The Romans were water engineers, and the Berg en Dal aqueduct, near Nijmegen, is a trace of that skill in the Dutch landscape. Nijmegen was a major Roman centre, called Noviomagus, with a legion fortress on the Hunerberg and a town that grew beside it, and it needed a good water supply. The solution was to tap springs in the hills to the east, in the hills around Berg en Dal, and carry the water in a channel for several kilometres. Remains have been found near Louisedal, in the form of stone foundations and traces of the channel.
The hills themselves are a surprise in this flat country. They are a push moraine, a ridge of sand and gravel shoved up by the ice sheet in the last ice age, and they rise to over a hundred metres, covered in beech and oak woods. Springs flow from the foot of the slope, which is why the Romans, and people before and after them, settled here. Today the area is a nature reserve with walking paths, and a small number of museums and old villas dot the slopes.
Riding here is delightful by Dutch standards. The roads climb gently through the woods in a series of curves, with speed limits that are often low, and the surfaces are smooth. On weekends the roads fill with cyclists and walkers, and drivers are used to sharing the space. In the autumn the leaves fall and the road gets slippery, and in winter frost lingers in the shade. Cameras are common, and fines are heavy. A ride to the viewing points and a coffee in a woodland cafe makes a good short outing.
Berg en Dal is a small village, and Nijmegen, the nearest city, has fuel stations, restaurants and shops, as well as the Valkhof and the Roman museum. The Waal is a short ride away, with long views from the dike. Come on a bright weekday in spring or autumn, and expect pancakes, which are a local speciality in the woodland tea houses.