The great thing about tank tours is that they show you the reality behind the reality. I mean: how often do you not drive over the A1 at Hoevelaken, in the tacit belief that around that junction it is a madhouse, busy and full and not worth a visit.
Nonsense. Nothing happens at Hoevelaken, you tour through friendly farmland and there is no noticeable haste, the unique selling point of the motorway. There, in that neighborhood, you even experienced your finest moment, in Zwartebroek, on the terrace of De Belleman village house.

This takes you through the wide surroundings of Hilversum, from the immense residential area, which Hilversum actually is, you dive down into the Utrecht peat meadow area. A totally different environment, open and wide and light. A bit messy too, a typical area that has to maintain itself in the violence of ever-expanding infrastructure and urbanization. Under Zeist, the great enjoyment begins when you first plop down the majestic Koelaan to Bunnik and then end up on the Oostromsdijkje, a magnificent ash avenue.

This is what you call monumental driving. Yes, life is good here. There is no other option because you are located on the Stichtse Lustwarande, the southwestern edge of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug and traditionally the favorite settlement of the wealthy. Among them was also Wilhelm II, the last German emperor. After losing the First World War, he retired to Huis Doorn, which was hastily acquired. As a scion of a family with Prussian roots - they had a tough hand from raising that. For example, you can read that Frederick Wilhelm I of Prussia wanted to turn his son into a real soldier by waking him up every morning with the firing of a cannon. At the age of six, the boy had his own regiment of children - he could already learn how to drill. And when he wore gloves in cold weather, his father beat him up. Look, and then of course it goes wrong. For example, the first child of this Frederick William I died from "a burst of joy fired too close to the cradle" and the third "after the heavy coronation crown that was put on him at baptism crushed his skull."

You continue the route and leave the Utrechtse Heuvelrug to drive via the Scherpenzeelseweg - kilometers through the forest - to Kip-country. You are here in the heart of the Biblebelt and in Scherpenzeel it becomes clear what that means. The village has seven denominations and as many church buildings, including very large ones, for up to two thousand believers. Scherpenzeel looks cozy and busy. You leave Scherpenzeel via the Renessersteeg, a magnificent avenue, straight and lined by tall oak trees. Later, the Moorsterweg follows - four kilometers of twists and turns through a quiet landscape of alternating woods and flowering potato fields. Nice driving, with this caveat that you cannot completely go wild, there are too many speed bumps for that. Surprising: the hamlet of Achterveld, perhaps completely unknown, and now look: one large new residential area.

However, that is nothing compared to Bunschoten-Spakenburg. It was once a small Reformed place, consisting of two centers, at the very end of the Eempolder - here you can see how flat the Netherlands really is. These two centers have now completely grown together and to get to the heart, the Oude Haven of Spakenburg, you really have to struggle through one residential area after another. It does not stop but… once in the heart you look your eyes out. Beautiful, that is what it is around 't Spui, with its brown fleet of botters and then that still intact yard. It reconciles me with whatever else is going wrong with the world. Beauty, that's what it's all about. You can see that in this TTT!

Because I have not (yet) driven this route myself, this route gets 3 stars.