This route does not only go through the province of Utrecht, because the last part is North Holland, because you also take Nederhorst Castle and Muiderslot along in this route. You don't want to go through Amsterdam with a route! Unfortunately, it has become a route where you have to get off the bike a lot to see something and that takes a lot of time, so choices will have to be made! This route starts in Wijk bij Duurstede at Duurstede Castle and then goes via the dike to Amerongen Castle.

Duurstede Castle, Langs de Wal 6, 3961 AB Neighborhood near Duurstede
Duurstede Castle is a medieval castle. The castle's history dates back to the early 13th century when the Count of Bentheim loaned a fortified house near the site of Dorestad to the family of Abcoude. In 1270 Zweder I van Abcoude built a heavy brick residential tower (which is still there today). Unfortunately it is very light between the trees so take a walk if you want to view it.

Amerongen Castle, Drostestraat 20, 3958 BK Amerongen
The history of Amerongen Castle officially begins in 1286. In 1673 the castle was set on fire by the French troops with fagots, but was quickly rebuilt. The current Amerongen Castle is built in the Dutch-classical style, which was common at that time. In 1680 the house was ready. To be able to see some of the house, one must at least visit the garden.

Doorn is the next stop, after 21 km of the route, you are in the parking lot of a museum with a park where you can have some fun.

Huis Doorn, Langbroekerweg 10, 3941 MT Doorn
Huis Doorn is best known for the German ex-Emperor Wilhelm II, who lived there from 1920 until his death in 1941. The medieval house was originally a moated castle built at the end of the 13th century. In the 16th and 17th centuries residential buildings arose around the courtyard, which now form a whole with the main building. In 1796 the house was radically renovated, possibly under the direction of the Amsterdam architect Abraham van der Hart. The surrounding park was laid out in an English landscape style. The size of the estate was an obstacle to the development of the village of Doorn. In 1874 the estate was parceled out.
If you continue the route you make a circle around the estate of Huis Doorn and after 33 km on the counter you will pass the Pyramid of Austerlitz and you will go in the direction of Amersfoort. In the hamlet (estate) De Treek (municipality of Leusden) you come to a Hotel.

Den Treek (hotel), Treekerweg 23 Leusden
The main building of Den Treek dates from the 17th century or earlier and developed from a farm with an attached gentlemen's room to a country estate. In 1807 the house was converted by Willem Hendrik de Beaufort into a center piece with two side wings in neoclassical style. At the end of the 19th century, the house was radically renovated and expanded with a tower and an extension against the south facade. A second renovation by architect G. Pothoven followed in 1949. Den Treek has recently been restored and now serves as a hotel.
The route continues under Amersfoort, and after 57 km you arrive in Soest and you pass the windmill De Windhond.

If you drive out of Soest after 63 km, you will arrive at the most famous country house / country estate in the Netherlands, Paleis Soestdijk.

Soestdijk Palace, Amsterdamsestraatweg 1, 3744 AA Baarn
The original 17th-century building is named after the Soestdijk, along which the hamlet of Soestdijk originated. King Louis Napoleon, brother of the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, took the palace into use in 1806 and had a small extension built. Furthermore, the dilapidated building was renovated on a modest scale. He also had the facades plastered and the windows enlarged. At the same time, he also had the surrounding park redesigned. He used it until 1810, after which it became one of Napoleon's palaces, who made the Netherlands part of the French Empire that year. After the restoration of Dutch independence in 1813, the palace remained marginally managed for some time. After the foundation of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815, it was gifted by the Dutch people to Crown Prince Willem, later King William II, as a tribute to his efforts in the battles at Quatre Bras and Waterloo, in which he was wounded in the shoulder. . The palace was expanded with two wings flanking the main building with distinctive semicircular colonnades inspired by the Tsar's Palace in Pavlovsk, Russia, the homeland of his wife Anna Pavlovna. The wings were known as the Soester wing on the left when viewed from the front, and the Baarnse wing on the right. The palace was often inhabited in summer by William II and his wife, who redecorated it. From 1937 it was the residence of Crown Princess and later Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and her husband Prince Bernhard van Lippe-Biesterfeld. From the end of 1970 to 2017 it was owned by the Dutch State.

Just 4 km further on you already come to the next object, a hotel.

De Hooge Vuursche Castle, Hilversumsestraatweg 14, 3744 KC Baarn
De Hooge Vuursche is an early 20th-century castle-like country house in the municipality of Baarn. It is not to be confused with the former 17th-century country house of the same name, presumably demolished in 1815. That country house stood near the current exit to Lage Vuursche, on the north side of Hilversumsestraatweg. The entry gate bears the year 1912, but it is believed that the house was completed in 1911. In 1975 the castle was taken over by the Heineken Exploitatiemaatschappij, which turned it into a conference center. From 1987, Heineken leased it to successive hotel chains Postiljon and Accor until it was bought in 2007 by the Event Company and an investor. The castle was thoroughly renovated. There are 19 guest rooms in the "Kasteel de Hooge Vuursche" and the coach house now has six meeting rooms. The house is one of Baarn's wedding locations.

