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Through Utrecht, the landscape becomes a shade lonely. We stopped at Bunnik, a small town to the east of Utrecht; the campsite (left) was a good metaphor for the area. Getting to the campsite involved scaling a daunting bridge over the railway with the loaded tandem (see below right). Although there is a ridge for the bicycle’s wheels, the weight and length of the tandem made it a challenge. 

A very pleasant 20 kilometers further one encounters Rhenen where the river becomes more familiar – it is navigable and the barges ply their trade. We bought some food at a nearby deli and took it to the river to eat – it was also an opportunity to dry the tent (which can be seen in the foreground of the picture, left).  The Rhine path, however, remains sporadic, with frequent detours that, in some cases, take cyclists some distance away from the banks.

The Rhine features are sometimes other-worldly, or at least other timely (see below right). The features that facilitate the management of the river, its flows and direction, are many and interesting subjects. The feature below right is to the west of Arnhem approached here on the south bank which we selected in order to avoid the centre of Arnhem at peak time (a bit of learning from our experience in Utrecht – albeit with the consequence of not seeing the city itself). It is a lonely approach and is the precursor to a lot of loneliness punctuated by many seemingly lost villages.