenweg. A little further on are the Maarsseveense Plassen, a versatile recreational area where you can take a refreshing dip or, if it's really too cold, stop for a snack. You then cycle on to the Loosdrechtse plassen a wonderful area for cycling and enjoying the beautiful nature. The route goes along a dike, right through the lakes area.
Country houses
The second part of the cycling tour goes along the winding Vecht with many seventeenth-century country houses along its banks. These were mostly built by Amsterdam merchants who wanted to escape the city in the hot summers to spend them in the peace and clean nature. The Vecht was a perfect place for this, because of the good train barge connection that brought visitors from the heart of Amsterdam to the country house in a few hours. As many as 200 of these summer houses were built on the banks of the Vecht, and although more than half have been demolished, there are still plenty left to enjoy even today.
Here are some of the beautiful country houses you will cycle past along the way:
- Loenen aan de Vecht is home to Nieuwerhoek, a country estate built in the 17th century by the Hoek family, an Amsterdam Baptist merchant family.
- On Zandpad in Nieuwesluis, next to node 02, stands a former Pupil School from 1877, now in use as a women's prison.
- Also in Nieuwersluis is the beautiful 18th-century Rupelmonde. Its façade features statues of Neptune and Mercury.
- Nijenrode Castle was built in 1250 by Gerard Splinter van Ruwielt. The fortified residential tower was named Nijen Rode, meaning 'new reclamation'.
- Buitenplaats Doornburg belongs to the nuns of the Holy Sepulchre, who built a modern convent next door in the Bossche School style in the 1960s.
- Vechtensteijn is a large white house with a striking green roof. It was built in the mid-1930s.
You are going to see this
-
-
35
-
45
-
62
-
-
73
-
48
-
-
49
-
27
-
-
28
-
26
-
7
-
25
-
2
-
-
84
-
87
-
Vechtstreek Museum Maarssen
Vechtstreek Museum Maarssen
Vechtstreek Museum
Diependaalsedijk 19
3601 GH MAARSSEN
-
46
-
79
-
45
-
35
Description
This route follows the white-green signs of the junction network.
- 35
- 45
- 62
- 73
- 48
- 49
- 27
- 28
- 26
- 7
- 25
- 2
- 84
- 87
- 46
- 79
- 45
- 35