Amsterdam to Zyfflich (Germany): cycle route

A cycle route across the Netherlands, from Amsterdam to Zyfflich, the nearest place in Germany. You need a whole day for this route, in summer, preferably with west or north-west wind, or no wind at all. Return by train from Nijmegen, the last train back to Amsterdam is at 22.39. (The 23.09 train to Utrecht connects to Amsterdam, but never rely on the very last train). It is 129 km from Amsterdam to Zyfflich, and then 10 km back to Nijmegen station. If you want to spread the route over two days, Amersfoort is the best place to stop on the first day. Section Amsterdam-Amersfoort revised February 2008, section Amersfoort-Nijmegen revised April 2008. Comments and errors to zyfflich@chello.nl.

The route is close to a straight line (only 34% longer than the great circle distance), yet it passes through several historic towns and cities, such as Weesp, Amersfoort, and Nijmegen. It crosses several landscapes of the Netherlands, such as the reclaimed peat bogs and lakes in the west, the glacial ridges, and the Rhine flood plains. It also takes you to somewhat less fascinating places, where no tourists ever come, such as Veenendaal and Zetten. You pass shops about every 15 km. Before you start, check the weather forecast, the weather radar and the weather map.

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Central Amsterdam to the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal

go into the Damstraat, to the right of Hotel Krasnapolsky, at Café Zwart. Go on along this narrow street, which changes its name at each bridge

at the metro entrance (in the Nieuwe Hoogstraat section), turn right along St. Antoniesbree straat. Go on into Jodenbree straat.

after the Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten (art college), turn left into Uilenburger steeg, then on along Nieuwe Uilenburger straat. The artificial island of Uilenburg was once a slum area.

cross an iron lifting bridge, go on along Peper straat. At the end, turn right along the main road, Prins Hendrik kade.

after the bend, at the Scheepvaart Museum (Maritime Museum), turn right, following the cycle sign for Almere.

at the end of this road, turn right, and then left (follow cycle signs for Almere), past the windmill De Gooyer.

turn left at the traffic lights, onto Zeeburger dijk, again follow cycle signs for Almere. Be careful turning left at this crossing!

at the bend in the Zeeburger dijk, 100 m before the traffic lights, turn left - follow the sign for Almere.

cycle past the wooden-fronted new housing, toward the arched bridge ahead, and turn right along the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal - again follow the sign for Almere.

Along the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal to Weesp

pass right the 1990's housing of Diemen-Noord: visible across the canal is the newest suburb, IJburg. After the last apartment block, there is is open land on the right.

pass under the triple-girder bridge of the motorway A1, the main route toward the east of the country. Continue along the canal bank to the next bridge, a rail bridge, about 1 km further.

just before the arched rail bridge, turn right, up to the bridge: follow the sign for Almere/Weesp. Cross the 4-track bridge, originally 2-track. (This is the 1874 Amsterdam-Amersfoort line, which carries the trains to the east of the country and Berlin).

continue along the cycle path parallel to the rail line, away from the bridge, don't turn back toward the canal.

1 km after the bridge, continue on this side of the rail line, follow the sign for Almere. (Don't turn under the rail line at the first underpass).

After the bend new housing is visible ahead: there are plans to fill this entire polder (Bloemendaler Polder) with housing, joining Weesp to Muiden. This issue is typical of the planning conflicts around all Dutch cities.

pass Weesp station: at the roundabout, turn right, through the underpass under the rail line.

150 m further, turn left along the waterside road. This is the river Vecht which once flowed into the sea at Muiden. (Roadworks, early 2008: the footpath is open).

The Vecht is a distributary of the Rhine. In its original course it, diverged at Utrecht from the Kromme Rijn, itself a distributary of the Nederrijn, Lower Rhine, which you cross later. Distributaries are characteristic of a river delta.

at the next corner, turn left across the lifting bridge, to continue along the river, along Hoog straat.

turn second right into Slijk straat, at cafe 't Gat van Weesp. Then turn second left into Weesper plein / Nieuwstraat. Food: shops.

pass the late-mediaeval church of Weesp (1462). At the Town Hall (nr. 41, built 1776, now a museum), turn right. Cross the bridge, and turn left along the canal (Nieuwstad).

16 km from Amsterdam.

continue along Nieuwstad. After the last house, you can see a windmill on the left: turn next left into Utrechtse weg, toward the windmill.

The water here, and the grassed mounds, are the moat and bastions of fortified Weesp. Weesp was originally controlled by the Bishops of Utrecht, but was conquered by the Counts of Holland. They fortified it as a border town, at first a defence against Utrecht, and it retained a defensive function until the Second World War. It formed part of three successive defensive lines, the Holland Water Line in the 17th century, and the New Holland Water Line and the circular Stelling Van Amsterdam in the 19th century. The wooden houses at the beginning of the Utrechtse weg were built inside the military zone, on condition that they could be set on fire in wartime.

