Cycling route Stedendriehoek and IJssel Valley
Cycling through an idyllic dike landscape with country estates, grasslands, floodplains, and gently rolling fields, framed by hawthorn hedges and rows of trees.
The Landscape
Between Apeldoorn, Deventer, and Zutphen lies the Stedendriehoek, a region where historic towns and rural landscapes blend effortlessly together. Here, you cycle past Hanseatic towns, quiet village edges, and open countryside, with ever-changing views across fields and riverbanks. Around Twello, the pace naturally slows, as the landscape invites you to look around, listen, and simply keep riding.
On the transition between the Veluwe and the IJssel Valley, a layered landscape unfolds with polders, dikes, floodplains, and old river channels. For centuries, the river determined where people settled, how the land was used, and where dikes and farmsteads emerged. As a result, this route feels both natural and rich in cultural history, with a gentle interplay of water, greenery, and open space.
What You’ll Discover Along the Way
Along the edge of the Veluwe, you cycle through leafy forest fringes and past hedgerows, with occasional quiet sandy paths that give the landscape a natural character. On the drier, higher grounds, heath-like vegetation appears and wide views open up toward the valley.
Around Twello and Voorst, old farmsteads, stately avenues, and country estates shape the landscape, often with park woodlands and fields blending seamlessly together. The combination of estate landscapes and river history gives the route a calm, almost timeless atmosphere, where every bend seems to preserve something of the past.
The IJssel Valley reveals itself as an open mosaic of grasslands, fields, and dike farmhouses, framed by hawthorn hedges, pollard willows, and rows of trees. In the polder near Nijbroek, you experience a true sense of the countryside, with long lines, wide skies, and a landscape that changes with the seasons.
The IJssel forms the backbone of the journey, with floodplains, oxbow lakes, and old river channels continually giving the dike landscape a different character. Small streams and wet lowlands add extra variety, regularly leading you past reed beds, quiet waterways, and flower-rich edges.
Ride along with us on this virtual bike tour
Virtually cycling through the Stedendriehoek and the IJssel Valley lets you ride from home through an idyllic dike landscape with floodplains, oxbow lakes, and wide grasslands along the IJssel. Along the way, open polders and gently rolling fields alternate, framed by hawthorn hedges, pollard willows, and long rows of trees.
You also experience the estate landscape around Twello and Voorst, with stately avenues, old farmsteads, and park woodlands that elegantly connect nature and heritage. This virtual cycling route offers a calm and varied journey filled with river views, rural charm, and the distinctive character of the IJssel Valley.
Want to learn more about virtual cycling? THIS IS HOW VIRTUAL CYCLING WORKS
Route map and cycling junctions
Start and finish near cycling junction 61 on the Worp in Deventer. Because this is a circular route, you can also start at one of the other cycling junctions along the route.
Distance: 52 km
Estimated riding time: 3 hours 26 minutes
Elevation gain: 46 m
Paved roads: 94%
Unpaved / semi-paved: 6%
Ideal for: e-bikes and city bikes
Along the way: several options for a coffee break or lunch.
