Cycling along the Vecht and Lakes area

Cycling along the Vecht is like a journey through history. You cycle past medieval castles, fortifications, tea houses and country houses of wealthy merchants from the 17th century. The Vecht, now an attractive river of no significance for commercial shipping, was the most important link between the hinterland and the Zuiderzee in the Middle Ages. We will also pass Slot Zuylen. The medieval castle was converted into a country house in the 18th century. The most famous resident was the writer Belle van Zuylen. Slot Zuylen has been open as a museum for 60 years. Concerts, events and tours bring the past to life. The second part of the route goes along the busy Loosdrechtse Plassen and smaller Maarseveenseplassen. A beautiful route along the water with enough disembarkation points to enjoy everything that passes you by. There are numerous'country places\\\' along the Vecht. In the Golden Age, wealthy people fled the urban worries and sought refuge on the banks of the Vecht. This is how we pass the Otterspoor estate. Otterspoor was built in 1643 as a simple farmstead and is located on the east bank of the Vecht, north of Maarssen-Dorp. An engraving (print of an image that is made on a metal plate) made between 1650 and 1654, depicting many houses, homesteads and buildings of the"Heerlijcheit van Maarsseveen\\\" located on the east side of the Vecht , shows the simple farmstead. The abundance of water also makes recreation excellent. Once back in Oud-Zuylen you follow the same route back to Utrecht. This cycle route is offered to you by VVV Utrecht. For more information about the region, go to www.bezoek-utrecht.nl.