Weesp to Hilversum

at the end of Utrechtse weg, turn right into Lage Klomp weg (the other road here is a dead end).

at the end of Lage Klomp weg, cross the the main road (N236), and turn left, on the cycle path.

cross the lifting bridge over the Vecht, and then turn right, follow the sign for Nederhorst den Berg (and the number 40 in a circle). Use the cycle path.

The numbers in circles, on the low signs, are the nodes of a cycle route network, this one is for the Gooi region. The routes are not signposted by destination, but from node to node. At each node the simple signs indicate neighbouring nodes, and a map of the network.

after 1,6 km, turn off left onto Goog pad, follow the cycle sign for Hilversum (and node 39). After about 400 m, the cycle path follows the shore of a lake, Spiegelpolder plas

about 2 km on, the cycle path turns away from this lake, to another lake (Ankeveense plassen). The church spire of Ankeveen is visible ahead, across the other lake.

stop here, at the corner: cross the small wooden footbridge on the left, and go to the two benches with a view of the lake. This is a classic lake landscape of the western Netherlands.

The lakes were created by turf cutting from the late Middle Ages onwards. Around 800 AD, the landscape consisted of uninhabited peat bog, from the coastal dunes inland to the Gooi ridge. It was above sea level, with natural drainage. As the bog was reclaimed for farmland, the soil shrunk, making river dikes necessary, and windmills to drain the land into the river, which was now higher than the land around it. Turf cutting further lowered the ground level, and flooded turf cuttings became new lakes. Some were reclaimed again, from the 17th century onwards. Sources for settlement and landscape history of the region include Atlas Amsterdam (1999, C. Dijkstra, M. Reitsma, A Rommerts. Bussum: THOTH), and the provincial survey Monumenten Inventarisatie Project Noord-Holland published by the Provincie Noord-Holland.

go back from the benches, and continue along the cycle path, toward node 39. Pass a small brick building beside a weir: it is a pumping station, Gemaal de Googh.

just after the weir, at the signpost, turn left across the narrow footbridge: follow the sign for Hilversum (and node 38). Continue along a narrow footpath (Bergse pad).

at the end of the path you are on the village street of Ankeveen: turn right, toward Hilversum. Ankeveen is a linear settlement typical of the reclaimed peat bogs: the land was reclaimed in regular patterns.

500 m on, at the junction, go on toward toward Hilversum. Cycle on along this road for 2 km, to the village of 's-Graveland.

at the end, cross the bridge, and go straight on into Ankeveense Pad, beside nr 40a (no street name sign here).

Like Ankeveen, 's-Graveland is also a linear village, built along a canal. It was a favoured place to build country houses for the 17th-century elite of Amsterdam. The name means "the Count's land", the s-apostrophe is a relict genitive case, absent in modern Dutch.

at the end of Ankeveense Pad, turn right, at the sign for Hilversum (sign number 1678). Go on another 40 m, and stop. This road is slightly higher than the fields, which you just passed. Here it forms the landscape boundary between the former peat bog, and the generally forested Gooi ridge.

turn off left here (i.e., 40 m from the Hilversum signpost) onto the cycle path, and into the Spanderswoud nature reserve (Goois Natuurreservaat Spanderswoud). There is no other sign here.

cycle straight on through the wood.

The wood is on sand and gravel, in fact the small hillocks are former sand dunes. West of the landscape boundary, in the early Middle Ages, there was nothing but bog, creeks and mud flats from here to Haarlem. The marshlands of Holland were one of the last areas in western Europe to be settled. The Gooi ridge is a glacial ridge pushed here by the Saalian Ice Front - the edge of the Scandinavian ice cap during the Saale ice age, about 200 000 years ago. The ridge extends to the Rhine at Rhenen: the section east of Utrecht is known as the Utrecht ridge, Utrechtse Heuvelrug. The line of sand ridges, marking the edge of the Saalian ice sheet, is cut by the Rhine channels, and continues through Nijmegen, to Kleve in Germany.

at the end of the path, you are on the Bach laan at the edge of Hilversum. Go straight on into Mozart laan, access closed for cars.

30 km from Amsterdam.

keep left at the first crossing, on along the Mozart laan, past the expensive houses of this upper-income neighbourhood. Pass the Godelinde School (primary school). At a grassed oval roundabout, the Mozart laan ends: go straight on along the Beethoven laan.

at the end of Beethoven laan, go straight on to the Kruger weg, in front of you at right angles. Beethoven laan used to be connected to the Kruger weg, but access was closed and shrubs planted. Use the footpath to the left.

turn left along the Kruger weg, the inner ring road of Hilversum. 200 m on, pass an 1893 water tower - this is the highest point in Hilversum, at 27 m.

go on along the inner ring road. 300 m after the water tower, turn right into the Hoge Naarder weg, the old high road to Naarden.

pass (left) the yellow brick Hilversum Town Hall - a prominent example of early 20th century Dutch architecture, by Willem Marinus Dudok.

go straight on, follow node 55 at the next corner.

the Hoge Naarder weg ends as a 10-m section of cycle path. Turn left here, sign for node 55: this is the 's-Gravelandse weg.

