Tour of Huizen and surroundings

This route takes you through the natural and water-rich surroundings of Huizen. You will drive along the coast of the IJmeer and Gooimeer. Take the time to have a picnic on a bench and enjoy the views over the water. You also cycle through Blaricum, Laren and Naarden: there is no shortage of beautiful monumental buildings in these beautiful towns. Enough time and desire to experience some culture? Then, for example, visit the famous Singer Museum in Laren, which is on your route. From Laren you cycle into the vast and rolling Westerheide and Bussumerheide. In the southern part of the Bussumerheide you can see the heath fens that were previously used to wash the flocks of sheep. Via the Zanderij Crailo Nature Bridge, the largest ecoduct in the world with a length of 800 meters and a width of 50 metres, you enter the Spanderwoud, a former country estate. The Spanderwoud was originally a production forest of deciduous and coniferous trees, but today you will find a mix of garden styles. It is wonderful to cycle here through the rustling greenery. A little later you exchange the forests for a completely different landscape: the area between the Ankeveense Plassen and the Naardermeer. Here you will see reedlands, swamp forests and of course many watercourses and ponds. The Naardermeer is one of the few natural lakes in the Netherlands. The lake was drained between 1623 and 1629, but was quickly flooded again to protect Amsterdam against advancing Spanish troops. Another failed reclamation followed at the end of the nineteenth century, and in 1905 the lake was the first purchase by Natuurmonumenten. At the edge of the lake you will pass the De Onrust mill, a polder mill dating from 1809. The mill is still used by Natuurmonumenten to regulate the water level of the lake. In Naarden you pass through the unique star-shaped fortress. Plan plenty of time for your route, because Naarden is one of the best preserved fortified towns in Europe. The fortress has six bastions, a double wall and a double canal belt. The fortress also houses the Dutch Fortress Museum in the Turfpoort bastion. Here you can see what a fortress looked like during use, and you can also view a collection of objects from the period from 1350 to 1945.