Kromme Rijn Region and Schalkwijk Island

Cycling in a historic landscape with castles, cherry orchards, pollard willows, flowery grasslands and floodplains.

The Landscape

At the foot of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug, a landscape unfolds that is rich in cultural and historical treasures. The Kromme Rijn region, where the open river landscape meets the foothills of the Utrecht hills, forms a unique area with a long history. The Kromme Rijn once served as the northern border of the Roman Empire, giving the area significant strategic importance. The area is home to numerous historic estates, castles, knightly manors, and country houses, all of which bear witness to a rich past.

Schalkwijk Island is a sparsely populated and green area located south of Houten. It is referred to as an island because it is completely surrounded by rivers and canals. This picturesque landscape features several forts and defense works from the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie. The forts are situated close together, resulting in strict restrictions on construction activities in the area. These limitations have contributed to an authentic natural environment, making the area a unique destination for nature lovers and history enthusiasts.

Forests and Heaths

Estates and Heritage

Polders and Farmlands

Rivers and Streams

Cycle with us through past and present

Cycling stories of castles, casemates, and cherry pickers

This video tells the story of the Kromme Rijn region and the Eiland van Schalkwijk, two landscapes that together form a tapestry woven with traces of Romans, Vikings, farmers, knights, and water engineers. Along this 51 kilometre cycling route, you travel through a region that has held strategic, economic and agricultural significance for over two thousand years, a place where past and present continuously meet and shape one another.

👉 Tip: Turn on the subtitles in the YouTube video to follow the full story.

Route map

Start and finish near bike node 33 on the Waijensedijk in Houten. However, this bike route is a circular tour, so it offers the possibility to start from any of the following bike nodes.

33 - 93 - 49 - 36 - 35 - 98 - 39 - 53 - 40 - 41 - 44 - 43 - 97 - 80 - 79 - 78 - 76 - 60 - 57 - 58 - 53 - 46 - 54 - 52 - 77 - 51 - 18 - 16 - 15 - 56 - 6 - 59 - 68 - 55 - 32 - 33