Hedgerow country
The pattern of hedgerows here is centuries old: farmers planted them as boundaries and as a source of coppice wood. What remains is a landscape that opens in layers, with a fresh view behind every treeline. For cyclists it means a thirty-kilometre loop never becomes monotonous.
No view across open miles, but a fresh one behind every hedgerow.
Among the fields stand old farmsteads, some preserved as country estates. Huis Bergh castle at 's-Heerenberg and Vorden Castle are open to visitors, and around Vorden there are eight castles in the surrounding area linked by a signposted cycle route.
Cycling and walking
The Achterhoek is cycling country. The lanes are narrow and quiet and the node network is dense. From nearly any park you can ride a loop of twenty to forty kilometres without crossing a main road. De Graafschap national park lies to the north, the Montferland hills at Braamt to the south.
Tip
The German border here is so unmarked that you can cross it without noticing. Winterswijk, Aalten and Dinxperlo sit right against it, with Bocholt and Borken within cycling distance on the other side. Carry identification even though there are no checks.
Towns and villages
Zutphen is the oldest town in the area, with a medieval centre and the Walburgis church, which holds a chained library from 1564. It is one of very few in Europe still standing in its original room, with the books secured to the desks exactly as they were. Doesburg, Bronkhorst and Groenlo are smaller and take half a day.
Who the Achterhoek suits
- Cyclists: quiet lanes, a dense network, very little traffic
- Anyone after quiet: this is the stillest part of Gelderland
- Castle and country-estate visitors
- Combining a stay in the Netherlands with a day across the German border
Less suitable if you want large attractions or extensive facilities. The parks are small and there is less to do than on the Veluwe or in Brabant.
When to go
May and June are the best months: the rapeseed is in flower, the hedgerows are dense and the cycle paths are still quiet. Late summer brings the harvest and the regional markets. Autumn colours the woodland edges, and in winter it is quiet enough to pass a whole day without meeting anyone.
