Biking along forts and the Muiderslot Castle - Weesp, Muiden

Route by bike

In Amsterdam there are many forts spread by the city. They are part of the Defence Line of Amsterdam (in Dutch named Stelling van Amsterdam) and are protected by UNESCO. These forts weren’t very important, haven’t been used in combat service but they would have became a great idea in case the aeroplanes and the tanks weren’t invented. This route go along some forts and besides, it has a genuine medieval castle, The Muiderslot, which is part of the defence line of Amsterdam and protected the country against water. As you can see, the route is very interesting historically and you can visit some of these places.

During the route you’ll find 4 forts and the castle:
➧ Fort aan de Ossenmarkt (in Weesp)
➧ Muizenfort (in Muiden) – Now called Fort C, with a free visitor centre about Muiden and the defence lines. Open Monday to Friday 9:00 to 17:00, Saturday 11:00 to 13:00. Closed Sunday.
➧ Muiderslot Castle (in Muiden) – You can visit the castle for 19.50 euro for adults and 7.50 euro for children aged 4 to 11. Entrance is free with the Museumkaart. Check the Muiderslot official website for more information.
➧ Fort Westbatterij (in Muiden)
➧ Fort Uitermeer (in Weesp)

And if this weren’t enough, other attraction close to Muiderslot Castle is Forteiland Pampus. This island is part of defence line of Amsterdam as well. That isn’t included in the route by bike but you can plan the visit from Muiden easily. You only check Pampus Fort Eiland (official website).

What you’ll see during the route, besides of the defence line, is the Mirror Lake and the Tafelberg moorlands, a beautiful landscape to photograph and, if the weather is good, to swim in the lake. In fact, the lake has small but lovely beaches.

Route Information: The route "Fietsen langs oude Hollandse forten" is no longer available on route.nl. The old link now opens a different route. In the next section you can find my own GPX file with the complete route I explained: 4 forts and the castle, about 32 km. This is the only route file available for this ride.

If you want to know more about the Defence Line of Amsterdam check the next websites:
Stelling van Amsterdam
Defence Line of Amsterdam – Wikipedia

I suggest to start the route in Weesp station and visit the castle at the beginning (check the opening hours here), that means following the trail in a clockwise direction.

🚆 The easiest way to get to Weesp is by train. Google maps can provide you with timetables or you can check also the local public transport site.

➤ How to do the route?

First, you need a mobile application or a Garmin device to display the route. Normally, I use Garmin but you can download a mobile application or use the application of the website route.nl. If you have a device, you know what to do, only choose the file gpx below and download it. Otherwise, you have two options depending on the route you choose:

1. My customized route (including the fort Westbatterij): Biking along forts and the Muiderslot Castle (1.3km more).
   First, you need a mobile application with offline maps like OsmAnd.
   Then, you choose and install the app in your phone and open the gpx file.

Now the most important thing: the bike. At Weesp Station, an OV-fiets costs 4.80 euro per 24 hours. You need a Dutch personal OV-chipkaart with the OV-fiets subscription or NS Flex. Without this card, you cannot rent one. Fietspoint Oldenburger, at Stationsplein 2A next to the station, also rents bikes. It is best to book by phone. Taking your own bike on the train? The Fietskaart Dal costs 8.50 euro per day: weekdays only from 9:00 to 16:00 and after 18:30, all day at weekends and in July and August.

➤ My experience

I always prepare the routes myself and I choose trails around 30 km. I think is a good distance, you exercise enough without getting tired 😊. This route is 32 km and, although I knew about the forts and the castle, was a surprise to me because of the lakes and the beaches. Two quiet places in the middle of nowhere. The lake’s water was so great! Too bad I missed my bikini 😄. We were lucky and the weather was good. We saw many bikes during the route, I guess because it is very close to Amsterdam, only 18 minutes by train!

About the castle, you can visit at your own pace with a free audio tour in English or Dutch. You do not need to join a guided tour. Open every day from 10:00 to 17:00, April to October. From November to March, it is closed on Mondays.

At the end of the day, before leaving the bikes in the station, we went for a walk by the centre of Weesp, we saw the canals and the church. After that we took a snack while a floating house went up river 😊.

➽ More activities in the Netherlands on Extra Netherlands.

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Any contribution or question is welcome, please write a comment!

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