go on past the shops, but use the cycle path on the left side of the road. Go straight on past the front entrance of the ABN-AMRO 'Financial Centre', toward node 55. (The ABN-AMRO has been acquired by other banks, so the name here may change).

between the Medden and Benk shops, you enter Hilversum's main square, Kerkbrink. A brink is common grazing land in a settlement, the equivalent of 'village green' in English. On the square are the main church (Grote Kerk) and the old Town Hall, now a local museum. (The sign with node 55 is beside the museum steps).

from Kerkbrink, turn left, between Medden and De Slegte, into Kerkstraat. Follow the pedestrian sign for Station. Step off your bike in this shopping street. Approaching the C&A store, keep right - again follow the sign for Station.

at the end of Kerkstraat, cross Groest, straight on into Spoor straat, the old railway (spoorlijn) street.

Groest is a tree-lined former village high street. Hilversum is not a historical city, but rather a village, among the heaths of the Gooi ridge. It never received city rights, and some people still call it a 'village', although it has 84 000 inhabitants. For centuries, due to the poor soil, sheep grazing and wool-working were the most important activities. Hilversum began to expand in the late 19th century, when the rail line from Amsterdam attracted wealthy commuters to the area. In the 1920's and 1930's, it became the centre of broadcasting in the Netherlands, and the economy is now dominated by the media and related sectors.

at the end of Spoor straat is the station area, under redevelopment. Turn right along the road here (Schapenkamp, no sign here), at the office building nr 130.

at the traffic lights, turn left under the rail line, through the underpass (Beatrix tunnel).

Hilversum to Baarn

pass under the A27 motorway: continue along the cycle path, follow the low cycle sign for Baarn. (The 'mushroom' cycle signs are 40 cm high, each is individually numbered, and the numbers are shown on good cycle maps).

37 km from Amsterdam.

continue along Zandheuvel weg, you are now in the Province of Utrecht. The forest ends, this is the northern edge of the Gooi ridge.

pass a tree nursery (Groene Paviljoen), then follow sign for Nieuwe Vuursche cycle route, and turn right into Wildenburg laan, past the entrance gate of the tree nursery. You turn right at the 'mushroom' sign (nr 24056), even though no direction is indicated for this road.

continue to the grounds of Groeneveld Castle, now a national centre for nature and landscape. Just after the small car park, at the sign 'Welkom in De Vuursche', turn left along the cycle path. Follow the hexagonal sign for cycle route Heel de Heuvelrug Ronde 6.

follow the path on alongside the ornamental lake. At the end, turn right: you are at the front of the 'castle', a 17th century mansion. It was built at the boundary between the ridge and the grassland of the Eem valley. (You can rest in the grounds, open to the public).

cycle away from the front of the castle, along the tree-lined former avenue, now a cycle path. At the end of the castle grounds you can see the first houses of Baarn.

cross the main road, and turn right, the wrong way, along the cycle path. Go toward Restaurant Greenfields and the petrol station.

pass the petrol station forecourt, and immediately go through the gate in the fence, at the faded sign for van Heemstra laan. The gate has a barrier to deter cyclists.

go straight on along this road through Baarn, along the van Heemstra laan, and then Eemnesser weg.

Since the coming of the railway, Baarn has been an upper-income town, especially because of its association with Soestdijk Palace (on the outskirts) and the royal family. (Queen Beatrix went to school here).

at the roundabout in front of the police station, turn right, into Nieuw Baarn straat. At the shops, at Café De Karseboom, turn into Laan straat, the old village street of Baarn.

continue along the Laan straat, a shopping street: food.

at the end, at the square with the bandstand, keep right past the church, then go toward the HEMA store. In front of the HEMA, turn right along Brink.

43 km from Amsterdam.

continue along Bos straat, then go straight on, across Java laan, and on along Ooster straat, an old road out of Baarn.

about 1 km on along Ooster straat, the old houses stop. Pass 1960's flats: this is the low-income end of Baarn

after the last block, at the corner of Ooster straat and Dotterbloem laan, turn right onto the cycle path (beside the pond). At the end of the path, go straight on along Zuring laan.

at the end of this street, there is cycle bridge on your left. Turn left, follow the sign for Amersfoort, across the small bridge, into open countryside.

Baarn to Amersfoort

The land is low-lying, and was regularly flooded in historic times, although the Eem is a short river. Between the high ground of the Gooi/Utrecht ridge, and the high ground of the Veluwe, is a low-lying area, the Gelderse Vallei. A channel of the Rhine once flowed through here, and if the Rhine dike west of Wageningen broke, then the Rhine would again flow into the Eem, causing widespread flooding. Even earlier, before the Saalian glaciation, the river Maas flowed through the valley: the ice sheet deflected its course. (After Amersfoort, this route goes through the Gelderse Vallei, along its main drainage canal).

pass Grote Melm, a cluster of historic farmhouses on the bank of the Eem.

continue along the road parallel to the rail line. To the right is the village of Soest, built on the edge of higher ground. Visible ahead is the spire of the old Amersfoort cathedral, the Onze Lieve Vrouwe Toren.

