Between Haarlem and the bulb fields of the Dutch coast, near the town of Heemstede and the hamlet of De Glip, lies a squat, grassy fort surrounded by a moat. This is the Fort near Heemstede, built around the turn of the twentieth century as part of the Defence Line of Amsterdam, a ring of forts, dykes and flooding zones around the city, and now part of the UNESCO-listed Dutch Water Defence Lines.
The Defence Line of Amsterdam, the Stelling van Amsterdam, was designed to protect the capital by flooding the land around it, creating a water barrier too deep for soldiers to wade but too shallow for boats. The forts were built at points where roads, railways or dykes crossed the flood zone, which were the weak spots. Most were built from concrete, an innovation at the time, and covered with earth. The system was never tested in war and soon became obsolete with the arrival of aircraft, but it is an impressive piece of engineering. The Fort near Heemstede guarded the railway and roads crossing the line here.
The area around Heemstede is a landscape of old country estates, woods and dunes on one side and the bulb fields on the other. In spring, from late March to May, the fields around Hillegom, Lisse and Bennebroek are carpeted with tulips, hyacinths and daffodils in stripes of brilliant colour, and the Keukenhof gardens draw huge crowds. Haarlem, a few kilometres away, is a lovely old city with a big market square, the Frans Hals museum and canals.
The riding here is flat and gentle, along canals, through villages and past the bulb fields, with a lot of cyclists and traffic on the main roads. The dune roads toward Zandvoort and the coast offer a change of scenery, with sea views and wind. Zandvoort has a racing circuit in the dunes, which hosts the Dutch Grand Prix.
Heemstede has fuel and food. Local specialities include herring, which is eaten raw with onions from a stall, and Dutch apple pie. The bulb season in spring is the most popular time to visit; the roads can be clogged with visitors, so go early on a weekday.