New bike route along Meuse connects Nijmegen and Maassluis

Users also can visit many castles

HEUSDEN - A new, dedicated bike route from Nijmegen to the North Sea port of Maasluis has along its 230 kilometres a dual theme for its users. Bike riders can pedal along the banks of the Meuse River - going east or going west - through some of the most picturesque areas of Gelderland, Noord-Brabant and Zuid-Holland, and also take in the history of such fortified towns as Grave, Heusden and Poederoyen.

The new route - dubbed LF12 - is part of a 6,000 kilometres-long network of dedicated cycling paths throughout the Netherlands. Along the way there are possibilities to intersect with other routes, such as the one from Alkmaar to Maastricht, while at Nijmegen an intersection could take riders on a continuing path to Maastricht as well.

While the Meuse River is the common denominator in the LF 12 route, riders quickly learn about the strategic and historic importance of the river, one of the three (with the Rhine and the Waal) that form the Great Rivers. Bike riders also can witness the changes in the landscape, as parts of it get returned to nature. The old fortified towns along the route, and the castles - such as Loevestein - only add to the sensation that a little effort could bring back the times of yore.