The apartment tower is the northern point of Amersfoort, the city extends north-south, and you are looking at it 'from the side.' Because of its visibility, the Amersfoort spire was used as the centre point of the triangulation of the Netherlands. It is the true origin point of the national grid, located at 52° 09' 22.178 north, and 5° 23' 15.5 east.

further on, the road (now Hilhorst weg) turns away from the rail line, and then goes under a power line. At the end of this road, turn left into Amersfoort, through the industrial zone of Isselt.

go straight on to the traffic lights, and cross the main road (Amsterdamse weg), into the residential area of Soesterkwartier, into Plataan straat.

on Plataan straat, turn third left into Noorderwier weg. Further on, this is the main street through Soesterkwartier.

after the shops, you pass an 11-storey pink/yellow block, Puntenburg. Here, go right, along Puntenburger laan.

continue to a cycle underpass under the rail line. The station/river zone here, a former industrial area, is being redeveloped.

go under the rail line, and immediately up the steps on the right. At the top of the steps, facing the rail line, turn right, use the cycle path. Pass the old station of Amersfoort ( Amersfoort NCS, the white building at nr 15). The station was relocated in 1904.

go on to the river: due to construction work there may be a diversion for cyclists ('Doorgaand fietsverkeer').

cross the cycle bridge over the river Eem - alongside the rail bridge. On the right is the Koppelpoort - a preserved late-mediaeval city gate. Turn right, under the city's coat of arms, into the historic centre of Amersfoort.

Amersfoort grew up around a ford on the river Eem, formerly called the Amer. The Eem is formed by five streams draining the Gelderse Vallei, which meet here. The ford was just east of the higher ground of the Gooi ridge, on the easiest route across the low ground, to the high ground of the Veluwe. The flow of the Eem was later diverted around the city to avoid flooding, and the water now flows through a modern drainage canal fed by the Vallei kanaal, which this route later follows.

go along the canal, the old course of the Eem. This was the city's harbour.

at the end go left, then right, onto the Nieuwe weg. Cross the next bridge, then turn left along Havik (canal).

go right from Havik into Lavendel straat. At the end of this street, you are at the main square, Hof.

about 55 km from Amsterdam.

turn left, go past the church, into Zevenhuizen.

cross the Lange straat, the main street of Amersfoort, straight on into Nieuw straat. (Lange straat is the old main road from Utrecht to the eastern Netherlands and Hannover, the road which crossed the ford in the Eem).

at the end of Nieuw straat, turn left along Muurhuizen, the street is named for its wall houses built on the remains of a city wall.

Amersfoort was part of the Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht within the Holy Roman Empire. It was granted city rights in 1259, and the first circular city wall was completed around 1300. When the city expanded and constructed a new wall in the 15th century, houses were built backing onto the old wall. The territory of the Prince-Bishop of Utrecht - the Sticht - comprised the Nedersticht around the city of Utrecht, and the Oversticht ('over' the IJssel river). Later the Counts of Gelre/Geldern acquired the Veluwe region, cutting the Prince-Bishopric in two. The three territories gave rise to the modern provinces of Utrecht, Gelderland, and Overijssel.

stop at nr. 59, go into the archway beside this house. (The next house after nr 59 is numbered 99). Cross the cobblestone bridge, over the former moat (of the early city wall).

from the footbridge, turn left and then right, into Sint Andries straat.

at the traffic lights, cross the Stads ring, the inner ring road of Amersfoort. Go straight on into Heiligenberger weg, an old road out of Amersfoort to the south.

go straight on, along the newer, wider, section of Heiligenberger weg - on past the Alliantie Eemland office.

about 1 km after the ring road, pass a hospital (right), and go on over the A28 motorway. The wooded area after the motorway bridge is Heiligenberg itself, 'Saints Hill'.

pass left the country house Lockhorst (now offices), and at the traffic lights turn left, into Burgemeester de Beaufort weg, follow the cycle sign for Stoutenburg.

Through Leusden to the Vallei Kanaal

at the roundabout, go straight on to the local shopping centre (cafeteria, bakers, supermarket). Last food for 20 km!

follow the cycle path past the shops, and on to the Ashchatter weg, cycle sign for Achterveld. Go straight on along the Ashchatter weg, to leave Leusden.

after the last houses, cross a bridge, and turn immediately right along Kanaal weg, alongside the canal. Follow the mushroom cycle sign for Veenendaal.

This is the Vallei kanaal - the main drainage canal of the Gelderse Vallei. It drains into the Eem at Amersfoort (north of the historic centre).

