A lovely bike excursion around Harderwijk

It is a lovely sunny autumn day and the temperature is pleasant. An excellent day for a bike ride through the completely renewed junction route network! There is no better way to discover the Veluwe than by bike. You will find a rich diversity of interesting sights and attractions within a relatively short distance; the landscape is predominantly flat and there are a huge number of cycle routes. Signposted routes, in particular, are an excellent choice as they are easy to follow.

The junction route network pretty much covers most of the Netherlands. Every junction has a number and an information board which contains an overview map. It also indicates the distance to the next junction. At every junction, you have a choice of several junction numbers to continue your trip. The advantage of this system is that everyone determines for themselves how short or long they want their route to be. Moreover, the system is flexible: at every junction, you can decide to shorten or change the route. To cycle from one junction to another, just keep following the route signs with the number of the next junction. It couldn’t be any simpler.

  Every time I feel impressed by the Veluwe's versatility!

Anyway, let’s stop talking, start cycling. The Hanse cycling route starts from Bungalowpark Het Verscholen Dorp (junction 48) with final destination, the fortified town of Elburg . A very lovely cycling route through extensive woodlands along beautiful lakes and through an open countryside with magnificent views with many beautiful farms and well-landscaped gardens and imposing villas, on the long-distance route "de Zuiderzeeroute".

Every time I feel impressed by the Veluwe's versatility, on the left is the wide water of the Veluwemeer with a beautiful view of a series of beautiful islands and on my right is the beautiful outdoor area of ​​the municipality of Nunspeet with many agricultural companies. The cycling tour continues along pastures with sheep, cows and horses, and eventually runs along the foundations of the old St. Ludgeruskerk in Elburg. (The church was broken down after a storm in February 1825 and a fire in October 1825).

Finally arrived at the picturesque town of Elburg, with its nice straight streets with special pebbles pavements, I store my bike near the fishy canal and walk along the beautiful walls and pieces of city wall to the cozy shopping streets with countless restaurants and terraces located in the city center. Time to strengthen the inner man with a delicious cup of coffee with a tasty Elburger speciality “Elburger botje” mmmm. This delicious cake in the shape of a fish has been made for nearly 100 years and is not only popular with the Elburgers, but also with tourists. So if you want to bring something original from Elburg, then go to the Docter bakery on the Beekstraat. Success at home is guaranteed 😉

If you want, you can download the app Fietsknoop! (see instructions) which is also available in English (iPhone, Android, Windows). It helps you planning a junction route.