Watersnoodramp | Cycling route the flood on Schouwen-Duiveland
Burgh-Haamstede, Serooskerke, Renesse
"The water just flowed and flowed past everything and everyone." (Ms Soesters, Burgh-Haamstede. Watersnoodmuseum, The Story) On 1 February 1953, the Netherlands faces the force of water. KNMI predicts a north-northwest storm with a huge wind force of up to 11 to 12, which could lead to "dangerously high water". Combined with spring tide, which is caused by the full moon two days earlier, the water will have free rein. Despite the warnings on Saturday 31 January, residents are not immediately concerned but are watching the natural spectacle on the coast. Some residents and fishermen do not trust it, as do meteorologists, when the water still has not subsided during low tide. They try to alert the authorities, but they too seem unconcerned. When the Netherlands hears the eight o'clock news on the radio the next morning, dykes have breached in several places in Zeeland. By now, there are already many casualties and people are being rescued from attics and from trees in rowboats. Telephone lines are down, so it will be hours before the rest of the Netherlands realises exactly what is going on in the western part of the country. A day after the disaster, it is still not clear how many victims there are, as the water keeps flowing. During this cycle route, you will venture to the edge of the disaster area on the hard-hit island of Schouwen-Duiveland in Zeeland. Much of the island was swept away, except for the Kop van Schouwen. During the rising waters on 1 February 1953, farmers try to herd their cows, sheep and pigs into the dunes here, onto higher land. You cycle through Burghsluis, in this village the dike breaks on disaster night. From here you now look not over land, but over water towards the church of Haamstede. Further east, the dike at Schelphoek also breached; a ship that broke loose damaged the dike to such an extent that it could no longer hold the force of the water. This is the largest breach on the island, with enormous force the water being forced through the dike opening. From Uitkijktoren Schelphoek you can still see the old dike with the big hole. The centre of Haamstede is dry and a safe haven for victims, as well as a base for relief operations. Around the village, some treetops and roofs of houses still stick out above the water; Haamstede seems to be in the middle of the sea. Haamstede can only be reached by water, some roads in the village are only passable during low tide. Between the villages is nothing but water, where in the distance sometimes a church tower rises above the water. As far as Zierikzee, everything is flooded; from the breach in the dyke in Burghsluis to the centre of Zierikzee, the water crosses some 14 km of land as the crow flies. Here and there, small parts of villages have remained dry, this is where evacuees are being received.
| Directions | Distance | Total distance | |
|
Start: Haven Serooskerke , 4327 AE Schouwen-Duiveland | 38.1 KM | |
|
From
81
to
71
|
5157 M | 5.2 KM | |
| Head west on Haven Serooskerke | 32 M | ||
| Make a slight right | 156 M | ||
| Continue straight | 1.6 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Stolpweg | 3.3 KM | ||
| You are now at section 71 | 0 M | ||
|
From
71
to
70
|
3297 M | 3.3 KM | |
| Head southeast on Havenplateau | 168 M | ||
| Turn right | 1.5 KM | ||
| Make a slight right | 157 M | ||
| Turn right | 108 M | ||
| Turn left onto Cauersweg | 104 M | ||
| Turn left onto Westerseweg | 701 M | ||
| Turn left onto Hoogh Plaetweg | 579 M | ||
| You are now at section 70 | 0 M | ||
|
From
70
to
72
|
7741 M | 7.7 KM | |
| Head west on Kampweg | 572 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Kampweg | 792 M | ||
| Turn left onto Steenweg (R112) | 185 M | ||
| Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Kraaijensteinweg (R112) | 17 M | ||
| Exit the roundabout onto Kraaijensteinweg (R112) | 296 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Kraaijensteinweg | 70 M | ||
| Continue straight | 199 M | ||
| Turn right | 5 M | ||
| Turn left | 161 M | ||
| Turn left | 53 M | ||
| Turn right | 1.5 KM | ||
| Turn right | 1.4 KM | ||
| Turn right | 242 M | ||
| Turn left | 479 M | ||
| Turn right onto A. van der Weijdeweg | 528 M | ||
| Turn left onto Hogeweg | 1.2 KM | ||
| Make a slight right onto Burghse Ring | 63 M | ||
| You are now at section 72 | 0 M | ||
|
From
72
to
73
|
461 M | 0.5 KM | |
| Head northeast on Burghse Ring | 461 M | ||
| You are now at section 73 | 0 M | ||
|
From
73
to
74
|
924 M | 0.9 KM | |
| Head northeast on Burghseweg | 577 M | ||
| Turn left onto Ring | 61 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Noordstraat | 224 M | ||
| Make a slight right to stay on Noordstraat | 62 M | ||
| You are now at section 74 | 0 M | ||
|
From
74
to
75
|
5888 M | 5.9 KM | |
| Head west on Serooskerkseweg | 707 M | ||
| Turn right onto Vroonweg | 1.8 KM | ||
| Make a slight right | 1.2 KM | ||
| Make a slight right | 444 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Vroonweg (R104) | 483 M | ||
| Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit | 49 M | ||
| Exit the roundabout onto Hogezoom (R103) | 355 M | ||
| Turn right onto Zeeanemoonweg | 149 M | ||
| Turn right onto Oude Moolweg | 47 M | ||
| Turn left onto Lange Reke | 73 M | ||
| Turn left onto Lange Reke | 92 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Lange Reke | 199 M | ||
| Turn right onto Laone | 11 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Laone | 290 M | ||
| You are now at section 75 | 0 M | ||
|
From
75
to
76
|
577 M | 0.6 KM | |
| Head northwest | 16 M | ||
| Continue onto Scholderlaan (R102) | 561 M | ||
| You are now at section 76 | 0 M | ||
|
From
76
to
84
|
3452 M | 3.5 KM | |
| Head north on Scholderlaan | 27 M | ||
| Turn right onto Duinweg | 606 M | ||
| Turn right | 35 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Rampweg (R101) | 1.9 KM | ||
| Turn left to stay on Rampweg | 459 M | ||
| Make a slight left | 398 M | ||
| You are now at section 84 | 0 M | ||
|
From
84
to
85
|
992 M | 1 KM | |
| Head southeast | 174 M | ||
| Turn right | 224 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Rampweg | 386 M | ||
| Turn right onto Inlaag | 29 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Rampweg | 16 M | ||
| Turn left onto Elkerzeeseweg | 163 M | ||
| You are now at section 85 | 0 M | ||
|
From
85
to
83
|
2955 M | 3 KM | |
| Head southeast on Elkerzeeseweg | 1.2 KM | ||
| Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Renesse | 8 M | ||
| Exit the roundabout towards Renesse | 1.8 KM | ||
| You are now at section 83 | 0 M | ||
|
From
83
to
77
|
3084 M | 3.1 KM | |
| Head north on Schelpweg | 1.1 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Kuijerdamseweg | 2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 77 | 0 M | ||
|
From
77
to
78
|
749 M | 0.7 KM | |
| Head southeast on Stoofweg | 749 M | ||
| You are now at section 78 | 0 M | ||
|
From
78
to
80
|
2032 M | 2 KM | |
| Head southeast on Stoofweg | 2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 80 | 0 M | ||
|
From
80
to
81
|
836 M | 0.8 KM | |
| Head south on Stoofweg | 218 M | ||
| Make a slight left to stay on Stoofweg | 17 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Serooskerkseweg | 242 M | ||
| Continue straight | 181 M | ||
| Turn right onto Delingsdijk | 110 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Haven Serooskerke | 68 M | ||
| You are now at section 81 | 0 M |