Along the Vinkeveense and Loosdrechtse Lakes

Water, water and more water: this route takes you through the unique old lowland peat area on the border of Utrecht and Holland. In addition to beautiful nature, you can also enjoy historical sights here.

Vinkeveense Lakes
The landscape around the Vinkeveense Plassen is still nice and rugged. From the cycle path you have a beautiful view over the water and the former peat fields where peat was once laid out to dry. Demmerik was probably founded by descendants of Danish Vikings who retreated to this area in the eleventh century. As you cycle through Demmerik, you can see from the long and transverse farms that the hamlet still looks like an old peat village.

Loosdrecht Lakes
At the Loosdrechtse Plassen you have beautiful views, so get off to enjoy the surroundings. In Oud-Loosdrecht you can still see many monumental farms and houses from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries on the dike. On the meandering Vecht you will pass old country estates that were built in the past by rich Amsterdam merchants.

Amsterdam position
There are two forts from the Defence Line of Amsterdam on your route. The Fort in the Botshol is the only one in the Defence Line of Amsterdam to have retained its defensible earthwork from 1895. The Fort bij de Nigtevecht is a national monument from 1904. During the Second World War, the fort served as a storage place for goods that had been looted by the Germans. Due to its location on the canal, they were able to transport the goods to Germany via inland vessels.

The fort is nicknamed the Knakenfort, because it was used for storing coins for a number of decades. In the moat, an old bridge was replaced by a dam that could carry the weight of the heavy trucks with money.