Right where the Rhine enters the Netherlands and splits in two, the Dutch put a fort. Fort Pannerden was built around 1870 at the point where the river divides into the Waal, flowing west toward Nijmegen and Rotterdam, and the Pannerdens Kanaal, which feeds the Nederrijn and the IJssel. Control the split, and you control how much water goes where, which in a country defended by deliberate flooding mattered enormously. The fort, a low, heavy brick and earth structure surrounded by a moat, guarded the dykes and sluices that could send water into the defensive lines further west. It is counted among the Dutch Water Defence Lines listed by UNESCO.
The fort had an eventful recent history: in the first decade of this century it was occupied by squatters, who were evicted and came back more than once before a deal was struck, and it has since been restored and opened to visitors by a foundation. Inside are casemates, gun positions and a lot of damp brick corridors that are cool even in summer. From the ramparts you look over the water meadows of the Gelderse Poort, the gateway where the river comes in from Germany.
The landscape is the Netherlands at its most watery and green. The Millingerwaard and other floodplains around here have been returned to nature, with Konik horses and Galloway cattle grazing semi-wild, beavers in the side channels and big flocks of geese in winter. For riding, the dyke roads are the attraction: narrow, raised ribbons of tarmac following the rivers, with views over the water on one side and farms on the other. They are flat, of course, but full of corners as they follow the river bends, and you share them with cyclists, farmers and the occasional flock of sheep. Wind is a constant companion.
Pannerden and Doornenburg are small villages; Doornenburg has a fine moated castle. For fuel and shops, head to Gendt, a few kilometres away, or the town of Zevenaar. The local cafés serve coffee with apple pie and, in season, asparagus. The fort is reached by a short walk or a small ferry depending on the access route, so check opening days before setting out. Sit on the rampart for a while and watch the barges negotiating the split: the river traffic here is heavy, and the Rhine never stops.