Nijmegen-Valkhof area | Hunnerpark and Herwen-De Bijland

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Nijmegen-Valkhof area | Hunnerpark

   Nijmegen sits on the first real hills that the Rhine delta meets, and on the Hunerberg, now a leafy suburb with a park, the Romans built a fortress. From about the year 70, after the Batavian revolt had been crushed, the Tenth Legion, Legio X Gemina, was stationed here, some five thousand men in a stone-walled camp. It was a serious piece of engineering, a mini-city of barracks, workshops, a hospital and a commander's house, and the legionaries were here for about thirty years. The civilian town that grew beside it later became the first in the Netherlands to receive Roman town rights.

   Read the complete Nijmegen-Valkhof area | Hunnerpark write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Nijmegen-Valkhof area | Hunnerpark 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 about 17 km into the recorded legs. Next is Herwen-De Bijland.

3. 3. 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

   about 45 km into the recorded legs you reach Herwen-De Bijland. Next is back through Arnhem-Meinerswijk.

4. 4. 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, late in the day. Next is Nijmegen-Valkhof area | Hunnerpark.

5. 5. Nijmegen-Valkhof area | Hunnerpark

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Nijmegen-Valkhof area | Hunnerpark write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Back at Nijmegen-Valkhof area | Hunnerpark. That is the ride.