Along the Lower Rhine between Amerongen and Rhenen

The best of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug can be seen during this bike tour. Both the Amerongen and Zuylestein forests still exude an atmosphere of old estates. Forests are intersected by long lanes. In these forests you will find the pine marten, the bat but also many special ground beetles. Various plant species give this part of the sand ridge a varied appearance. The Amerongen forest is located on a 69 meter high mountain and is one of the oldest parts of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug forest. You park your car at Cafe Restaurant Hotel De Buitenlust. This is how you start the tour over the southernmost part of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug and cycle to De Burgwal, located on the edge of Amerongen. Here three sheepfolds have been built close together. A sheepfold is a kind of stable and served as shelter for sheep that grazed on the heath. In the past, heather sods were used in a sheepfold, from which very fertile stable manure was eventually made. A sheepfold was multifunctional. The fields were raised by using manure. These fields were eventually called essen, or engen. Most sheepfolds have an authentic appearance and the bleating inhabitants are often a rewarding sight to look at. These sheepfolds are therefore a nice tourist attraction. Amerongen Castle, which has existed since 1286, is located on the south side of Amerongen. On 20 July of that year, Floris van Holland declared that Henric and Diederic Borre van Amerongen would be his men of fief to build the original house. Over the years, the castle has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. The current castle was built in the Dutch Classicist style, which was common at the time. It was originally a fief and later it was used as a country house and as a show house for noble families. A thorough restoration took place from 2002 to 2011. After your bike ride, you will return to Cafe Restaurant Hotel De Buitenlust, where you can enjoy a snack and a drink. You can take a seat in the cozy cafe or on the pleasant terrace, where you can catch the last rays of sunshine of the day. In addition to the dishes from the menu, you can also order a daily special, which will taste even better with a cold beer or a good glass of wine. If you really want to get away from it all, you can book an overnight stay at the hotel and use the arrangement with route 148526.