The Loosdrechtse Plassen and the Dutch Waterline

De Ronde Venen, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Cycling route: 134965

based on 1 reviews

Provided by: Groots Genieten

45.4 km
02:40 h
800 kcal
6 m

Description

This route leads around the Loosdrechtse Plassen with its beautiful nature and past the many forts and defenses that are part of the Dutch Waterline. The Loosdrechtse Plassen form the central part of the Eastern Vechtplassen. This Natura 2000 area is a special protection zone for birds, but also for plants and other animals. The ponds were created because ditches and ponds were dug in the original wet peat to drain the area. The low moors that arose were used as pasture land or for peat extraction. However, the land between the ditches has been excavated over the centuries or washed away by the water, so that the puddles gradually became larger and larger. It is now a popular recreational area with a rich flora and fauna. Castle Loenersloot was first mentioned in 1258. The 13th-century residential tower was expanded in the 18th century and walled up and equipped with battlements in the 19th century. The main building of the castle now houses a collection of wooden furniture and the Utrecht Castles Foundation is located there. The castle is only open to the public in exceptional circumstances. Fort Kijkuit is one of the fortifications that are part of the Hollandse Waterlinie, the defense line that was constructed between Muiden and the Biesbosch between 1815 and 1870. Behind a wall with embrasures and firing slots is a bombproof guardhouse, on top of which is a gun emplacement. The original canal with drawbridge was filled in around 1880. The fort is visible from the public road and the water and only open on Heritage Day. You cycle past Castle Museum Sypesteyn. A house is said to have been built here in 1288, but the oldest foundations that have been found date from 1500. The interior of the current castle is still largely as it was in the 1930s. There is a medieval armory, a Gothic room and a 17th century hall. The visitor can view collections of Oriental and Dutch porcelain. The leafy garden consists of a castle garden, a maze and an orchard, separated from each other by hedges, canals and ornamental wrought iron gates. Fort Tienhoven is also part of the New Dutch Waterline. The fort was built between 1848 and 1850 in the southwest corner of the Loosdrechtse Plassen on the canal to the river Vecht. It consisted of a defensible guard house measuring 15 by 15 metres. In the interwar period, a cast steel dome casemate was placed in front of a heavy machine gun. It is not open to the public.
Bicycle cafe Nice walkers Fort Castle

Height Profile

Directions

# Description Distance
30
30 (1396JV, De Ronde Venen, Utrecht, The Netherlands) 0.00 km
Loenersloot (Kasteel Loenersloot, 3634AL, Stichtse Vecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands) 3.12 km
31
31 (3634AG, Stichtse Vecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands) 3.43 km
52
52 (3633CV, Stichtse Vecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands) 6.46 km
20
20 (Breedstraat, 3633AX, Stichtse Vecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands) 6.63 km
2
2 (3633AJ, Wijdemeren, North Holland, The Netherlands) 8.73 km

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