The Zuidersea has always been a great source for fishing and access for trade. It also has been a dangerous place when the North Sea pushed the water through the bay; dikes would fail, resulting in floods killing hundreds or even thousands. To address this problem a plan was drawn up in the 17th century but not until the 19th century technology had been developed to actually do the job. One of Holland’s great men, Cornelis Lely, a Dutch Civil Engineer came up with a plan that proposed building a long dam that would close off the Zuidersea and turn it into a lake. In 1918 the project was officially started and in1932 the last connection to the sea was closed and the Zuidersea became a lake, now named the IJsselmeer.Even before the Afsluitdijk was complete, the Dutch started working on the first of the polders; the Wieringermeer, which was completed in 1929. The second polder –the noordoostpolder- was started in 1936 and finished in 1942. And finally the oosterlijk Flevoland, the third polder, added 208 square miles of territory to the Netherlands in 1957. The fourth polder –zuiderlijk Flevoland- was finished in 1967. So… the Zuidersea is now the IJsselmeer, the biggest lake in Western Europe, an artificial lake of 1100 square km in the central of the Netherlands. Also in 2010 an artificial island, called IJsseloog was installed on the lake. It is a repository for contaminated material dredged from the bottom of the lake. Once full, it will be capped and turned into a nature reserve. Besides visiting touristic highlights such as Volendam and Edam, you get to cycle over the impressive, 32-km long Afsluitdijk - something you should experience at least once in your life! The provincial harbour towns of Makkum, Stavoren and Kampen tell the story of a rich past.The Zuiderzee Route also takes you further inland to the national parks De Wieden and De Weerribben, where you get an idea of what large parts of Holland must have looked like before man put his stamp on it. The Hanze towns of Kampen and Harderwijk, the fortress towns of Elburg, and Naarden and the traditional fishing village of Spakenburg - known for its traditional costume - show you different sides of the region’s rich history. After cycling from the Hoek of Holland to Naarden we shall cross over 'het Gooimeer' to Almere and cycle first the two polders in a figure of 8 and return back to Naarden from where we start going North towards the Afsluitdijk, circling the IJsselmeer through Stavoren, Lemmer, Vollenhove, Kampen and so on, finishing back in Laren or thereabouts and visit my brother. We intend to go at the end of May.Can’t wait!





Monday 5 June 2017

Harderwijk - Laren 29.24 miles

Harderwijk - Laren 29.24 miles

Left early and what a nice place it was. Our host really put herself out to make us welcome and comfortable. For breakfast she even cooked us some 'wentelteefjes'. Don't know if there is even an English word for it.
We did not have to go far today. Stopped at a steam pumping station Arkemheem for coffee. It is a very special station and has been restored during the seventies and best of all it was working today. It has even become a popular place to get married!
Of course we stopped at Spakenburg. We have been here several times now and will never leave the place before stopping at the fish stall to buy our favourite herring and eel rolls. Arrived at 1 o'clock in Laren and will stay here till Wednesday morning.
On Wednesday we will travel to see the family in Hellevoetsluis and fridaynight we leave by ferry to Harwich. Home Saturday.
End of our Dutch round of the Zuidersea. IT will also be our last tour. In all we have cycled over 11.000 miles over the last 13 years. We will still go out  on the bike but just day trips now.

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Spakenburg. Do you remember? ...Broodje paling...Broodje haring....Delicious!




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Sunday 4 June 2017

After visiting the village of Elburg we noticed this narrow street on our way out.




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Genemuiden - Harderwijk 34.79 miles

Genemuiden - Harderwijk 34.79 miles

Yes, the cows did a lot of moo-ing in the early morning and the storks too made a lot of noise. But it was interesting. I watched them in the evening and every time the male bird came to the nest the couple performed a kind of ritual by moving their necks simultaneously while making this clacking sound with their beaks. It was like a dance and at the end they mated and Mr. Stork flew away. When it became dark the whole family were on the nest but the adults didn't lie down but stood on one leg with their eyes closed. (Yes I really could see that from our bedroom window). That's the way they slept. In the morning the male went out and came back with breakfast for the young one....a large bird! They also eat moles and the neighbour has got plenty!
After our own breakfast we left just after nine and arrived in Harderwijk at about 4. It was tough going as we had to cope with headwind 4, but we did. Tomorrow we cycle to Laren and visit my brother. Tomorrow is also the last cycling day of the Zuidersea route. But.... We still have to cycle back to the Hoek of Holland.


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Saturday 3 June 2017

The cycle path on the right went on for miles, giving us beautiful landscapes and thatched houses along both sides of the water.