75 km from the route you will be in Lage Vuursche and you will pass Drakensteyn Castle, but there is nothing to see from the road and if you have not been asked for coffee by HRH Princess Beatrix, you will not see anything of it to get.

So continue towards Maartensdijk. Along the way you will come across two country houses within walking distance of each other.
Eyckenstein Estate, Dorpsweg 193, 3738 CD Maartensdijk
The history of the estate begins at the beginning of the 17th century. At that time, it was a manor farm with stepped gables. The house has gradually been expanded into the current Eyckenstein with the characteristic four columns. Eyckenstein is privately inhabited.

Rustenhoven country estate, Dorpsweg 187, 3738 CD Maartensdijk
The 18th-century country estate Rustenhoven is located in a row of several country houses, including the nearest 'neighbour' Eyckenstein and a little further east Rovérestein (not visible from the road). And Rustenhoven is also privately inhabited.
Further on the route you really have to take the busier roads through Utrecht to the Vecht and so you arrive in Oud Zuilen where there is again the possibility to visit a (museum) castle.

Slot Zuylen, Tournooiveld 1, 3611 AS Oud Zuilen
In the 13th century a keep was built by the Lord of Suilen and Anholt. Not much is known about this residential tower. In the 14th century, the keep was expanded with a hall house. The Van Zuylen family divided into various branches: the Van Zuylen family remained ruler of the castle until the 14th century. In 1422 Frank van Borssele inherited the castle because he was married. The castle was razed to the ground in the same year during the Hoekse and Kabeljauwse quarrels by the Utrechtse Hoeken. The rebuilding of Slot Zuylen was not started until 1510. The castle was last extensively renovated in 1751-1752. The castle was given a U-shape: the weather wall was demolished and the accompanying moat filled in, turning the courtyard into a forecourt. The castle is now used as a museum.

From Oud Zuilen you follow the Vecht for a while and you go via the N230 to Haarzuilens and from there to a castle with a park, which begs to be visited.

Castle de Haar Kasteellaan 1, 3455 RR Utrecht
De Haar Castle is a monumental castle in the Utrecht village of Haarzuilens. It is the largest castle in the Netherlands. It was built from 1892 on the ruins of the old castle in neo-Gothic style. And is the most luxurious castle in the Netherlands!
The park and gardens surround the castle. The park is over 55 hectares in size. Avenues and winding routes crisscross the park and gardens in various ways. The park forest and the former menagerie offer an attractive private walk. In addition, the maze, the large deer park, the romantic covered bridge and the picnic meadow by the pond also offer attractive destinations. The geometric gardens – such as the rose garden – provide a diverse fragrance, shape and color sensation

After the Haar you go back on the route a bit and you go in the direction of Breukelen and then follow the Vecht again and this way you arrive in North Holland at Nederhorst den Berg. There is also a castle here where you have to visit the garden for a glimpse to catch it.

Castle Nederhorst, Slotlaan 4, 1394 BK Nederhorst Den Berg
The oldest known mention of the castle dates back to the 13th century. The castle may be older or may have had predecessors, but archaeological research has not yet taken place here. Initially the castle was called Horst. The castle was in a strategic position, on the border between Holland and Het Sticht. In 1672 it was set on fire by French troops, and a year later it was sold. It was then rebuilt as a square castle with a hexagonal tower on each corner and took on its present appearance in the early 18th century. Around 1730 a cast iron fence was put around it. In 1966, more than half of the castle was rented out to Toonder Studios. On January 10, 1971, the castle burned down completely. After restoration, the castle was reopened in 1973. Toonder Studios, which had continued work in a number of emergency buildings, now also moved into the upper floors of the castle, and then realized a large studio hall behind the outbuildings. Until 2002, the company, now a leader in the advertising world, remained active in Nederhorst Castle.
Because of its association with the castle of Toonder's protagonist Heer Bommel, the castle is also popularly referred to as Bommelstein. In the immediate vicinity of the castle, the ANWB has set out a marked walk with the name "Bommelstein route".

If you follow the route further, you will quickly return to the Vecht and follow it to Muiden for the end of this part of the story, the Muiderslot!

Muiderslot, Herengracht 1, 1398 AA Muiden
The history of Muiderslot begins around 1285. It is possible that Floris V, Count of Zeeland and Holland, used the castle on the river Vecht to collect tolls. The castle is therefore located in a strategic location. Skippers could reach the Zuiderzee here via the river. Floris V did not have the entire castle built. A toll house has been located on this site since the tenth century. Under Floris V, this building was expanded with four towers. The castle has been a Rijksmuseum since 1878. The first restoration started in 1895, the second, with the immediate surroundings being restored to 17th-century condition in 1955. The last restoration started in 1999, with the fortress and the vegetable garden being added. . The castle was probably built in the last quarter of the 13th century and much of the furnishings date from the 17th century, but were not added until later.