River and Romans

The ancient Lower Germanic Limes, is the northern boundary of the Roman Empire and a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2021.

The tour starts in the historic heart of Utrecht, where we ride along the Oude Gracht (Old Canal), with its cafes and restaurants in old warehouse cellars below street level.

We stop at Windmill Rijn en Zon

(Rhine and Sun), a flour mill from 1913. Damaged by storms in 1949 and 1965, it was saved from demolition after the municipality bought it in 1974. Today, it still turns regularly. A new planned restoration should make it possible for the mill to grind flour again.

We cycle along the river Vecht and admire the elegant Slot Zuylen

, a 16th-century castle surrounded by beautiful gardens.

The river Vecht is a part of the New Dutch Waterline, a 19th-century defence system designed to flood polders to repel invaders. Around Utrecht there are 14 forts to protect areas that are too high above sea-level that can’t be flooded. We visit Fort aan de Klop

(1821), now a lively café and campsite.

The two picturesque Oud-Zuylen windmills Westbroekse molen

(1753) and Buitenwegse Molen

Molen (1830) with their waterworks and locks are also part of the New Dutch Waterline. Under normal circumstances the windmills pump the polders dry. Opening the locks inundates the land.

The route continues through Maarssen a village boasting grand country estates: Vechtenstein

, Bolenstein

and Doornburg

. We cross the Vecht in Maarssen

and cycle towards Leidsche Rijn.

Leidsche Rijn is a young late 20th century neighborhood in Utrecht. We cycle through the picturesque Máximapark

, and visit Castellum Hoge Woerd

—a modern recreation of a Roman fort built on the exact site of its ancient predecessor. Castellum Hoge Woerd showcases archaeological finds unearthed during the construction of Utrecht’s new district, offering a glimpse into the hidden Roman past that once thrived along the Rhine.