Round Hoep route

Recreation area Eiland 1 and Eiland 2 in the Vinkeveense Plassen together form the recreation area Winkelpolder. Both islands are accessible via a bridge. With beaches, a canoe boarding point and restaurants on the water, this is an ideal place for recreation.

On this route you cycle along meandering peat rivers such as the Waver and the Bullewijk, and along the marshes of the Botshol. Along the way you will see the open moorland of the Ronde Hoep polder and you will pass two forts of the Defense Line of Amsterdam: Fort Botshol and Fort Waver-Amstel.

Polder Ronde Hoep used to be drained by windmills. A new pumping station now stands on the site of one of those mills. In the winter months, De Ronde Hoep is an important foraging area for white-fronted and bean geese, spoonbills from the Naardermeer and for purple herons and black terns from the Botshol. Bothol is a true breeding ground for nature with reed land, swamp forest, hay meadows and open water. Many birds breed here, including the bittern and the crown duck.

A few tips

Botshol nature reserve
In the Botshol, a nature reserve of Natuurmonumenten, peat meadows, reed land, swamp forest, meadow birds and water lilies play the leading role. The area is only accessible by canoe or rowing boat and only outside the breeding season. The Botshol route has been set out for hikers, which runs along this beautiful nature reserve.

Fort Botshol
This fort is the only fort of the Defense Line, whose defensible earthenware from 1895 has been preserved. The weak peat soil made it necessary to reinforce the soil with large amounts of sand. The sand body was transformed into defensible earthworks with gun emplacements. The wide flooding made a good defense possible here, so that the construction of concrete buildings was postponed and eventually dropped. Also unique was the bridge, the middle section of which could be removed in times of danger. In the eighties it was replaced by a simple wooden bridge due to its poor condition.
Download the MP3 walking route Botshol (12 km)

Fort Waver-Amstel
The fort was built between 1886 and 1911. The earthworks were started in 1886 and made defensible in 1895. In 1911 the bombproof buildings were completed.
The fort is the only elevation in the open and flat polder landscape. The original interior, such as the kitchen, washrooms and toilets and the electrical installations, from the early 20th century have been well preserved.
The fort is not open to visitors.

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