Gouda, Schoonhoven, Oudewater

Cycle the Golden Age Triangle and experience Holland at its finest. This route takes you through a beautiful medieval landscape and leads you to the historic town centres of Gouda, Schoonhoven and Oudewater. These charming towns owe much of their character to the Dutch Golden Age (1600-1700), the period in which the Netherlands grew into one of the world's leading trading powers. At the same time, this prosperity was closely intertwined with colonial expansion, war and slavery.

In Gouda, visit one of the oldest Gothic town halls in the Netherlands on the Market Square and admire the famous Gouda Windows, the magnificent stained-glass windows of St John's Church. Wander through the picturesque streets filled with artisan shops and cheese specialists. You'll also come across Gouda pottery, a distinctive style of hand-painted decorative ceramics that, like Delft Blue, became famous around the world.

Schoonhoven is known as the Silver City, thanks to the many silversmiths who have worked here since the Golden Age. It's a town where craftsmanship is still celebrated, with scenic canals, historic façades and welcoming squares making it a wonderful place to explore by bike.

The final point of the triangle is Oudewater. During the Golden Age, the town was an important centre for rope making, a story told in the Rope Museum. Oudewater is also famous for its Witches' Weigh House, where people accused of witchcraft could be officially weighed to prove they were not witches. Leave your bike for a while and stroll through the historic fortified town. It's easy to imagine 17th-century farmers, merchants and wealthy citizens travelling these very same roads.

While we continue to admire the beauty and prosperity left behind by the Golden Age, it's important to remember that this wealth came at a significant human cost. It was built in part through colonialism, war and slavery.