RijnWaalpad Fast Cycle Route (F325)
Netherlands (Gelderland): Stage 15 Apeldoom to Nijmegen 52 Km (Thu 27 July 2023)
Weather: 16⁰C min – 19⁰C max. Chance of rain (around 6 mm) 100%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Winds SW at 15 to 30 km.
“You can observe a lot by just watching” ~ Yogi Berra
No point in procrastinating any further, I set off in misty rain at 10:15 am headed for Nijmegen about 52 km further south. I was well rugged up in appropriate rain gear so did not fear the elements.
For the first 15 km I rode on perfect fietspads through a lovely forest (Het Nationale Park De Hoge Veluwe). The fine misty rain did not bother me because I was too distracted by the natural beauty all around me.
Just as I reached the town of Hoenderloo the rain started to get heavier, so I sought refuge in a cosy cafe where they served great cappuccino. Sitting at the window looking outside at the large raindrops splashing into the puddles, it was hard to drag myself away but eventually I managed to do so.
For the next 17 km to Arnhem I cycled on the brown-painted shoulder of a long straight secondary road. With drizzling rain in my face I wasn’t concerned with scenery or taking photos, I just put my head down and powered along.
At Arnhem I picked up the start of the RijnWaalpad, a fast cycle route that took me all the way to Nijmegen. I thought the fietspads and fietstraats I have experienced so far have been excellent, but this cycle superhighway is at another level.
RijnWaalpad gets it’s name because it runs for about 16 km from Arnhem on the Rhine to Nijmegen, on the river Waal (see F325 Fast Cycle Route Arnhem – Nijmegen). These two cities are now connected by the 16 km long cycle route that makes it possible to cycle that distance in about 45 minutes. The new path is 4 m wide and has a surface of smooth red asphalt. Cycling gets priority on junctions as much as possible. The path makes it possible to cycle so fast that it offers an attractive alternative to driving to work for the almost 12,000 employees that work somewhere alongside the new route. The total costs for the route were about 16 million Euro. Which amounts to about 1 million per km. “It is a lot cheaper” said Sjors van Duren, project leader on regional television, “than a km of motorway, that will cost 40 to 50 million Euro”.
Nearing Nijmegen I was intrigued to see a village of futuristic houses built over the water, not houseboats but architecturally designed houses.
Nijmegen is a city in the eastern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of Gelderland. With a population of around 175,000 people, it is the largest city in Gelderland and the tenth largest city in the Netherlands.
Now for a hot shower and some dry clothes, then I am off to explore the town of Nijmegen.
The RijnWaalpad sounds like your kind of heaven! Love those futuristic, modernist houses.
Yes RijnWaalpad is a dream, as are the houses. I could live on the water and catch fish for breakfast from my balcony.