Utrecht Path

Leg 11
SP13 Maarssen to Utrecht

March 2025

Tackling the Last Leg

We set off again two days later, on the very last stage of the Utrecht Path. We took the train to Maarssen and walked a bit extra to reconnect with the route at the bridge over the Vecht in the town center. We were mesmerized by the Maarssen’s 17th-century canal houses. The historic Huis ten Bosch, built in 1628 by Jacob van Campen, the same architect who designed Amsterdam’s Royal Palace, served as Maarssen’s town hall from 1924 to 1961. We almost missed the tiny Maarsseveense canal, which once connected the Vecht to the eastern polder. Its toll house from 1655 is still standing.

Crossing Urban, Industrial, and Rural Landscapes

After leaving the town center, industrial buildings replaced elegant estates. We passed Huis Vechtenstein, one of the last beautiful houses along the Vecht, which was modeled after a mansion in South Carolina. We are in the midst of Utrecht’s old and new industrial areas. The old lock between the Vecht and the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal is no longer in use. The doors are always open. On the site of the former Dutch Quinine Factory, a new, stylish neighborhood called Op Buuren has been built.

We returned to an old-fashioned-looking Dutch countryside, where historic farms and windmills replaced the industrial buildings. Side by side stood the largest and the smallest windmills in the province of Utrecht. Together with the locks, they have kept and keep the Westbroek and Buitenweg polders dry as they are still functioning today.

The van Zuylen Cemetery and Castle

Unfortunately, the gate of the Oud Zuylen cemetery (1782) was closed. Dating from 1781, it is the oldest cemetery outside a town in the Netherlands still in use. It also holds the family grave of the residents of Slot Zuylen, a half a mile further down the road. Slot Zuylen itself was as beautiful as ever. The castle’s most famous resident is the writer Belle van Zuylen, who resisted the inequality and narrow-minded morality of her own milieu and family.

While walking through Oud-Zuilen, we felt transported back in time, with the occasional car reminding us of the present. After crossing the Slot Zuylen’s estate and passing through the De Klop nature reserve, we reached Fort aan de Klop. This fort is part of the UNESCO Dutch Waterline and is one of eight forts built on Utrecht’s northern and eastern edge between 1816 and 1829.

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Back to The City

The Vechtdijk turned into the Zandpad, leading us past the Gatehouse, a national monument with a hidden Jewish cemetery behind it. The Vechtdijk turned into the Zandpad, leading us past the Gatehouse, a national monument. Though a beautiful building, it was sadly spoiled by graffiti, and a hidden Jewish cemetery lay behind it. A bit further down the road, we passed the Roode Brug, a bridge built in 2009. While it is perfect for walkers and cyclists, its single-lane design makes it far less practical for car drivers.

Taking a short detour from the Zandpad, we were surprised to find ourselves face-to-face with the Rijn en Zon windmill. So close to the center of hadn’tt, we hadn’t expected to see one. After being restored, it is once again fully operational.

A Modern Twist

We were also impressed by the Bemuurde Weerd and the Weerdsluis. Built around 1300, this lock regulates the water level between the Oudegracht and the Vecht and is still in use today. Today, it also features a unique modern twist: the “fish doorbell.” An underwater camera shows fish waiting to pass, and online viewers can ring the bell to let the lock keeper know when to open the gate.

Along the Oudegracht, through Utrecht’s lively old town, we returned to the Dom to the exact same spot where our walking adventure two months plus earlier had begun.

Date

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Distance

9.58 miles
15.42 km

Moving Time

3:17:28 hrs

Weather

8 °C, sun,
light breeze