Alphen aan den Rijn, Zwammerdam and Boskoop

This route lets you experience that in the middle of the busy Randstad there is also room to enjoy a quiet and rural bike ride. Nowhere else than in the Groene Hart can you experience traditional Dutch polders. Lakes and meadows filled with cows stretch hundreds of meters in front of you, occasionally interrupted by a ten-mile road and always separated by endless ditches lined with pollard willows or wooden quays. Here and there you see a mill, the icon of the Dutch polder landscape. Explore the largest of the twenty National Landscapes in the Netherlands: National Landscape Het Groene Hart. In 2004, an area of over 180,000 hectares was recognized as internationally rare and had unique features and designated a National Landscape. The rural character forms a sharp contrast with the surrounding Randstad. The area is important for many birds. Black-tailed godwits, lapwings and oystercatchers escape the hustle and bustle of the city and hide among the grasslands, while ducks float on the water in the ditches. At junction 93 in Zwammerdam it can be a bit of a break when the Jostiband is practicing. The largest orchestra for the mentally handicapped has its home base here. A perfect starting point for the bike tour is at Van der Valk Avifauna in Alphen aan de Rijn, in the middle of the Green Heart of the Randstad and where the car can be parked easily and for free. Start the outing festively with a coffee or tea and something tasty from the pastry display. When you return from the tour, you may simply feel like seeing more of the area. We recommend that you discuss a room then because route 138546 also departs from this location. A pleasant afternoon outing can suddenly turn into a relaxing cycling holiday. Well hidden between the famous tree nurseries of Boskoop and Reeuwijk, the Lansing nature and recreation area measures 4 hectares. The official channels only report a polder area, but owner and former grower Jan van Leeuwen has spent decades creating a true paradise for nature lovers. Thanks to many adjustments and improvements, the area looks as if it has existed for hundreds of years. The area has now been discovered as a breeding ground by buzzards and long-eared and tawny owls. The kingfisher takes advantage of the mild winters and raises young. The arrival of old trees also provides bats with a resting place. The deep and usually clear water also contains about ten species of fish. There are carp that can grow to over 30 pounds. The arrival of fish attracts cormorants, who can sometimes be admired up close. The banks are richly overgrown with wood and with rough herbs such as fireweed and queen herb.