Tour De Hoef and Ter Aar

The Nieuwkoopse Plassen are one of the last extensive lowland peatlands the Netherlands once boasted. You'll find marshes, meadows, flower-filled pastures, and reed beds. And a remarkable tranquility, even by Randstad standards. Along the Meije River, you can see the nearly sixty-meter-high white water tower from 1932 from a distance. This iconic national monument is also known locally as Pietje Potlood (Little Pencil). You'll also drive past the Langeraarsche Plassen, which were created in the sixteenth century by peat extraction. This bird-rich nature reserve still contains several marshland forests. Along the Amstel and Kromme Mijdrecht rivers, you'll have a magnificent view from the dike over the picturesque polders with their expansive grasslands, ditches, and old farmhouses.