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Two beautiful old Hanseatic cities in one route! Deventer and Zutphen are a picture. They are connected by the mighty IJssel. You will find plenty of peace and varied nature in the IJsselvallei. You can experience a lot of cultural history in the historic city centers of Deventer and Zutphen.

The old Hanseatic city of Deventer is a beautiful gem on the IJssel with a historic center and one of the five oldest cities in the Netherlands. The center of the city is formed by the Brink, an elongated market with trees and terraces that invite you to linger. Here you will see De Waag , a beautiful museum from 1531. At the Grote Kerkhof you will see the old town hall and the Lebuïnus Church. What a wonderful atmosphere. At KP 24 you take the ferry across the IJssel in a beautiful area of the IJssel floodplains. You will pass the Bolwerksmolen , a saw mill from 1863. The mill has an octagonal upper gate with scaffolding and was registered in the register of national monuments in 1968. You cycle through the old farmland of the Wilpse  Clay, where old farms are located on mounds. Nijenbeek Castle, also known in the area as Het Hooge Huis, is a ruin on the banks of the Voorsterbeek, an old bed of the IJssel. The castle played a major role in the Duchy of Guelders, in the uprising against the Spanish and the resistance against French troops. But at the latest it was the Second World War that definitively turned the castle into ruins. The castle was probably built around 1230. You follow the IJssel all the way to Zutphen . Take some time here to enjoy the historic atmosphere. You will find plenty of monuments and nice museums here. This Hanseatic town has one of the best preserved old city centers in the Netherlands. The Berkelpoort is a water gate and part of the Zutphen city wall and located on the eastern edge of the city center, over the small river Berkel. The gate was built in the 14th century to connect the two settlements on both sides of the Berkel. The picturesque town of Warnsveld has an intimate village center and is located on the edge of beautiful nature reserves. In the center of the village is the Martinus Church with a tower from the 11th century.

At KP 43 is Huis de Voorst , a stately 17th-century house in a beautifully varied landscape. There is a special garden behind the house. Further on you cycle past Sluis Eefde , a lock complex located in the Twente Canal and a national monument from 1933. The lock at Eefde is the shipping connection between the IJssel and the Twente Canal and is also used for water management in the East of the Netherlands.