Along the Vallei Kanaal to Veenendaal

The present form of the canal here dates from the 1930's, but the canal was originally cut between 1473 en 1481, under David of Burgundy, son of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy and Bishop of Utrecht from 1456 to 1496. The canal was known as the Grift or Grebbe, the name Vallei Kanaal is recent. The opposite bank of the canal appears to be higher, but in fact the ground level is the same on both sides. This section of canal was enhanced as a defensive line in the 1930's, by building a raised bank with bunkers. The defensive line itself, the Grebbelinie was first built in the 18th century. It was an inundation defence on the flank of the Utrecht ridge, flooding the land to the east of the Grift in wartime. (That is, the land on your left, about 3 m above sea level). The Grebbelinie was the site of the main fighting in 1940, during the German invasion of the Netherlands. Parts were briefly refortified by German forces in 1945, as Allied forces advanced from the east. The land east of the canal was kept free of buildings, to provide a clear field of fire, and it is still relatively open landscape. The Gelderse Vallei is an area of intensive pig and poultry farming, and a stronghold of orthodox-Calvinist Protestantism.

6 km along the canal, at cycle sign 24229, pass a weir with fish ladder. The water is flowing northwards towards Amersfoort, you are cycling uphill very slowly (about 6 m rise from Amersfoort to Wageningen). The tree-lined raised road (left) is a compartmentalisation dike - for dividing sections of inundated land in wartime.

cross the N224 main road, continue along the path. About 9 km along the canal, at the crossing with Nieuw straat, at the stone cone, is a good place to stop and rest.

after cycle sign nr 24235, there is no asphalted cycle path on this side of the canal. You can walk along the grassed canal bank, but is is easier to turn right over the bridge, and after 200 m left, along De Steeg. (This road runs parallel to the canal).

at the end of this road, you are at the rail line Utrecht - Arnhem, the main line to Germany (opened 1845). Turn left, cycle sign for Veenendaal.

cross the canal again, and go on 500 m to the level crossing at Heuvel steeg. Turn right across the rail line, then left along the parallel road - that is its name, Parallel weg.

after 2 km, the road goes uphill: stop at the crest of the hill, 75 km from Amsterdam. This is the Emminkhuizer berg - an isolated glacial feature.

Although it is only 22 m high, and about 15 m above the surrounding land, the 'hill' at Emminkhuizen is the only higher ground in the Gelderse Vallei. It was settled early, partly because it was safe from flooding. From here you can see the higher ground on both sides of the valley.

after the hill, the road turns away from the rail line, south toward Veenendaal. Pass a small cattle-feed factory, and go on under the motorway.

450 m after the motorway, turn left into Veenendaal, at the cycle sign, along Munniken weg. After 100 m, the Grift - the older name for the Vallei Kanaal - is on the left of the road.

Through Veenendaal, back to the Vallei Kanaal

100 m after this crossing, turn right into Dahlia straat.

at the end of Dahlia straat, just before the supermarket, turn left along Panhuis. Food: supermarket, and more shops in the centre of Veenendaal (another 5 minutes).

cycle straight on, continue along Zand straat, the old east-west road into Veenendaal. At the square with the metal sculpture, it crosses the Hoofd straat ("main street"). There are more shops in the shopping centre, behind the sculpture. This is the centre of Veenendaal - about 80 km from Amsterdam.

go straight on, along Hoog straat, no sign here.

at the end of this pedestrian street, you need to go on in a straight line into Verlaat, but there is a construction site directly ahead. Turn left and then right (cycle sign for Wageningen). past the construction sites. Pass Apotheek Zwaai plein: you are then on Verlaat (no street name sign here).

go straight on away from the centre, along Verlaat and then Vallei straat, a long straight road out of Veenendaal.

at the end, at the blocks of flats, follow the signs for Wageningen, and go through the cycle underpass tunnel.

turn left at the end of the tunnel (cycle sign for Wageningen). The cycle path follows the Vallei Kanaal once again, here it is called Bisschop Davidsgrift.

Veenendaal to Wageningen

at Meent dijk, the road turns away from the canal. At the next corner, turn right, back towards the canal, cycle signs for Rhenen and node 27.

back at the canal, cross the bridge and immediately turn left, cycle sign for node 27.

follow the cycle path alongside the canal, on through open country, for 2 km. At cycle sigh 20602, turn left across the bridge, follow the sign for Wageningen. The canal forms the provincial boundary here, and you enter the Province of Gelderland.

1 km further, turn right at the T-junction, along Veen steeg, a long straight road lined with trees, sign for Wageningen.

As you cycle along this road, you can see the high ground on both sides of the the Gelderse Vallei (Rhenen and Wageningen). The valley is about 8 km wide, but although the Rhine flowed through it, it is not an Urstromtal. The valley floor was not cut: the high ground on both sides was raised by glacial action.

Veen steeg bends left: just before the bridge, turn left along the tree-lined canal. The buildings at the edge of Wageningen house food technology and biotech firms: the research themes of Wageningen University.

Through Wageningen to the Rhine ferry

go straight on, use the cycle path. Cross the N225, the main east-west road. 300 m on, turn left into Wal straat, over a bridge, to the historic centre of Wageningen.

