Why this ride
From Utrecht it runs 258 km to Utrecht; allow about 3 h 42 of riding. On the way it passes Fort near Heemstede, Van Nellefabriek and back through Fort near Heemstede. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Bridge with the twelve holes and Van Nellefabriek
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 258 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 42
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Dutch Flower Route
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 67 km this is Dutch Flower Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 67 km
- Named road
- Dutch Flower Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Bridge with the twelve holes
Utrecht is built on its water, and the first thing you notice is that the canals sit well below street level, with wharf cellars and walkways at the water's edge.
Read the complete Bridge with the twelve holes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Bridge with the twelve holes is where the day begins. Next is Fort near Heemstede.
2. Fort near Heemstede
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.
Read the complete Fort near Heemstede write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Fort near Heemstede comes up about 62 km into the recorded legs. Next is Van Nellefabriek.
3. Van Nellefabriek
The Van Nelle factory, on the edge of Rotterdam, is one of the most beautiful industrial buildings ever made. Built between 1925 and 1931 for a company that processed coffee, tea and tobacco, it is a long, light building of glass and steel, with curtain walls that let daylight flood into the workspaces. The designers, Johannes Brinkman and Leendert van der Vlugt, created what became an icon of modernist architecture, a factory of light and air for its workers. It was added to the UNESCO list in 2014.
Read the complete Van Nellefabriek write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 129 km into the recorded legs you reach Van Nellefabriek. Next is back through Fort near Heemstede.
4. back through Fort near Heemstede
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Fort near Heemstede write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Fort near Heemstede, late in the day. Next is Bridge with the twelve holes.
5. Bridge with the twelve holes
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Bridge with the twelve holes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Bridge with the twelve holes. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Bridge with the twelve holes to Fort near Heemstede
Bridge with the twelve holes → Fort near Heemstede is 62 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fort near Heemstede to Van Nellefabriek
Fort near Heemstede → Van Nellefabriek is 67 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Van Nellefabriek to back through Fort near Heemstede
Van Nellefabriek → back through Fort near Heemstede is 65 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Fort near Heemstede to Bridge with the twelve holes
back through Fort near Heemstede → Bridge with the twelve holes is 65 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.