Delft, Pijnacker, Berkel en Rodenrijs

Delft is a city of history, of statesmen, painters and towers. On the Markt, the old Town Hall and the New Church shine. Here, stories of William of Orange, the Golden Age and Delftware are within easy reach. Among the facades, a city sparrow pecks at crumbs, but just outside that historic centre something very different begins – and just as impressive.

As soon as you cycle out of the city, the pace shifts. Birds take over the soundscape. In Delftse Hout, coots glide through the reeds, and a heron appears in the Groenzoom. Around the Ackerdijkse Plassen, marsh harriers hover motionless above the meadows. No view is the same. Sometimes open and watery, like in Bieslandse or Abtswoudse Bos. Sometimes enclosed and damp, like in Ackerdijkse Bos where ferns grow right up to the path.

It’s this contrast that makes the route so special. You move effortlessly between church towers and pollard willows, between burial vaults and greylag geese. Delft lies behind you; ahead, a mosaic of lakes, polders and forest edges unfolds. Along reed beds and ditches, you’re constantly rewarded with views – and birds that rarely hide.

For city sparrows craving horizon and reeds now and then, this is exactly the right ride!