Utrecht Path

Part 2
SP13 Odijk to Utrecht

A Chilly Winter Hike from Odijk to Cothen

A week later, Saturday 18th, around half past ten, we were at the starting point of section 2 of the Utrechtpad. It was chilly and foggy, unlike the previous week’s sunny and frosty conditions. As in part 1, part 2 of the Utrecht Trail, from Odijk to Cothen, follows the towpath along the Kromme Rijn River, at least for the most part.

Part 2 coincides with the Waterline Path, another distance hike in the Netherlands. Not coincidentally, the Kromme Rijn namely played an essential role in the New Dutch Waterline 150 years ago. This water line, still recognizable in the Dutch landscape, functioned as an 85-kilometer-long defense system that consisted of dikes, locks, canals, forts, and bunkers.

Until 1940, this system protected the west of the Netherlands against approaching enemies. When there was a threat of war, strips of land were flooded, halting the enemy. Today, the New Dutch Waterline is the Netherlands’ largest national monument; in 2021, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Just over three hours later and 9.5 miles further, we completed the second leg of the Utrecht Pad in Cothen. As we had suspected, the trail had been similar to the first leg: a route with castles, estates, fruit trees, the river, and the towpath. However, the weather conditions creating this small, foggy world gave the trail a unique, mysterious beauty.

Date

Saturday, January 18, 2024

Distance

9.56 miles
15.39 km

Moving Time

3:15:16 hours

Weather

-2 °C, calm, fog