Uedem-Hochwald | Hochwald 2 and Bunnik-Vechten | Provincialeweg
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
244 km
Riding-time estimate
3 h 55
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.
From Uedem it runs 244 km to Uedem; allow about 3 h 55 of riding. On the way it passes Arnhem-Meinerswijk, Bunnik-Vechten | Provincialeweg and back through Arnhem-Meinerswijk. It crosses from Germany into Netherlands - carry ID and check the toll rules. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Uedem-Hochwald | Hochwald 2
Flat is the word for the Lower Rhine, and the Hochwald is the exception that proves it. Near Uedem, on the German side of the Dutch border, a long low ridge of wooded hills pushes up from the plain, the leftover of ice-age glaciers that stopped here, dumping gravel and sand in a long arc. The ridge is not high, but in a landscape where a church tower is a landmark, it counts as a range. The forest is a mix of beech, oak and pine, with sandy paths and cyclists, and it is a favourite of weekend walkers. A scouting label like Hochwald 2 only tells me there are several viewpoints in the same area, so treat the forest as a whole.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Uedem-Hochwald | Hochwald 2 is where the day begins. Next is Arnhem-Meinerswijk.
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.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Arnhem-Meinerswijk comes up about 63 km into the recorded legs. Next is Bunnik-Vechten | Provincialeweg.
3. Bunnik-Vechten | Provincialeweg
A modern fort and a Roman one stand within a couple of kilometres of each other here, and both exist because of the same river. Vechten, on the Kromme Rijn just east of Utrecht, was the Roman fort of Fectio, one of the best-known sites on the Lower Germanic frontier. It lay at a point where the Rhine split, with the branch that became the Vecht heading north, and that made it a perfect depot. Soldiers, grain, and building stone all went through here, and archaeologists have pulled a remarkable amount out of the ground, including altars, bronze statuettes and the debris of a busy harbour.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Uedem-Hochwald | Hochwald 2. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Uedem-Hochwald | Hochwald 2 to Arnhem-Meinerswijk
Uedem-Hochwald | Hochwald 2 → Arnhem-Meinerswijk is 63 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Arnhem-Meinerswijk to Bunnik-Vechten | Provincialeweg
Arnhem-Meinerswijk → Bunnik-Vechten | Provincialeweg is 60 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Bunnik-Vechten | Provincialeweg to back through Arnhem-Meinerswijk
Bunnik-Vechten | Provincialeweg → back through Arnhem-Meinerswijk is 59 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Arnhem-Meinerswijk to Uedem-Hochwald | Hochwald 2
back through Arnhem-Meinerswijk → Uedem-Hochwald | Hochwald 2 is 62 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.