Route Maas and Waal

The Land of Maas and Waal offers you an unforgettable day of cycling. You drive through an idyllic environment of romantic farmlands, dike houses, outdoor polders, floodplains and of course lots of water. Because this area is literally between the Maas and Waal rivers. Dike breaches and flooding have clearly left their mark. Such as fertile river clay on which many types of fruit trees grow that give the environment a fairytale tint in the spring.

From the start and end point just below Afferden you drive north towards the Waal. You follow the river downstream via a winding dike. You have beautiful views of the river, old dike villages, the floodplains and the polder landscape.
Just above the village of Veluwe you pass the Driedijkenpunt. A unique point, because normally river dikes do not cross each other. However, three river dikes come together at this location: the Maasdijk, Waaldijk and the Heerewaardense Afsluitdijk, which separated the Maas and Waal around 1900.

You are now driving along the Maas upstream past villages such as Alphen aan de Maas and Maasbommel. You pass Tot Voordeel en Genoegen, a flour mill from 1798. A little later you drive through De Gouden Ham. In this nature reserve the river is given more freedom and space, so that one of the largest and wildest nature reserves in the Netherlands is being created here. Konik horses and Galloway cattle graze in the floodplains.

You cycle past the village of Appeltern, known for The Gardens of Appeltern. This park is approximately 15 hectares in size, and you can view more than 200 different example gardens here. New gardens are created every year, for example in 2015 there is a garden in honor of Vincent van Gogh. A little further on you can visit the De Tuut steam pumping station.

The route also takes you through Batenburg, one of the oldest towns in Gelderland. The historic center, which includes a castle ruin, is a protected cityscape. The many white plastered farms that you see in the town are striking, some dating from the late Middle Ages. Just outside Batenburg there is an unnamed closed flour mill from the eighteenth century.
This route, just like routes 200166 and 200170, is offered to you by FietsNED, the mobile bicycle maker. FietsNED's Innovam-certified mechanics are happy to come to you with their mobile workshop. You can make an appointment for repairs and periodic maintenance of your bicycle. FietsNED also provides roadside assistance, bicycle insurance and a business service. For more information and conditions, visit www.fietsned.nl