The front part of the Achterhoek

On this route you explore Doetinchem and the nature reserve east of this city in the Achterhoek. You cycle through the typical bocage landscape of this region. You also drive between Doetinchem and Terborg along the Oude IJssel. This watercourse was once a branch of the Rhine. The Oude IJssel originates in Germany and then flows via Doetinchem to Doesburg, where it flows into the IJssel. In the regional language of the Achterhoek, Low Saxon, the river is called the Olde Iessel. The Dutch iron industry emerged along the Oude IJssel at the end of the seventeenth century. Here, iron ore was mined a few meters underground and used as a raw material in local iron foundries. You cycle through the village of Gaanderen where Josias Olmius built the first Dutch blast furnace, an iron mill, at the end of the seventeenth century. He produced bombs, hand grenades and bullets, among other things. You will also drive through the centuries-old Slangeburg Estate, which includes the castle of the same name. The almost 600 hectare site traditionally consisted of wet heathland and forests, but was largely reclaimed on behalf of the lord of the castle and general Frederik Johan van Baer (1645-1713). Van Baer designed the avenue system that still forms a trapezium on the estate. Along these avenues there are centuries-old beeches where bats and pine martens live. Between 1895 and 1945 the castle was owned by the German Passmann family. After the Second World War it fell into the hands of the Dutch state as enemy property. Staatsbosbeheer is rewetting the estate to return it to its former state. The castle now serves as a guest house for the Benedictine St. Willibrord Abbey, which was built on the estate after the Second World War. Guided tours are given. In cozy Doetinchem you cycle past De Walmolen, a rampart and tower mill dating from 1851. It is one of the few remaining monuments in this city, founded in the Middle Ages. A major city fire reduced the center to ashes in 1527. A mistake by the Allies - they thought they were bombing the German city of Isselburg in 1945 - wiped out almost the entire city center. The start and end points of the route are at Hotel Restaurant De Roode Leeuw in Terborg, an industrial town east of Doetinchem. You can enjoy a cup of coffee on the terrace, a drink with appetizers or an extensive dinner in the attractive restaurant. In the authentically warmly decorated hotel restaurant you can completely relax and enjoy a comfortable overnight stay. You can leave your bicycle in the guarded shed and explore the area further on foot. You can also book a golf package here.