Fort route near Polder and Vechter-Oudwulverbroek

With this fun bike tour through the province of Utrecht, you cycle through Houten and along the Lek, which forms the border of Utrecht above Vianen. You cycle through the bustle of the built-up area and follow the Lek for a while. Look out over the river Maas. The water can be wild, but also mysterious and soothing. Cycling along the banks, looking out over the gigantic mass of water, this ancient force of nature will awaken something in many tourists. The first start of the leak occurred around 200 BC, but the stream only became really active around the year zero, when it started to discharge Rhine water. When the original Rhine course was dammed in 1122, the Lek began to resemble the undulating main stream it is today. The first written sources mentioning the river date from the second half of the eighth and the first half of the tenth century. Then the watercourses are referred to as'Lokkia(m)\\\' and'Loccham\\\' During the cycle tour you will encounter three historic forts, which are part of the New Dutch Waterline that was constructed in the second half of the nineteenth century. This defense line, which replaced and improved the Dutch Waterline of the eighteenth century, protected the land behind it. The area could be flooded in a controlled manner, making shipping and crossing the area on foot or horse impossible. Where water could not be regulated and at strategic points, massive forts were built that could house hundreds of soldiers. The threatening effect of the line often proved sufficient; the forts have rarely, if ever, been mobilized. The first fort on the route that you encounter when you leave the free parking lot at Bunnik is the Werk aan de Waalse Wetering. The fort was built in 1875, with a barracks and an artillery depot in the wall. The fort had room for 94 soldiers and ten guns. This made it relatively small. The fort keeper's house is also nearby. The next fort is Fort't Hemeltje, or Fort bij't Hemeltje, which was built between 1877 and 1881. It defended the beginning of a strip of land next to the Wulvenbroekse Wetering, where the water was not regulated and where the railway line from 's-Hertogenbosch to Utrecht had to be defended. It was the last fort of the Dutch Waterline to be built. The fortress had a bastionet-caponier in the moat, with casemates and low flanks for the moat flanking. These were accessible through posterns. The Fort at Vechten was built from 1867 to 1870. Within the moat, the fort covers seventeen hectares. From 1950 to 1996, Fort Vechten was used by the defense for the storage of metal and rubber inner and outer tires. Since the fort became the property of Staatsbosbeheer in 1996, it has been used for recreational purposes. Camping is possible, parties are held and various outdoor events are organised. Guided tours are given during the summer period.