Journalist Machiel Coehorst came across two film crews in one day in the hiking area around Oud-Zuilen – one making an advertisement for beer, the other filming a TV series called Dertigers. Sounds like a good reason to pull on your walking shoes. The Parel van Zuilen is a former country house that served as the Zuilen town hall until 1954. Currently it is a restaurant- cum-concert hall with an outdoor terrace on the Vecht, and also the starting point of our 5 km-walk. We walk south, past the pollard willows on the riverbank. Swans, geese, grebes and ducks jostle with each other in the water. We cross the J.M. De Muinck Keizer bridge, onto 2e Polderweg towards the Overvecht sports fields. A muster of storks occupy a large field here all year round. You can even see them in the winter, shivering in the cold. A pretty path through the grass leads to some woods. Apart from storks and curlews, you might see rabbits or hares here too. Or a heron, standing perfectly still by a brook, waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting duckling. It’s nature, just slightly unappetising. Love letters If you’re lucky, you might spot a redwing or hawk in the woods. Bat boxes have been hung in the trees. The tenant and municipality of Utrecht have planted grain, legumes and herbs in the large central meadow to encourage biodiversity and fertile soil. Two viewing benches have been placed in a sunny position on the edge. The letter hanging on the notice board is from Belle van Zuylen, the emancipated writer who was born in Zuylen Castle in 1740 and actively supported women’s rights and the fight against poverty. One of her famous quotes was: ‘I have no talent for subordination.’ In her letter, she draws attention to her inner struggle between common sense and passion. A struggle that probably affects the tennis players in the adjoining tennis club every now and then. Belle van Zuylen wrote numerous clandestine love letters from Zuylen Castle. Bistro Belle, further along the route, was named after her. Dispense your own ice-cream The path past the tennis club is lined with huge horse chestnut and young beech trees and the thick foliage makes you feel as if you’re in a long tunnel. It ends at the 13th-century Zuylen Castle, one of the oldest castles along the River Vecht. The route continues past farms with names like Johanna’s Hoeve and De Frissche Roemer. A wooden hut is a new addition along the route. You can dispense your own ice-cream for €2.50 and a litre of fresh milk for €1.20. Kingfishers are sometimes seen on the stream. Contrary to popular opinion, they aren’t actually blue, but colourless. The feathers on their back have no pigmentation, but ‘structural colouration’ makes them appear blue. So it’s actually an optical illusion! Family grave There’s a very old cemetery on Kerkhoflaantje, with an adjacent white flowerbed. Zuilen (now Oud-Zuilen) was one of the first Dutch municipalities with a cemetery outside the built-up area. The Van Tuyll van Serooskerken family, owners of Zuylen Castle, took the initiative in the 18th century and reserved their own space in the graveyard. The walled part of their family grave and the entrance to the cemetery are now listed buildings. The public section accommodates the graves of famous people from Zuilen, including F.C. Donders, a pioneer in Dutch ophthalmology. A bit further along, you’ll find an amazing treehouse in a huge willow next to a farm. Skaters & carriages At the end of Groeneweg, two windmills on the Nedereindse Vaart form a familiar backdrop for the endless stream of cyclists, runners, hikers and skaters that pass this point every day. The larger windmill dates back to 1753. Its predecessor (from 1650) was much closer to the Vecht, but was moved in 1743 because horses pulling the carriages and barges along the Vecht were frightened by the turning of the sails. It’s even said that a horse pulling the carriage of the Lord of Zuylen Castle was once so spooked that they all ended up in the river. Protest The bridge near the mill takes you back to the Vecht. The road goes past neat little urban gardens and picturesque houseboats, into the built-up area of van Oud-Zuilen. On Friday mornings from May to October, you can harvest your own vegetables in Stadstuin Zuilen (at a price). In some windows in the village, you’ll see posters protesting against the municipality’s plans to give the hiking area around Oud-Zuilen a facelift by creating more paths and amenities (such as bike parks and information boards), and making more room for sport and recreation. We think it’s just fine as it is.