The bridge crosses the old city moat: the line of the bastions has been restored here. Wageningen is built at a strategic position, where the western edge of the Veluwe ridge meets the Neder Rijn, the Lower Rhine. The town was fortified from the Middle Ages as the western outpost of the Duchy of Geldern (Gelre in Dutch, see map). The Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht, across the Gelderse Vallei, was a rival of Geldern. (Three of the 'quarters' of Geldern became part of the Netherlands in the 17th century, and form the modern Province of Gelderland. The fourth is now divided between the Province of Limburg and Nordrhein-Westfalen). The Rhine dike protecting the Gelderse Vallei, meets the higher ground just east of Wageningen: the dike is also an old highway from Utrecht via Rhenen, and Wageningen controlled this route to Arnhem. The line of the city walls and bastions can be seen on the map, forming a rectangle.

go on along Wal straat. past the street map. 200 m after the bridge, turn left into Hoog straat. There is no street name sign at this corner, follow the sign for Markt/Kerkplein.

continue along Hoog straat (high street), the old highway to Arnhem, and now the main shopping street of Wageningen.

The historic centre of Wageningen was largely destroyed in May 1945, as Canadian forces advanced toward the western Netherlands. (The Ruhr was surrounded first, and then a part of the Allied armies turned north-west to enter the Netherlands).

go straight on: at the end of Berg straat, after the last shops, pass Hotel De Wereld.

Since the 1950's, Dutch schoolchildren have learnt about the dramatic events here on May 5th 1945: Generaloberst Blaskowitz surrendered the German forces in the Netherlands to the Canadian General Foulkes and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands. Ending five years of German occupation, the surrender at Wageningen is remembered as effecting the liberation of the Netherlands. Every year there is a major commemorative ceremony here. The only problem is, that the surrender never happened, a fact which was known to historians, but only widely reported 50 years later. No surrender was necessary, since all German forces in the Netherlands and northwest Germany had surrendered to Field Marshal Montgomery, on the previous day. Both Foulkes (who later became Chairman of the Canadian Chiefs of Staff ) and Prince Bernhard (who was originally German, and needed a patriotic image) later promoted the myth of the "surrender at Wageningen".

from the small square in front of Hotel de Wereld, turn right into Veer straat. (There is no street name sign, go past Grill 'Jeruzalem'). Veer straat, 'ferry street', is the old road to the ferry over the Lower Rhine.

at nr 19 go left: this is still Veer straat.

at the end of Veer straat, continue along Veer weg, follow the sign (with the ferry icon) for Zetten.

Veer weg is the exact edge of the Veluwe ridge, where it meets the flood plain of the Lower Rhine. The road is about 12 m above sea level: in a major flood, the water will come up to the right-hand side of the road. The Nederrijn or Lower Rhine is one of the the two main channels of the Rhine, which splits as it enters the Netherlands. The other is the Waal which this route crosses later at Nijmegen. Together with the Maas they form the main river barriers between the north and south of the Netherlands. There was no land route between north and south until 1868 (rail line from Utrecht to 's-Hertogenbosch).

about 200 m after the last houses, turn right along Veer dam to the ferry, Lexkesveer - about 95 km from Amsterdam.

The ferry here exists since the Middle Ages, perhaps replacing an earlier ford. The river bank may not be in exactly the same place, but in Roman times this was the main channel of the Rhine, forming the boundary of the Roman Empire or Limes Germanicus.

Through the Betuwe

go on from the ferry, to the main river dike. The land outside the dike - the uiterwaarden - is flooded when river level is high. The Rhine peak flow is in the spring, fed by melting snow in the Alps.

go straight on (road sign for Zetten). Go down from the dike, and turn right after 200 m, into Hemmense straat.

about 2,5 km further, pass a park on the left, with a small lake. In this park are the ruins of Hemmen castle and the restored herb garden. The castle was destroyed during the Second World War, the Betuwe was a front-line during the winter of 1944-1945, after the failure to seize Arnhem. There are benches in the park, a good place to stop and rest.

just after the park, turn left into Hemmen, along Molen straat.

at the church, turn right into Dorps straat, and pass through the small village.

Hemmen is an early-mediaeval settlement, built on an oeverwal - the raised bank of a former Rhine channel. It was formerly a small municipality, with its own town hall/post office, at Dorps straat 9-10. All the villages in the area, and the former castles, are on similar low ridges: some farms are built on a terp. Until the river dikes were built, the Rhine regularly flooded most of the region. This eastern half of the Betuwe, known as the Overbetuwe, was inhabited by Romanised Batavians in the Roman Empire: a temple and a Roman road were found at Elst, 11 km east of here. The area is now a single municipality, also called Overbetuwe.

towards the end of the village, the road bends right. After the bend, turn next left along Zettense pad, the path to Zetten.

at the end of the path, go straight on past the primary school, and then turn right along the village street of Zetten. Food: baker, cafetaria and supermarket in the centre of the village, about 400 m further.

go straight on, on out of the village, along Stations straat. Continue along the cycle path to the rail line, and the small station of Zetten-Andelst.

cross the rail line, at the level crossing at the end of the station.

