I’m a UK expat. and have been living in the Netherlands for several years now. Cycling is the thing to do here and a great way to explore. This is a blog post about a small nature reserve near where I live in Utrecht. The terrain is flat with good cycle paths and the first part of my journey was along the ‘lint’ around Maxima Park.

https://maximapark.nl/

Maxima Park is a beautiful park in the Leidsche Rijn area of Utrecht, with a 7km cycle/walking/skating path around it, known as the lint. There are many different areas in the park, including a Japanese garden, a butterfly garden, a kids’ play-park and much more.

The next part of my bike ride was to Haarijnseplaas lake and beach. It’s a great place to swim, paddleboard and play volleyball.

I cycled around the lake and headed towards Kasteel de Haar - a spectacular castle surrounded by a moat and stunning formal gardens. I actually changed plans on route to the castle when I spotted a sign for the Thematervelden Nature Reserve!

https://www.beleefleidscherijn.nl/natuur/thematervelden/

The Thematervelden nature reserve runs along the bank of the northwestern part of the lake and includes a bird hide, meadows, pools and small canals. It’s only a stone’s throw from the main road but is very peaceful indeed.

I was pleased to see some wildlife on the reserve.

I found a bench and made a quick sketch of fading daisies.

Wonderful Dutch water management! (above)

Now it was definitely time for a cuppa!