This single-centre cycling holiday is based in beautiful Utrecht, the Netherlands' fourth largest city and the country's religious centre since the 8th century. The city's ancient centre has many structures having been the country's most important city until Amsterdam took up the mantle during the Dutch Golden Age (1581 - 1672 AD). Still a major trade centre, sitting on the banks of the River Rhine, places of particular interest ar the Cathedral of Saint Martin, the tallest belfry in the Netherlands. As well as many theatres, art galleries, museums and music venues, the city also has a growing monument in the Letter sof Utrecht - an endless poem in the cobblestones of the Oude Gracht in Utrecht to which a letter gets added every Saturday. .A recurring theme along the routes on this trip is the Dutch Waterline - this was an important military defence line in Dutch history. Canals and sluices made it possible to inundate large expanses of land to keep an advancing enemy at bay. In places where inundation was not possible forts were built, blending in with the landscape. You'll also cycle past the Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park - the largest wooded area in the Randstad.