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A quay side view in Blokzijl.




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Mother Stork looks quite proud at her young one...




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Lemmer - Genemuiden 33.59 miles

Lemmer - Genemuiden 33.59 miles

Again wonderful cycling in a peaceful landscape. From Lemmer to Slijkenburg, coffee in Ossenzijl and lunch in Blokzijl. Continued through Zwartsluis arriving quite early in Genemuiden, or rather just outside Genemuiden. The place we are staying is on a farm and much to our joy there is a stork pole just outside our bedroom window with mother/father stork and their young. There were two but one died. These storks come back year after year. The farmer has them ringed and they have been coming here for 14 years. Some times one of the young ones have come back after 2 years, at a time when they are ready to mate. We have been warned that they will make a lot of noise in the morning, well they can bring it on! Next door is another farm with 100 cows. They too will make a lot of noise after milking in the morning. One of the cows had fallen in a dike and the farmer and son had to pull it out with rope and tractor. We watched all this while sitting outside drinking a cup of tea with our hosts. Tomorrow we cycle to Harderwijk.


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Friday 2 June 2017

Stavoren harbour, with the statue of Het vrouwtje van Stavoren in the foreground, looking out for her ships to come back with treasure to make her even richer then she already was. But she was greedy. One of her captains promised her riches and brought...




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We had a look inside to see who was hiding there......half a dozen lambs!




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Hindeloopen - Lemmer 30.33 miles

Hindeloopen - Lemmer 30.33 miles

We have been very impressed with Hindeloopen. The village looks so pretty, tidy, friendly and inviting, that it comes at the top of the list. When leaving just after nine we also found cycling this side of the IJsselmeer actually better than the west side. It was such a peaceful ride, hardly saw anyone, it was wonderful. Stopped at Stavoren for coffee. Then on to Scharl, Oudemirdum for lunch, reaching Lemmer mid-afternoon.
Years ago I received a box with letters etc from an Aunt who had passed away. In it was a letter with 'Return to sender' written on it. It's quite a story, so here goes.
My aunt had sent this letter to a person in Amsterdam and was put on the mailboat at Lemmer, destined for Amsterdam by way of the IJsselmeer. This boat was called The Groningen lV. There was another mailboat coming from Amsterdam to Lemmer. They collided and the Groningen lV sank and lives were lost as was the mail. This happened during WW2. After the war this boat was lifted from the seabed and my Aunt received her letter back as the name and address on the envelope was no longer recognisable, but hers was on the back! When this letter came into my possession I managed to read the letter for about 90%, some of the wording was destroyed by the water. It was all about how they were managing with food going round during these hard times. Anyway, I was very intrigued and looked the story up via the Internet. At the time of looking this up one of the Maritime museums in Friesland was doing a story about this boat in their museum. So, I rang the museum and told my Aunt's story. The curator was elated as this letter would be treasure to the museum and I promised to send it to him. In return he send me a picture of Groningen lV. That's my 'Lemmer' story for the day. The lesson for the day is therefore to 'never throw anything away'!.....


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Thursday 1 June 2017

The place where we are staying the night..




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Hindeloopen church with its leaning tower...




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A typical Hindeloopen street..




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With the doors open...




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Our Friesian 'bedstee' for the night...




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Den Oever - Hindeloopen 36.31 miles

Den Oever - Hindeloopen 36.31 miles

After a very pleasant stay we set off for the Afsluitdijk. As the B&B was almost next to the dike we were soon on that long straight line. It was exactly 20 miles and took us 2 hours. The wind was southeast but only 0.1. At the end we turned right cycling south, first of all to Makkum. Next was Gaast, Ferwoude, Workum and lastly Hindeloopen. All the villages are lovely and Hindeloopen comes out tops today. We just had a walk round the village and took some pictures.
Tonight we are sleeping in a 'bedstee'. This is an old Friesian bed, which is basically a cupboard. See pictures. I slept in one during the war, this one however is much nicer decorated. I don't think I would like to sleep in this one too often, so now is just for the record only! The whole room is decorated in Friesian style.
Tomorrow we head for Lemmer.


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The statue of Cornelis Lely on the Afsluitdijk. We salute you...




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The drawbridge had just been opened for a cruiser to pass through.






