Corbulo's canal is one of the oldest engineering works in the Netherlands, and it was dug by soldiers. In AD 47 the general Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo, commanding the Roman army in Lower Germany, put his men to work cutting a canal between the Rhine and the Meuse, partly to keep them busy and partly to give ships a sheltered route that avoided the open sea, with its storms and raiding Frisians. The Fossa Corbulonis, as it was called, ran through the low country between modern Leiden and the Meuse mouth, and its line is thought to be followed today by the Vliet, a quiet waterway that runs between Leiden and Delft.
Starrenburg lies on this line, near Voorschoten, a pleasant commuter town with villas and willow-lined waterways. Near the site there was once a Roman settlement and harbour, and remains of bridges and moorings have turned up in the area. The canal itself is now a modest stretch of water with small boats and ducks, bordered by cycle paths, and the rhythm of the place is quiet and domestic, with allotments, windmills and tidy brick houses.
Riding here is a matter of small roads on dikes and canal banks, which wind a little and are mostly narrow. Surfaces are generally excellent, but there are many speed humps, narrow chicanes and cycle crossings, and cars are often parked on one side. Speed is strictly controlled, and cyclists swarm everywhere at school time and on summer evenings. The wind can be strong, and in winter fog collects along the water. Leave plenty of time and enjoy the slow pace.
Voorschoten, with some twenty-two thousand inhabitants, has petrol and shops, and Leiden is just beyond. The Vliet is a nice stretch for a walk, and the older villages of Leidschendam and Vlietwijk have decent places for coffee. Try a stroopwafel, a thin waffle sandwiched with syrup, warmed on top of a cup of tea. Spring and early summer are the best seasons, with the polders green and the light long.