Netherlands 24: Riding from Duinrell to Leiden

No trip to Duinrell would be complete without a visit to the nearby city of Leiden, I’m pretty sure we’ve been here on every visit. I’ve written previously about our trips to Leiden in 2015, 2017 and 2022, but there’s always something different to see each time we come, so there’s always room for another!

Leiden is a smallish city east of Wassenaar that’s located on the confluence of the Oude Rijn and Nieuwe Rijn. It has been a university city since 1575, with many notable university buildings across the city and a large student population.

Growing around the castle on the hill (Burcht van Leiden) from around the 13th century onwards, Leiden flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries. Among the notable people from Leiden, the painter Rembrandt was born and educated there.

I have to say, Leiden is one of our most favourite cities in the Netherlands. While it’s tiny compared to the major Dutch cities, it’s such an attractive and easygoing place, but as a university city, it has dynamism you get from having a large student population. It’d definitely somewhere I could see myself living, if the opportunity was to ever arise.

Riding to Leiden

Before setting off, I had the small task of transporting a folding bike across Duinrell, which was easily done on a hired bakfiets cargo bike our group had. One of the many benefits of having a cargo bike.

Transporting a folding bike on a cargo bike

After dropping the bike off, I moved onto my bike and we set off to Leiden. Getting there, we did what I usually describe as the scenic route, going via the route along the Zijwatering Canal and through Valkenburg.

Watch full-length video at normal speed Riding from Duinrell to Leiden via the Zijwatering Canal

Initially, we made our way through Wassenaar on a back route, along Storm van ‘s-Gravesandeweg, crossing at the lights, then onto Dr. Mansveltkade and Zonneveldweg, then down the gravel path Hoge Klei.

Crossing Oostdorperweg, we made our way through the park on Weidepad, then along Bellesteynlaan at the end. From there, we turned left onto Jaagpad, which is the path that runs along the Zijwatering Canal.

Cows in a field next to the Zijwatering Canal

As I say, I usually describe this as the scenic route, due to the wonderful views along the canal and surrounding fields, filled with cows. It’s such a lovely peaceful way to ride to Leiden, which we always enjoy, no matter what weather.

Selfie on the road next to the Zijwatering Canal

We soon arrived at the Valkenburgse Meer lake, where we turned right and followed the path round, next to the railway tracks for Stoomtrein Katwijk Leiden. Located next to the old Valkenburg Air Base, the lake is the result of sand extraction in the 1950s, for the production of sand lime bricks.

Valkenburgse Meer is now a recreational lake and nature reserve, as well as being the location of a historic narrow-gauge railway and a number of restaurants. While it can be pretty windy (helps the windsurfing I guess), it’s a pleasant spot to stop at in the sun.

After passing the lake, we continued along the path next to the A44, before then passing under the motorway. At this point, we were now on the outskirts of Leiden as we approached the bridge over the Rijn.

After crossing the Rijn, we made our way along Haagse Schouwweg to N206 Doctor Lelylaan, where we crossed in an underpass. We then made our way along Plesmanlaan, then crossed over in another underpass.

While there’s some pretty large roads on this side of Leiden, cycling around there is really easy, thanks to lots of excellent bidirectional cycle paths and lots of grade separation, thanks to multiple underpasses.

Approaching underpass under N206 Doctor Lelylaan

That grade separation means you can cycle across those big roads, with no stopping and waiting at traffic lights, which significantly improves the experience. It wasn’t always like that. When we first starting going to Leiden, none of those underpasses were there.

Tunnel under the railway lines to Leiden Centraal

After passing under the railways tracks in a tunnel, we took a left onto Morssingel, then right onto Stationsweg, before arriving at Beestenmarkt, where we parked our bikes.

Riding through Duinrell — Getting ready to set off

Wandering round Leiden

After parking our bikes at Beestenmarkt, we set off on foot towards the centre of Leiden. As it was now lunchtime, we were on the hunt for somewhere to eat, settling on burgers at Fat Phill’s, where we sat out overlooking the Rijn.

Lunch at Fat Phill's — Lunch at Fat Phill’s

After a pleasant lunch, we set off for a wander, starting with somewhere I’m embarrassed to say we’ve somehow never been to before on our many visits to Leiden. That would be Burcht van Leiden, which translates at the Fort of Leiden.

Located behind the buildings overlooking where the two tributaries of the Rhine, the Oude Rijn and the Nieuwe Rijn come together. The old fortress is located on top a motte, which sits 9m above the landscape.

Despite its height, Burcht van Leiden is obscured by the surrounding buildings, meaning without knowing about it, it’s easy to miss. Wll, that’s our excuse anyway!

Burcht van Leiden was constructed in the 11th century, though as the city grew around it, the fortress lost its original military function, with it becoming a more of a symbol of Leiden.

In the 17th century, the city bought the fortress, to make it into a water tower for public use. The water tower has since been removed, though water pipes down to squares still remain.

After finally making it to Burcht van Leiden, we climbed the steps to the top, to enjoy the view. Despite views of the tower being obscured by surrounding buildings, there’s actually some pretty good views of Leiden from the top.

After coming back down, we continued our wandering around Leiden, taking in many of the old streets and the Rijn, as well as browsing round the shops. After an enjoyable afternoon, we made our way back to Beestenmarkt, to collect our bikes.

Boats on De Rijn from Catharinabrug — View across De Rijn from Hoogstraat

Riding back

After an enjoyable afternoon in Leiden, we set off from Beestenmarkt back to Duinrell. As it’s always nice to vary the routes, I chose a different way back to the one we came.

Watch full-length video at normal speed Riding from Leiden to Duinrell

Initially, we set off past Utrecht Centraal and the extensive cycle parking next to the station. We then passed under the railway tracks on Rijnsburgerweg, then continued along the same street until turning left onto Wassenaarseweg.

We were now very much in the university district, passing many of the university buildings. The area features more excellent cycling infrastructure, with plenty of wide, smooth bidirectional cycle paths.

We next turned onto Sylviusweg, and passed the impressive round Collegezalengebouw (Gorlaeus Lecture Hall). We then turned onto Ehrenfestweg, which took us back to the N206 Plesmanlaan, which we passed under on another underpass.

We were now back on Haagse Schouwweg, where we were on our way in, before we crossed the Rijn again on Haagsche Schouwbrug. We continued further along the route we came, passing under the A44 and along the fantastic cycle path on Ommedijkseweg.

Though instead of turning off onto the path along Valkenburgse Meer, we carried on along Ommedijkseweg, which runs parallel to the A44. This then turns into Oude Trambaan, where the path changes from asphalt to concrete.

From this point, we pretty much followed the route I’d done that morning, which involved riding along Deijlerweg that turns into Van Zuylen van Nijeveltstraat in the centre of Wassenaar. We were soon back at Duinrell, to enjoy the rest of the day.