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Enkhuizen - Den Oever 30.67 miles

Enkhuizen - Den Oever 30.67 miles

Leaving at 9 o'clock we continued along the coastal route. Weather had improved with plenty of sunshine and not too much wind. We cycled through Enkhuizen. Again very quaint, nice gabled houses, some of them not straight, but that adds to the character. When we got to the harbour there was a forest of masts. All these villages are the same. Hundreds and hundreds of boats. After Enkhuizen we went through Andijk(coffee), Medemblik(lunch at the Kwikkel), then our destination Den Oever. We have stayed here before and were quite pleased with the place then, so here we are at The Waddenzee Pension again. The cycling has been very good today, the landscape was fantastic with bird life around us. All very therapeutic.
We just had a meal and it was good. Tomorrow the Afsluitdijk! 20 miles long straight dike/dam which turned the Zuidersea into the IJsselmeer, the largest lake in Europe.


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Tuesday 30 May 2017

Katwoude - Enkhuizen 36.73 miles

Katwoude - Enkhuizen 36.73 miles

It was a nice place where we stayed the night. Had a self contained annexe with table and chairs outside. The farmer came to have a chat as did his mother, who also provided us on arrival with a cup of tea. Nice folk.
On departure we needed a lot more layers than the day before. It was damp and misty. At times we had the wind behind and that was just great. The bike is doing very well. We did put new oil in the gearbox and also 'the bike clinic' came to service the rest. But the oil we always do this ourselves.
We headed for Volendam first and the place was busy with Japanese people. Very nice village which was then followed with Edam. We preferred that one. Very quaint. After Edam it was Hoorn. I have been here before, years ago with my parents to visit family. In fact this whole area is where my forebears came from, on my fathers side. I believe there is even a village like my maiden name! I once did see that on the map.
Hoorn is lovely as you can see on the picture. Their unique houses and some of them leaning over badly, but it adds to the character of the place. Their boats in the harbour with their lee-boards are also typically Dutch.
So far we have stayed with a painter and her paintings are very interesting, a retired farmer's wife, a singer who sings once a year in England with her choir :)) Canterbury and Ely Cathedral so far. Then last night another farmer. We keep meeting other cyclists and they are forever asking about Brexit! Want to hear our opinions. Tomorrow we head for Den Oever, just before the famous/infamous Afsluitdijk. I mention 'infamous', but that is another story - a very long time ago.


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Monday 29 May 2017

This bird sat very still for me. Don't know what bird it is though. Anyone?.....


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Huizen - Katwoude (just above Monnickendam) 33.59 m

Huizen - Katwoude (just above Monnickendam) 33.59 miles

Left just before 9. It had rained a little so everything had freshened up. We followed the LF route 23a and half way through it became the LF 21a. The countryside was wonderful. So much bird life. We also masses of yellow irises along the waterways. They have nearly come to its end. We had lunch at Durgerdam. One of the many fishing villages ending with the word 'dam'. Our lunch was the best so far. Smoked eels with toast. It really is my favourite fish. The owner of the restaurant told us, that these eels came from the IJsselmeer and they are the best. He explained to us, that it had to do with the mud on the bottom! They were also smallish eels; again these are the tastiest. You also need a good smokehouse. We did enjoy this. Just look at the picture.
We carried on to Monnickendam, a town founded by monks. It derives its name from Monk's dam. Quite a big village/town. We are staying at a farm in Katwoude and received a very nice welcome. It's a big farm with lots of cattle.


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This heron also posed for me very cautiously. I hardly breathed....




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Durgerdam. One of the many villages in this area finishing with 'dam'.




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Smoked eels for lunch! Delicious..




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Sunday 28 May 2017

Dronten - Huizen 44.67 miles.

Dronten - Huizen 44.67 miles.

Although more miles than yesterday, it didn't seem more effort was needed. We left a very nice B&B and headed for the Veluwe Meer. Cycled along the shores to Zeewolde, where we had lunch. Carried on to Nuldernauw, Nijkerkernauw, into Eemmeer, crossed the bridge and cycled into Huizen where we are staying. It has been a beautiful day. Not quite as warm as yesterday and tomorrow the temperature will go down a little more. Having finished now with the Flevopolder, tomorrow we begin on the actual Zuidersea route and by using LF 23 to start with.


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So much bird life wherever we cycled..




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Saturday 27 May 2017

Lelystad - Dronten 40 miles

Lelystad - Dronten 40 miles

It has been very warm today, also a strong wind. Too warm, but we had to keep going.
We left for Urk, which dates back to the 10th century. It was an island at that time. In 1939 a dike from the mainland to Urk ended the towns island status. Seabed areas surrounding Urk were reclaimed from the sea and became the Noordoostpolder.
We had the intention to cycle to Urk and have a fish lunch and so we did as you can sea from the picture, washed down with an ice-cool beer. The place was so busy as everyone is still enjoying their 5-day break.
We then cycled back over the Ketel Bridge and headed for Dronten, where we are staying the night.


