The green of Hilversum

This beautiful route offers you the best of both worlds; the pleasant hustle and bustle of the city and the peaceful nature of a beautiful forest area. Fill your lungs with the fresh forest air of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug. The rolling landscape not only offers beautiful views between the trees, where people already lived in prehistoric times. Camps, ban divisions, death roads, urn fields and burial mounds are no exception in this area. Our cycle route starts at Attent SidB Hilversum and you can park your car for free. Of course you can go to the supermarket for everything you like on the way: from a block of cheese or sausage and a savoury biscuit to satisfy your hunger, to a thirst-quenching apple and a bottle of water. Once you have made your choice, cycle to the museum and castle Sypesteyn. The building is said to have been built around 1288, but the oldest foundations found date from around 1500. In 1589, the house was destroyed by skirmishes and shortly after the ruin was restored, fighting between French troops and soldiers of the stadtholder destroyed the castle again. Around 1900, the estate was purchased by Jonkheer Henri van Sypesteyn. He built a modest ancestral castle on the foundations of the ruins using materials from demolished historical buildings and churches. This castle is set up as a museum about the family, but the museum also houses collections of art and crafts. The castle garden is also beautiful: the park is over five hectares in size and there is a castle garden, but also a maze and an orchard, which are separated by hedges, moats and ornamental fences of old country estates. When you have found your way across the Utrechtse Heuvelrug and return to the city, you can end your journey at the supermarket. Before you head home to rest, you can buy all the ingredients you need to prepare a delicious meal here. This way you can enjoy the wonderful day in the open air at your own dining table.