Tiel is a river town on the Waal, the main branch of the Rhine in the Netherlands, in the middle of the Betuwe, a region of orchards, dykes and meadows between the Waal and the Lower Rhine. Just outside the town, a wide, straight channel runs through the fields, crossed by bridges and lined by dykes. This is the Tiel inundation canal, built in the late nineteenth century as part of the New Dutch Waterline, the defensive system of controlled flooding that protected the heart of Holland, and it is now part of the UNESCO-listed Dutch Water Defence Lines.
The New Dutch Waterline relied on flooding a strip of land to a depth of about half a metre, too deep to march through, too shallow for boats. The Tiel canal was designed to let water from the Waal flow into the Betuwe, flooding the polders east of the main line and slowing an enemy advance. It was used only once in earnest, during the mobilisation of 1939 and 1940, and the German invasion in May 1940, with its paratroopers and aircraft, showed how obsolete the system had become.
Tiel itself is known as a fruit town. The Betuwe is the Netherlands' main fruit-growing region, with orchards of apples, pears and cherries, and in spring the blossom transforms the landscape. Tiel is the home of Flipje, a cartoon raspberry that served as the mascot of a local jam factory and is now the town's symbol. In September, the town hosts a fruit parade with floats decorated with fruit.
The riding in the Betuwe is flat and gentle. The roads along the dykes, on top of the embankments, offer views over the river and the orchards, with gentle curves following the river. They are narrow, and you will share them with cyclists and farm vehicles. The routes along the Waal and the Linge, a smaller river that winds through the region, are particularly pleasant. Wind is the main challenge.
Tiel, about two kilometres away, has fuel and all services. Local food includes fruit pastries and jams, and the river fish of the Waal. Spring, when the orchards blossom, usually in April, is the best time to visit.