Long before we met, my partner for a time lived in Amsterdam while working at the same time in Utrecht. Back then, unbelievably, he would sometimes bike the entire 35 kilometer distance, passing through Abcoude for a good part of the ride. He was admittedly much fitter back then.
Retracing his route, we went up driving along an empty two-lane road through scenic countryside, upper-class houses, and lo and behold, what turned out to be of all things, a castle, complete with moat and all. Sensing my piqued interest – since I pretty much shouted out ‘hey, it’s a castle!’ and craning my head to see more of it – my partner made a quick u-turn so we could stop and take a look around. 

Akin more to a large house, it did still fit the bill in what a castle ought to be. Its history dates back to the 13th century and, even if it was more on the small side, proved to be worth the detour. There wasn’t much to the tiny town of Loenersloot after that – not surprising since apparently the town population was only around 400 people – but no doubt about it, they certainly have something that not a lot of other towns, big or small, can brag about.