Beautiful round of paddling in the Ronde Hoep
An attractive combination of water, peat and cultivation has made De Ronde Hoep one of the best-known bicycle routes in our country.
The area around Ouderkerk aan de Amstel attracts cyclists to it like a magnet. The rather unique combination of water, mills, flora, fauna already makes the route very attractive but the views of part of the former defenses of Amsterdam - the forts of Waver and Botshol - and the tower of Nes complete the story. Cycling through this Amstelland, also popular with many foreigners, is cycling along moors and swamps, along the small rivers Waver and Bullewijk, where geese, herons, bitterns and crowned ducks make their home. Of course, many objects can be visited, including the old pumping station, which has the name of the polder but has limited opening hours (www.derondehoep.nl). The start and finish of this 22.5-kilometer tour is in Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, where the route heads south. Successively, the cyclist passes a succession of beautiful spots and vistas, the Stokkelaars bridge over the Oude Waver, the route skims the border with the province of Utrecht and then continues through Nes aan de Amstel, in a northerly direction, back to Ouderkerk.