Netherlands 24: Riding the F28 fast route to Utrecht

Since we stayed in Utrecht back in 2017, it’s somewhere we’re always keen to go back to, if we get the opportunity. So as we were staying nearby in Amersfoort, it was high on our list for a visit. This was particularly true for me, at it would mean I get to sample the F28 fast cycle route between the two cities!

Having read about the route on the always excellent and informative Bicycle Dutch, who covered it both 2017 and 2023, I was aware the route was somewhat behind schedule, but had improved the route between the two cities significantly in that time.

Bicycle Dutch covers the history and background of the route, to a level of detail that I rarely go to, so I recommend reading his posts to know more. I probably should have paid more attention myself, given I missed some of the details along the way.

A quick summary of the improvements, the original plan was to construct the route between 2018 and 2020, but this ran into issues due to the route going through five different municipalities and the complexities that brings, plus the impact of the pandemic.

At the time of Bicycle Dutch’s second ride along the route in 2023, there were still unfinished sections at either end of the route in Amersfoort and Utrecht. At the time of my ride, there was evidence of work still being carried out at the Amersfoort end, but that was it.

Riding to Utrecht

As will be familiar to anyone who has read any of my recent posts, I’d be riding to Utrecht by myself, while the rest of the family took the train.

Given the proximity of our Airbnb house to Amersfoort Centraal station, and with a journey time of just 13 minutes, getting the train to Utrecht is incredibly convenient. Though there’s still no way for tourists to use OV-fiets hire bikes, which is very frustrating!

Watch full-length video at normal speed F28 Fast Cycle Route to Utrecht

Setting off from our Airbnb house, I passed under the railway using the underpass on Brouwersstraat and made my way past Amersfoort Centraal station and along Barchman Wuytierslaan. The route out of Amersfoort is on a nice wide bidirectional cycle path, with a very smooth surface. This is a pleasure to ride.

Continuing along the route, I then passed over a level crossing and turned onto the start of the route, where there was a sign about the improvements to the cycle route. Initially, there’s a short section that’s too narrow to be bidirectional and is in need of an upgrade. Hopefully, this is being planned.

Signs for the cycle route construction work

It’s not long before I reached one of the upgraded sections. At this point, the path is a wide, with a concrete surface that’s nice and smooth. I’ve seen a few modern concrete paths like this in The Netherlands and they work really well.

Having ridden along old bumpy concrete paths before, with large joins between the slabs, I can say the techniques for laying these have significantly improved. Concrete is often preferred for this type of route, due to a long life and low maintenance compared to asphalt, while having a lower environmental impact overall.

I crossed the railway tracks once more, then pass under a large echoduct, providing a way for wildlife to navigate across the railway safely. Carrying on further, I left the traffic-free route, as I approached Den Dolder.

At the point, the route turned into a recently installed fietsstraat (cycle street), where cycles have priority and cars are guests. That’s the theory, though I’ve used plenty that are successful and a few that haven’t been.

Fietsstraat (cycle street) on Paltzerweg

Success is largely down to whether the fietsstraat is a through route for cars or not. If so, you tend to get higher levels of traffic than would be acceptable as well as close passes. In this instance, I’d say the traffic was higher than I’d like.

Through Bilthoven, the route continued on a combination of one-way or bidirectional cycle paths, mostly recently installed and of a high quality. There was then another fietsstraat before the route went traffic-free again and through the trees again.

Coming out of the trees, I was now on the outskirts of Utrecht, riding along more high quality bidirectional cycle paths, as I passed under the A27 motorway. After riding through some large junctions, I arrived at Wittevrouwensingel.

Refuse truck emptying the bins on Blauwkapelseweg

From there I continued towards the centre of Utrecht along Vredenburg. Prior to 2020, Vredenburg was very different to how it is today, as can be seen in this post from Bicycle Dutch.

Fietsstraat (cycle street) on Wittevrouwenstraat

Previously, there was a narrow cycle lane in one direction, with street clearly set up to prioritise motor traffic. It has been reconstructed as a fietsstraat, that prioritises cycles.

I do remember cycling along here in 2017 with the kids, feeling pretty nervous in the traffic. While I was riding by myself this time, cycling along here felt much more relaxed than it used to be.

In the cycle parking under Utrecht Centraal

Carrying on to the busiest section of Vredenburg, which gave the street the title of the busiest cycleway in the Netherlands, I made my way to the fantastic cycle parking under Utrecht Centraal station.

Smallepad cycle path next to the railway tracks

Underpass under the railway on Brouwersstraat — Smallepad cycle path next to the railway tracks

Wandering round Utrecht

After parking my bike, I made my way out of the station and set off to find the others. We didn’t have major plans for the day, just grab something to eat and have a wander in one of our favourite cities.

View of the Dom (not me) from Zadelstraat

Since our first visit in 2017, one of our favourite places to eat is Dimitri Petit on Servetstraat. Now, there’s probably many better places to eat, but nothing means Utrecht to us more than enjoying a gyros in the shadow of the Dom Tower.

There wasn’t anywhere to sit at Dimitri Petit at that time, so we headed to the garden at Flora’s Hof round the corner. This is lovely quiet spot and is somewhere we’d often gone to enjoy an ice cream.

Talking of ice cream, we next made our way to LUCA IJssalon on Nobelstraat. This is somewhere we’ve been before and used to be connected to the fabulous IJssalon Luciano in Wassenaar, but it looks like that’s no longer the case. Regardless, they had fantastic ice cream, which was very welcome on a hot day.

Enjoying an ice cream at LUCA IJssalon Utrecht

After some great ice cream, we set out for a wander, largely around the Oudegracht (Old Canal) and surrounding streets. On a hot sunny late July day as it was, there were lots of people enjoying the canal, either on or beside it.

Boat and paddleboard on the Oudegracht (Old Canal)

Utrecht proves the adage that cities aren’t noisy, it’s cars that make them noisy. Remove the cars from the centre, like many Dutch cities have done and you’ll notice just how quiet and pleasant they can be.

We always enjoy being in Utrecht, and we’d end up returning to the city again during our week in Amersfoort. One day we’ll stay there properly again.

Riding back

After our day in Utrecht, I returned to Amersfoort largely along the same route I came, though with a slightly different route coming out of Utrecht. I can’t honestly remember if this was intentional or a mistake. Knowing me, it’s highly possible it’s the latter!

Watch full-length video at normal speed F28 Fast Cycle Route to Amersfoort

The alternative route meant I passed by Griftpark, which I haven’t been to since I took the kids there in 2017, so that was nice to see. From there, it wasn’t long before I returned onto the route I came on.

It was a really pleasant ride back to Amersfoort in the late afternoon sun, as I passed many other people doing the same. This included quite a number of sports cyclists in Lycra and a few mountain bikers riding woodland trails.

Mountain bikers in the trails next to Monnikenboschweg

As an aside, I’ve noticed mountain biking appears to be quite popular in the Netherlands, whereas I’ve rarely seen anyone gravel riding. Could this be something to do with the upright riding position of mountain bikes being more suitable for people who ride upright Dutch bikes? I don’t know.

As I said, we did end up returning to Utrecht during the week, which meant another ride along the F28 Fast Cycle Route. For fear of repeating myself (possibly a first), I won’t cover the whole ride, but I will include the route took out of Utrecht, via the Dafne Schippers Bridge and along Amsterdamsestraatweg.