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The smoking eel man in Urk. A delicacy! The eels of course..




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A fish lunch in the fishing village of Urk. It was good...very good




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On the Klifquay in Urk, where an Urker woman in national costume of that area is spinning string/rope etc in any colour you like.




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Friday 26 May 2017

Lunch stop




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Nederhorst den Berg - Lelystad 34 miles.

Nederhorst den Berg - Lelystad 34 miles.

You can see from the mileage that we don't cycle as much as in the past. However, it felt more like 60 miles as we had a strong headwind and especially on the dike it was hard work.
We stopped for coffee and had homemade Dutch apple tart. This was the best we had tasted so far. As good as mine!
I have tried to take pictures of the many birds we see, but they won't sit still for me. The place is teeming with bird life. We stopped halfway and visited a visitors centre and we stayed for a film on the richness of Flevoland's nature and countryside. Cycling in Flevoland is certainly not boring. Lots of changes, long acres of reeds, through wooded areas...and all of a sudden open spaces; of course there is water on every side; we are cycling on the bottom of what was once the Zuidersea.
Lelystad is in the centre of the Netherlands and is the capital of Flevoland. It is built on reclaimed land, founded in 1967 and was named after Cornelis Lely, who engineered the Afsluitdijk, making the reclamation possible. The town is appr. 9.8 feet below sea level.
Tonight we are staying at an address with Friends on the Bike. Very nice. The lady owner is an artist and paints wonderful pictures. A bit like Picasso! :))Really true!


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Thursday 25 May 2017

The stork and its young




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The ferry crossing the Amsterdam Rijnkanaal




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Our B&B - the middle one




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Hazerswoude Dorp - Nederhorst den Berg 31.22 miles

Hazerswoude Dorp - Nederhorst den Berg 31.22 miles

Today is Ascension Day but here in the polders, it is also Polderland's Day. I don't know why but that is what we read here and there as we cycled through the polders. Yesterday I called them 'marshes'. I was wrong, it's polders.
Before our breakfast this morning I went out to take a picture of the Rietveldsche Molen just outside where we stayed. This mill dates back from 1648 and was in full use untill 1966, draining polderland. Since 1967 it has come under the protection of Ancient Monuments. See picture.
The countryside has been so beautiful today. Holland really is a very special place. So much water everywhere. Many houses have a stream/river at the front and you need to go over a small bridge to get to your front door.
Nobody goes to work on Ascension Day. Shops and schools are closed. Only the cafe's are open. They needed to as they were busy. It appeared, that if you had a bike you were on it. Cyclists everywhere. Chaos in places, as the racers think they are superiors on the paths.
We had to cross the Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal by foot/cycle ferry as you can see in the picture, all free of charge.
We came across a stork with, I think, 3 young ones on the nest. I wish they would put up these stork poles in the UK as they will use it. It has been a wonderful day.


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Rietveldsche Molen in Hazerwoude Dorp




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Wednesday 24 May 2017

Dutch piling




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Hoek van Holland - Hazerswoude-Dorp 39.50 miles

Hoek van Holland - Hazerswoude-Dorp 39.50 miles

Arrived at The Hoek and disembarked at 8 o'clock. Set off for Kijkduin where we were going to meet an old badminton friend from way back. It has been 52 years since we last saw each other and we just carried on where we left off! So much to say, reminisce and catching up. It was great. But ..we had to go as we booked a BandB in Hazerswoude Dorp and we didn't want to arrive too late. The route I had chosen was with using the link number (Fietsknooppunten) system. It worked well and the route mostly went past rivers, lakes and marshes. We were cycling on a dike in the area of Stompwijk, where much work was going on to repair the dike from erosion. We stopped as it was so interesting. The Dutch do their piling a different way as the chief, a woman :)) of course, was explaining to us that a 15 metre long metal tube -see picture- was driven in the ground. Not with the hammering noises we are used to in England, but pushed in under enormous pressure. She continued to say, that her firm (Dutch gebr. De Koning) go anywhere in the world to do this kind of work. It's not really a holiday picture but we were fascinated by it.
We arrived at our BnB at 5 and it's a really nice place. We have a unit adjacent to the water with our own landing staithe and overlooking the reed marshes.
It has been a wonderful first day, nice weather and for 90% cycling on cycling paths and.....no hills here!


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