Herwen-De Bijland and Bunnik-Vechten | Marsdijk

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Herwen-De Bijland

   At Lobith, a few kilometres east of here, the Rhine enters the Netherlands from Germany, and you can feel the river changing its mind about what it is. Within a short distance it splits into branches, the Waal, the Nederrijn and the IJssel, and spreads across a wide floodplain, the Bijland, of meadows, willow thickets and old river arms. In Roman times this was the frontier, and a fort at Herwen, called Carvium, guarded the river crossing with a garrison and a small settlement. The Roman road ran along the dike, and ships tied up at its harbour.

   Read the complete Herwen-De Bijland write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Herwen-De Bijland is where the day begins. Next is Arnhem-Meinerswijk.

2. 2. Arnhem-Meinerswijk

   The Rhine has always been a frontier here. In Roman times, the Lower Rhine marked the northern edge of the empire, and the Romans built a chain of forts, watchtowers and roads along its banks to guard it. At Meinerswijk, on the southern bank of the river opposite Arnhem, the remains of one of those forts lie buried in the floodplain. It is part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire, Lower German Limes, listed by UNESCO in 2021. There is little to see on the surface, but the floodplain itself, a wide expanse of meadows, ponds and willows, is a pleasant place to walk, and markers explain the history.

   Read the complete Arnhem-Meinerswijk write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Arnhem-Meinerswijk comes up 35 km in. Next is Tiel Inundation Canal.

3. 3. Tiel Inundation Canal

   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.

   Read the complete Tiel Inundation Canal write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   70 km in you reach Tiel Inundation Canal. Next is Bunnik-Vechten | Marsdijk.

4. 4. Bunnik-Vechten | Marsdijk

   Two layers of Dutch defence history sit on top of each other just south-east of Utrecht. Around two thousand years ago, the Romans built a fort here called Fectio, at the point where a branch of the Rhine met the Vecht, with a harbour for the fleet that patrolled the river frontier. Its remains lie buried in the fields near Vechten and are part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire, Lower German Limes, a World Heritage site since 2021. Close by stands Fort bij Vechten, a nineteenth-century fortress of the New Dutch Waterline, a defensive system that could flood large areas of land to stop an invading army. That system is itself part of the UNESCO site of the Dutch Water Defence Lines. The fort now houses a museum explaining how the waterline worked, and how a country below sea level turned water into a weapon.

   Read the complete Bunnik-Vechten | Marsdijk write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Bunnik-Vechten | Marsdijk, about halfway. Next is back through Tiel Inundation Canal.

5. 5. back through Tiel Inundation Canal

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Tiel Inundation Canal write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Tiel Inundation Canal sits at 141 km, about halfway. Next is back through Arnhem-Meinerswijk.

6. 6. back through Arnhem-Meinerswijk

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Arnhem-Meinerswijk write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Arnhem-Meinerswijk comes up 176 km in. Next is Herwen-De Bijland.

7. 7. Herwen-De Bijland

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Herwen-De Bijland write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Herwen-De Bijland closes the day.