Cycling through the Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park

A cycling tour full of castles and beautiful old buildings of allure, which surround the Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park. This route takes you along the banks of the Nederrijn, through the southeastern part of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park. The sand ridge consists of several peaks that each have their own name. Some of them are higher than fifty meters and on a total surface of approximately 23,000 hectares thousands of trees wave in the wind. This makes the Utrechtse Heuvelrug the largest forest area in the Netherlands after the Veluwe. You will see the best of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug during this cycling tour. Both the Amerongse and Zuylesteinse forests still exude an atmosphere of old estates. Forests are intersected by long avenues. 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-metre-high mountain and is one of the oldest pieces of forest in the Utrechtse Heuvelrug. The first attraction of the bike tour is a castle-like country house in Maarsbergen that was built in 1660. The building was built in the neo-Gothic style. You can look forward to Sterkenburg Castle, which is waiting for you just a few kilometres further. Sterkenburg Castle is the next stop on the route. The oldest mention of this knightly manor dates from 1261. The history of the castle is marked by the brutal murder of Anthonis van Aeswijn in June 1647, which was never solved. Hindersteijn, of which the oldest mention is made around 1300, is privately owned and for that reason cannot be visited. On the estate there is a residential tower that was built at the beginning of the history of the country estate. The castle falls under the Nature Conservation Act of 1928 and is protected as a national monument. Nearby is Lunenburg Castle, which first appears in the historical archives in 1339. Until the end of the eighteenth century, there was still a moat around the estate and the forecourt was built on. Then the moat was filled in, the buildings on the forecourt were demolished and the tower was expanded into a classicist country house. The castle is not open to the public, but garden days are organised every now and then. After four kilometres you will reach Walenburg Castle. This small castle from the thirteenth century is located on a small square island with a second island behind it, on which the castle garden is located. It originated as a knight's manor and was previously also called Walensteyn. The nearby Sandenburg Castle, which was first mentioned in 1391, belongs to the estate of the same name. In 1865, the castle was bought by a count who had the current castle built with the help of an architect. This castle is still privately inhabited by the descendants of the count, the Van Lynden van Sandenburg family. Kasteel Natewisch is nothing more than a sturdy residential tower. It is already very old: the building was built around 1270. At that time it was a much more extensive complex, but over the years only the impressive tower has remained. The last attraction of the tour is Bergestein Castle, which is located a little way off the road. This will take you back to Cafe Restaurant Hotel De Buitenlust. The tour of almost 60 kilometers has undoubtedly made you tired, so we advise you to do nothing in the evening and stay overnight at the hotel. You no longer have to look for a place to eat, because the restaurant at the hotel serves delicious daily specials or a good dish from the menu. With a drink on the terrace, chatting or enjoying a book in silence, you can give your muscles their well-deserved rest before crawling between the fresh sheets.