This line, opened 1882, once carried international trains, but got left behind when traffic was concentrated on main lines between cities. It is not electrified, and has an hourly passenger service from Tiel to Arnhem.

cycle uphill to cross the new rail line, the Betuwelijn

The Betuwe line is a new purpose-built rail freight line, starting in the Rotterdam port zone. It connects near Zevenaar to the main line to the Ruhr but improvement of the connecting line has not yet started. The line massively overran its budget, leading to a parliamentary inquiry.

cross the A15 motorway: it runs parallel to the Betuwe line from Rotterdam to Germany. Go straight on, toward Andelst.

stay on this road, which by-passes Andelst, don't turn off into the village itself. About 1 km after the motorway, pass the town hall of Andelst, an ugly two-story office building with a spire.

300 m after the town hall, turn right onto Waal straat, cycle sign for Nijmegen (don't turn into Rozen straat here). Cycle on out of the village, and on towards the motorway embankment, planted with trees.

at the end of Waal straat, 2 km on, you are on the dike of the river Waal, beside the motorway bridge (north-south A50 motorway).

106 km from Amsterdam.

Along the Waal dike to Nijmegen

Much of the dike has been reconstructed flowing the 1995 flood. The dike almost broke at Ochten, 15 km downstream, and the entire Betuwe was evacuated for a week.

2 km further on, pass a tree-lined lake in the floodplain (this is all under water during flood). Ahead, you can now see the Nijmegen power station.

4 km along the dike, pass the small white church of Slijk-Ewijk, with a bench (just below the dike) where you can rest.

pass the suburbanised village of Oosterhout, on the opposite bank are the power station, a container dock, and the locks of the Maas-Waal canal.

9 km along the dike, after the power lines, pass a war monument

The monument commemorates the United States 82nd Airborne Division and other Allied forces, who crossed the Waal here during the Battle of Arnhem on 20 September 1944. The monument lists the US soldiers who died during the operation: remember it when you get to Zyfflich.

continue and go under the rail bridge: a new cycle bridge has been built alongside it, on the eastern side. On the opposite bank is the old waterfront of Nijmegen.

Through Nijmegen

This is the old road from the east into the city, possibly since Roman times. Nijmegen is a Roman city - Ulpia Noviomagus Batavorum - and probably the oldest city in the Netherlands. Later it was a Frankish and Carolingian centre, and a mediaeval trading city. From the Roman period only archaeological traces survive, and many older buildings were destroyed by bombing and shelling in 1944, but the city still has around 700 historic buildings. Since the late 19th century the city has expanded, especially since the opening of the (originally Catholic) university, in 1923. Nijmegen is built on the northern slope of a glacial ridge, where it meets the Rhine flood-plain.

go down the escalator, go on 20 m, and then turn right toward the city centre. Go straight on into the Lange Hezel straat, passing the Kronenburger Park (once part of the city defences).

go uphill along the Lange Hezel straat and the Stikke Hezel straat, into the centre. Food: some restaurants here, at the corner of Hessenberg traditional patat in paper, opposite a small supermarket, HEMA food shop at Grote Markt, in the main shopping streets mainly fast-food. (After Nijmegen you pass no more shops).

pass through the Grote Markt, the historic central square of Nijmegen. Behind it is the 13th-century St Steven's Church.

118 km from Amsterdam.

go on along the Burcht straat, now the main shopping street, passing at nr. 20 the restored Stadhuis (city hall, 1555).

go straight on, past the open space at Kelfkensbos, past the blue facade of the city's Valkhof Museum. 100 m after the museum building, turn left into the park behind it, at the snackbar/kiosk Hunnerpark (pedestrian sign for Hunnerpark/Belvedere).

go on along the footpath with the four statues, in front of the city wall - this is the only intact section. Nijmegen was heavily fortified for most of its history, and the city walls were maintained until the late 19th century. In this small park, Hunnerpark, you can stop to rest.

go left through the gap in the city wall, under the small arched bridge. Then turn right along the path, to the Belvedere tower - now a restaurant. From the platform, there is an excellent view of the Rhine flood plain.

This was once a defensive tower, at the point where the plateau slopes down to the river. Across the flood plain you can see Arnhem, the two green buildings are at Arnhem station. Arnhem is built, like Nijmegen, at the edge of the glacial ridge. It was formed as one ridge, and the Rhine originally ran north from the Rhine Gorge, and did not flow here. Diverted by the ice in the last Ice Age, the river flew east, and it cut through the older glacial ridge. Until the Middle Ages, the Rhine flood plain was occupied by meandering channels over its entire width, here about 15 km. When the rivers were enclosed by dikes, the present double channel was fixed, see this satellite image. Below the tower is the 1936 Waal road bridge.

to leave Nijmegen, you first go under the Waal bridge. From the Belvedere go back along the path, follow the sign for Centrum, past the Museum entrance. Go along the right-hand edge of the square (with the wooden benches), to the blue sculpture.

at the sculpture, make a U-turn right, downhill, follow the sign for Waal kade. Go on under the bridge, the road then turns to the right.

