Polder madness between the Beemster and the Zuiderzee
Middenbeemster, Beets, Scharwoude
A beautiful part of North Holland with varied landscapes. Part of the route runs along the straight canals and the characteristic polder landscape of the Beemster. The other part of the route takes you along the more winding Schermerringvaart. This ring canal flows into the former Zuiderzee near Schardam via a branch to the Beemsteringvaart. You will cycle through an area that used to be marshland and water. In the days of the “kussenmoeras”, a wet, spongy landscape, ditches were dug for drainage. Dykes were built to protect the new land, but there was still little traffic over land. Transport was by canal, ditch and small boat. Slowly, peat soil developed, but due to drainage, the land subsided. And it still does: in some places, the ground here sinks by 1 to 5 millimetres every year. The lowest point in North Holland is located in the Zeevang, near Etersheim: more than 6 metres below sea level. This landscape of canals, pumping stations and windmills is also home to the vanished village of Etersheim. Once a lively settlement, it was eventually submerged by the advancing waters of the Zuiderzee in the 17th century. During the reinforcement of the Markermeer dyke, traces of the village resurfaced. From household goods to foundations, and even a medieval sarcophagus. Cycling between the Beemster and the Markermeer, you see an area that is completely geared towards survival with water: dykes, pumping stations, straight ditches and windmills show how this has been working for so long.
| Directions | Distance | Total distance | |
|
Start: Middenweg , 1462 KP Purmerend | 47.4 KM | |
|
From
6
to
7
|
1883 M | 1.9 KM | |
| Head north on Middenweg | 304 M | ||
| Keep right onto Middenweg | 36 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Middenweg | 1.5 KM | ||
| You are now at section 07 | 0 M | ||
|
From
7
to
8
|
1878 M | 1.9 KM | |
| Head east on Hobrederweg | 1.9 KM | ||
| You are now at section 08 | 0 M | ||
|
From
8
to
32
|
2654 M | 2.7 KM | |
| Head north on Nekkerweg | 2.7 KM | ||
| You are now at section 32 | 0 M | ||
|
From
32
to
33
|
2088 M | 2.1 KM | |
| Head east on Noorddijk | 347 M | ||
| Turn left onto 't Laantje | 87 M | ||
| Turn right onto Beets | 1.7 KM | ||
| You are now at section 33 | 0 M | ||
|
From
33
to
10
|
2541 M | 2.5 KM | |
| Head southeast on Korsloot | 380 M | ||
| Turn right onto Beetserweg | 344 M | ||
| Turn left onto Beetsdijkje | 1.5 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Hoornse Jaagweg | 167 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Hoornse Jaagweg | 124 M | ||
| Turn left | 29 M | ||
| Continue onto Sluisweg | 45 M | ||
| You are now at section 10 | 0 M | ||
|
From
10
to
63
|
2426 M | 2.4 KM | |
| Head northeast | 47 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Oosteinde | 188 M | ||
| Turn right onto Warderweg | 2.2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 63 | 0 M | ||
|
From
63
to
64
|
1149 M | 1.1 KM | |
| Head southeast on Warder | 1.1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 64 | 0 M | ||
|
From
64
to
83
|
4898 M | 4.9 KM | |
| Head north on IJsselmeerdijk | 4.1 KM | ||
| Keep left onto IJsselmeerdijk | 311 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Schardam | 503 M | ||
| You are now at section 83 | 0 M | ||
|
From
83
to
37
|
1086 M | 1.1 KM | |
| Head north on Schardam | 1.1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 37 | 0 M | ||
|
From
37
to
36
|
2553 M | 2.6 KM | |
| Head north on Schardam | 2.6 KM | ||
| You are now at section 36 | 0 M | ||
|
From
36
to
15
|
2873 M | 2.9 KM | |
| Head west on Scharwoude | 516 M | ||
| Turn right | 70 M | ||
| Turn left | 5 M | ||
| Continue straight | 19 M | ||
| Continue straight | 97 M | ||
| Turn right onto Grosthuizen | 2.2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 15 | 0 M | ||
|
From
15
to
30
|
1325 M | 1.3 KM | |
| Head west on Grosthuizen | 1.3 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Kathoek | 60 M | ||
| You are now at section 30 | 0 M | ||
|
From
30
to
28
|
6212 M | 6.2 KM | |
| Head west | 243 M | ||
| Turn right onto Middenweg | 1.8 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Mijzerweg | 1.1 KM | ||
| Make a slight left onto Noorddijk | 762 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Jisperweg | 810 M | ||
| Turn right onto Vrouwenweg | 806 M | ||
| Turn left onto Westdijk | 702 M | ||
| You are now at section 28 | 0 M | ||
|
From
28
to
27
|
1508 M | 1.5 KM | |
| Head northwest on Oosteinde | 558 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Westeinde | 711 M | ||
| Turn left onto Zwartedijk | 211 M | ||
| Turn right onto Provincialeweg | 28 M | ||
| You are now at section 27 | 0 M | ||
|
From
27
to
82
|
3445 M | 3.4 KM | |
| Head northwest | 15 M | ||
| Turn left | 20 M | ||
| Turn left | 34 M | ||
| Turn left onto Molendijk | 51 M | ||
| Turn left onto Noordervaart | 14 M | ||
| Turn right onto Molendijk | 2.4 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Noordeinde | 37 M | ||
| Turn right onto Noordeinde | 708 M | ||
| Turn right onto Kopdammerdijk | 169 M | ||
| You are now at section 82 | 0 M | ||
|
From
82
to
62
|
2983 M | 3 KM | |
| Head south on Meerdijk | 1.6 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Noordeinde | 1.4 KM | ||
| You are now at section 62 | 0 M | ||
|
From
62
to
61
|
1893 M | 1.9 KM | |
| Head southeast on Dorpsstraat | 832 M | ||
| Turn left onto Rechtestraat | 1.1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 61 | 0 M | ||
|
From
61
to
6
|
3966 M | 4 KM | |
| Head east on Westdijk | 118 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Rijperweg | 3.3 KM | ||
| Make a slight left to stay on Rijperweg | 288 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Rijperweg | 243 M | ||
| You are now at section 06 | 0 M |