Oud-Zuilen, lakes and estates from Utrecht

Your cycle route starts at Apollo Hotel Utrecht City Center . You can drive out of the city via the cute Oud-Zuilen with the castle of the same name, along the Vecht. Unlike other lakes in this region, the Maarsseveense Plassen were not formed by peat extraction, but by excavating sand for the construction of a new residential area. Yet you can also see plenty of nature here. In the Ruigenhoek recreation area you can not only enjoy the varied natural beauty, but you can also admire the eponymous fort from 1870. You pass Landgoed Oostbroek, a former abbey and manor. You will also drive past Fort Rijnauwen, with 32 hectares the largest fortress of the New Dutch Waterline. The fort was built in the late nineteenth century. Today, the fort and the surrounding area serve as a nature reserve.