300 m after the bridge, turn left onto the Ooyse dijk, follow the cycle sign for the LF3b Maas route. Pass the 1933 German-Dutch pumping station, which drains the left-bank flood plain north of Kleve. Here, at the edge of the Nijmegen plateau, the river dijk starts again.

Through the Rhine flood plain to Germany

cycle on through the Ooij polder, the name for the Netherlands section of the flood plain.

The river dikes never protected the area entirely, and it was often flooded when dikes broke. In the 1990's, plans were made to use the entire area as a flood retention basin, sacrificing it to save more populated areas downstream. See the map at hoogwaterplatform.nl, the website of the plan's opponents. Since the Netherlands can only use its own territory in this way, a large new dike would be built along the border. Earlier, in the 1950's, the Ooij polder was planned for defensive inundation, in case of a Soviet invasion (see De Ooijpolder: een tragisch paradijs).

3 km on along the road, pass through Persingen, the 'smallest village in the Netherlands'. On the right at the church, there is a picnic bench where you can stop to rest.

Persingen is built on higher ground, a donk - former river dunes formed during the last ice age, the Weichsel glaciation.

700 m after Persingen, at the St. Hubertus weg, turn right, sign for Beek.

after 600 m turn left, into the Alde Wetering weg, sign for Wylerbergmeer.

at the corner of the sports fields, turn left, follow the LF3b sign and the sign Wylerbergmeer. At the end of the sports fields, go straight on along the cycle path, again follow the LF3b sign.

pass a turnstile gate - the rear entrance to a recreational park around the small lake, Wylerbergmeer. The lake is unexpectedly scenic, with a view of the forested hill Duivelsberg, Devil's Hill.

after this gate, cross two bridges, one wooden, one concrete. Just after the second bridge, turn left, along an unsurfaced track through the fields. There are no signs.

after 500 m, you reach a grassed dike, about 2 m high, at right angles to the track. The dike segments the flood plain, but it is evidently no longer in use, since there is a gap in the dike. This is the Querdamm: the name is in German because this is the border with Germany. There is a border marker: 641A.

The border with Germany is open, under the Schengen Agreement, and permanent border controls have disappeared, except for freight traffic. There are random checks by police near border crossings, and occasionally at the border itself.

go through the gap in the dike, and straight on: the road is called Zum Querdamm. The houses along this road form the village of Zyfflich. Like Persingen, it is built on an east-west ridge in the flood plain, the road is about 5 m higher than the land on either side.

at the fork with the cross, keep left, along Zum Querdamm.

after 2 km, you enter the 'centre' of Zyfflich, at the café, the church, the village hall, and some benches with a map of cycle routes, on the grassed space in front of it.

Zyfflich may have been settled in Roman times. Apart from the farms, there is nothing else here: all shops and services are in Kranenburg, a small historic town on the Nijmegen-Kleve road (about 7 km from Zyfflich), or in Kleve itself. The village is part of the Gemeinde Kranenburg. The village is known locally for the storks, which have nested here for most of the last 10 years. The stork was once common along this part of the Rhine, but disappeared during the first half of the 20th century. (To see the storks, go into the Leuther strasse, from the cafe: the nest is 100 m further, on the right).

go to the church to see the war memorial with the names of the local dead.

You are in another country, with a different history: these are the people killed by the 82nd Airborne, and other allied troops. They were 'the enemy' for the Dutch and their American allies, but many have Dutch names, and would have had relatives across the border. Like so many borders in Europe, it divided an older regional cultural unity.

you are 129 km from the Dam in Amsterdam - from here you turn back to Nijmegen.

to return, go back back along Zum Querdamm, starting beside the benches.

go back through the gap in the dike, onto the unsurfaced road. Turn left when you reach the asphalted cycle path. Go over the bridge, and on along the cycle path.

go on past the sport fields, and then turn right, follow the LF3a cycle route sign.

at the end of Alde Wetering weg, turn left toward the traffic lights, again follow the LF3a cycle route sign.

cross at the traffic lights, and then turn right, on the cycle path alongside the main road to Nijmegen.

If you want to avoid the main road, turn right at the end of Alde Wetering weg, and then next left, and go back through Persingen.

continue along the cycle path, and then the parallel roads, beside the main road. You are almost in central Nijmegen, but it does not look like it, because the road is at the foot of the ridge, next to the flood plain, and there are few buildings.

at the end of the parallel road, first cross the main road, then continue along the main road on the cycle lane, uphill.

at the top of the hill, you are back at the city centre, opposite Hunnerpark. Follow the cycle signs for Venlo, onto the inner ring road, the St. Canisius singel / Oranje singel.

go straight on along this road, to a very large roundabout (Keizer Karel plein). Go straight on here, past the corner with the VVV tourist office, onto the Van Schaek Mathon singel (no name sign at the corner).

at the end of this street, 10 km from Zyfflich, is Nijmegen station, the end point of this route.