Arnhem lies on the lower Rhine, with the green slopes of the Veluwe rising immediately to the north, and it is a city that most people know from a single week in September 1944. Operation Market Garden was meant to seize a string of bridges and speed the end of the war; the British First Airborne Division was dropped at Arnhem to hold the last of them, and for nine days a small force fought a hopeless battle against German armour. The film A Bridge Too Far made the story famous. The bridge there was later renamed after Colonel John Frost, who led the troops that held its northern end.
The history is easy to follow. In nearby Oosterbeek the Airborne Museum occupies the old Hartenstein hotel, which was the divisional headquarters, and the Airborne Cemetery has rows of white stones in the quiet. Every September, veterans and their families return for the commemoration, and the town fills with visitors.
For riding, the real treat is behind the city. The Veluwe is the largest forest and heath area in the Netherlands, and Hoge Veluwe National Park, a short run away, has deer, wild boar, purple heather in late summer, and the Kröller-Müller museum with a large collection of Van Gogh. The lanes through the woods are quiet and shaded, and the roads are well-surfaced, but the corners are gentle rather than exciting. Enforcement is serious in the Netherlands, and the limit on many forest roads is low, so ride slowly and enjoy the trees.
Weather swings from bright to showery within the hour, so pack a rain layer. The best months are May to early June and September. In midsummer cyclists multiply on the forest tracks.
Arnhem is big enough for every kind of fuel and food, and its university gives it a good selection of cafes. Park near the riverside and walk to the bridge if you want to stand where the story happened.