Tour of Rhenen, Elst (Wapen van Elst) and Amerongen

The best of both worlds is combined in this cycle route: the wooded southern area of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug and the watery environment of the Lower Rhine. Between the trees of the Prattenburgse Bosch and the southern part of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug you will find beautiful animals, including the pine marten, the red bat, but also many special ground beetles. Various plant species give this part of the sand ridge a varied appearance, while around the banks of the banks of the Lower Rhine you will find a completely different type of recreation. Sailors, canoeists, surfers and pleasure boats give the river a pleasant atmosphere. When you cycle over the dikes, you will see beautiful farms and smell the scent of the fruit orchards on the fertile banks.

The former Mars, Lede and Overwaard polder district used to suffer from a lot of nuisance from rain and seepage water. To promote the drainage of this water, a water mill was built in De Marsch in 1758. More than a century later, the mill was in need of a major restoration. At the time, the polder council wanted to have the mill demolished because it was no longer profitable to leave it standing. The then owners of the mill protested and had the mill renovated anyway. In 1884 this mill burned down completely. It was then decided to build a large round stone mill. This ground sailor was restored in 1956. Nowadays, milling is done in circuit. Because the polder still has a summer and winter level, this also still affects the circuit.

At Rhenen you cross the Lower Rhine. One kilometer after you leave the water behind you, you will find the Binnenmolen. This tower mill from 1893 replaced the original post mill that stood here. For the construction of the Binnenmolen, parts of its predecessor were used. A number of windows were made in the roof to allow the mill to function as a watchtower. Since then, people have also spoken about the'Panorama Mill\\\' when talking about the Binnenmolen. The mill was slightly damaged during the Second World War. There was a large hole in the stone hull from a cannonball. This hole was later made into a round window. The mill was restored in 1970, after the Utrechtse Molens Foundation bought the mill.

The country estate of Prattenburg is located on the edge of Veenendaal. The estate covers over 430 hectares and consists largely of forest. On the estate there is a house with a castle-like appearance, built in 1887. The estate was mentioned for the first time in a document from 1474, but at that time a farm was still mentioned. It is unknown exactly when the farm was replaced by the estate called Prattenburg. Take a break here at the Wapen van Elst for a snack and a drink before continuing with the second part of this bike tour. You cycle over the southernmost part of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug to De Burgwal, located on the edge of Amerongen. Here three sheepfolds have been built close together. A sheepfold is a kind of stable and served as a shelter for sheep that grazed through the heath. In the past, heather sods were used here, which eventually turned into very fertile farmyard manure. This is how they became multifunctional. The fields were raised by using farmyard manure. These fields were eventually called essen, or engen. Most of these locations have an authentic appearance and the bleating residents are often a rewarding sight to look at. They are often nice tourist attractions.

On the south side of Amerongen is Amerongen Castle, which has existed since 1286. On July 20 that year, Floris van Holland declared that Henric and Diederic Borre van Ameringen would become his loan men to build the original house. Over the years the castle has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. The current castle was built in the Dutch Classical style, which was common at that time. Originally it was a feudal house and later it was used as a country residence and as a stately home for noble families. A thorough restoration took place from 2002 to 2011. There is a cozy terrace in front of the stables with a view of the castle.

At the end of the route is the Op Hoop van Beter mill. The mill was built in 1893 on the site of a former flour mill. This did not catch enough wind due to its low construction and was demolished; the new mill is therefore considerably higher. It was not until 1922 that the mill's rods were lowered, the hood and scaffolding were removed and the motor-driven milling operation continued. In 1985 the mill was completely restored and made operational. Nowadays, the miller still produces around 800 kilos of flour per week with this mill, which goes to bakers in Rhenen and Tiel.