Visited in April 2024. When I was preparing for my trip to the Netherlands I realised that I've visited this site already on all my previous trips to the country. Basically every road and train line out of Amsterdam goes through the core zone of this site and I have done multiple trips out of Amsterdam before. I might have also visited some of the forts around Utrecht but that was a long time so I can't count on my memory anymore. But this time I wanted to visit the site consciously.

I chose to stop by Fort Uitermeer, near the town of Weesp. The fort was perfectly on my way to the northeast and the Unesco website had a photo of it on their website, so that made me want to stop by it. I could've stopped in more interesting Muiden or Naarden but I was strict on time so one small fort was enough for this time. Fort Uitermeer is part of both New Dutch Waterline and Defence Line of Amsterdam. It's a small circular fortification and quite funny looking because of its shape. The fort was built to protect important roads and train lines, and there is also a lock next to it, that can be used for the flooding of the fields.

On a drizzly Thursday April morning I was the only tourist around (unsurprisingly). Only one dog with its owner was exploring the paths around the fort. The fort has its own parking lot from where it's a 5 minute walk to the fort. You first arrive to the lock which has a big sign saying the fort's name and some information signs about the defence lines and surrounding nature. The view from the lock to the fort is quite picturesque. It was all very peaceful and tranquil with birds singing and rain slowly dropping through the trees. The quite large Vecht river flows next to the fort. You can't enter the fort as the entrances are blocked but you can peek through the fences but there isn't much inside the fort anyway. This site can be seen in couple minutes but it's a worth stopping by if you're in the area. Many cycle routes pass by here and there are picnic tables. There is also a restaurant right next to the fort with great views to the river but it was closed in April.

I visited later on the same trip some of the canals that are part of the core zone in Utrecht and passed through the core zone multiple other times by car and train. It's an interesting site and I think it totally deserves its place on the WH list. As a visitor experience it isn't the most interesting, though. I would like to visit in future some of the fortified towns like Naarden so there are things to see for future trips, too!