Southern Sea Route Nijkerk-Putten

On the Veluwe, nature and culture go hand in hand. On the northern side of the Veluwe, the former Zuiderzee was both friend and foe to the residents in this area. Income from fishing was accompanied by losses due to flooding. This route shows you how the past lives on in the present. From the Arkemheen visitor centre, the route goes along the Zuiderzee to junction 52 towards Putten. Along the way, you can visit several prehistoric burial mounds. Towards Nulde beach, you cycle past the Putter Steam Pumping Station. This steam pumping station, together with the Hertog Reijnhout steam pumping station, kept the water level in the Arkemheen polder at the right level for many years. Further on, you pass Vanenburg Castle. The twentieth century was extremely eventful for the Vanenburg. After the death of the childless Anna Frederika in 1917, her nephew Hugo 'Joep' Baron van Pallandt squandered the entire inheritance and the Vanenburg was auctioned in 1931. Since then, the house has not been privately inhabited. The castle was used as a holiday camp, as a prison camp for Jews during the occupation, and as a training school for the government's Civil Defense. Due to decay and modernization, the complex was even in danger of being lost. In 1996, the Vanenburg Group moved into the building and restored the castle to its original state. Today, the estate is used as a conference, meeting and hotel accommodation. At junction 30, you can shorten the route to 37 km. Cycle to junction 20, in the center of Putten. Continue from junction 20. Near junction 79 is the Ermelosche Heide Visitor Center. From this sheepfold, you can visit a Roman Marskamp, a rampart that served as protection for a Roman camp with 4,000 soldiers around 170/180 AD. Then you cycle through the Speulder and Sprielderbos, one of the oldest forests in the Netherlands. Between junctions 81 and 56 you will pass the Schovenhorst estate. Take a look at the tree garden and the museum 'De Tien Malen'. In the middle of Putten we find the 't Hert mill. The 't Hert mill is a reminder of the time when the cornfields determined the image of the Puttereng. The mill used to stand like a sentinel at the entrance of the village, looking out for the moment when the grain could be threshed. The mill belonged to the Puttereng and formed the final part of an annual process of sowing, mowing, harvesting and threshing. The last part of the route goes through Nijkerk. This city originated from a living community that built 'the new church', roads and houses and received city rights in 1413. A protective dike was built between the Zuiderzee and the Arkemheen polder. The Arkervaart connected the town with the Zuiderzee © This cycle route is offered to you by Veluws Bureau voor Toerisme/ VVV Putten. For more information about this region, visit www.develuwe.nl