Cycling along the route of the Westland Steam Tram
Maassluis, Maasland, Schipluiden
Long before people travelled by car or bicycle from A to B, the people of Westland journeyed by tow barge to Delft or The Hague. It may have been comfortable, but it was slow. The desire to travel faster led to the founding of the Westlandsche Stoomtramweg Maatschappij (WSM) in 1881. With the construction of tram lines, the transport of people and goods between the villages of the Westland finally gained speed. In the beginning, though, things were still quite basic. The trams ran right through the villages, close to houses and shops. To avoid accidents, the tram had to move at walking pace. A staff member would walk ahead with a red flag and a signal lamp to warn pedestrians. One such original lamp can still be seen in the collection of the Westlands Museum. It wasn’t until after 1891, under the leadership of Jonkheer Henri Gustave Verspyck, that order and reliability were introduced. Station buildings appeared along the route where travellers could buy tickets and shelter from the rain. The line from Maaslandse Dam via Schipluiden to Delft became an important link, not just for passengers but also for the thriving horticulture sector. The arrival of buses marked the end of the tram for passenger transport, but freight services continued for decades. The last tram ran in 1967. This cycle route follows part of the historic WSM route and takes you through Maassluis, Maasland and Schipluiden. In Schipluiden, you even cross the original tram bridge over the Vlaardingsevaart, once built for the railway but now part of the cycling network. Along the way, you’ll come across museums, mills and other spots that tell even more stories of the region.
| Directions | Distance | Total distance | |
|
Start: Oude Veiling , 3155 EL Midden-Delfland | 27.1 KM | |
|
From
39
to
71
|
2955 M | 3 KM | |
| Head northeast on Foppenpolder | 124 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Foppenpolderpad | 1.3 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Foppenplaskade | 550 M | ||
| Continue straight | 41 M | ||
| Continue onto Foppenplaskade | 893 M | ||
| You are now at section 71 | 0 M | ||
|
From
71
to
74
|
1429 M | 1.4 KM | |
| Head southeast on Foppenplaskade | 42 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Rijskade | 213 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Alkeet Buitenpolderpad | 1.2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 74 | 0 M | ||
|
From
74
to
72
|
2153 M | 2.2 KM | |
| Head southeast on Alkeet Buitenpolderpad | 1.5 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Broekpolderpad | 607 M | ||
| You are now at section 72 | 0 M | ||
|
From
72
to
67
|
1383 M | 1.4 KM | |
| Head northeast on Broekpolderpad | 5 M | ||
| Turn left onto Trekkade | 970 M | ||
| Turn right onto Holyweg | 27 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Holyweg | 301 M | ||
| Turn left onto Vlietweg | 80 M | ||
| You are now at section 67 | 0 M | ||
|
From
67
to
80
|
920 M | 0.9 KM | |
| Head northwest on Vlietweg | 736 M | ||
| Turn right onto Vlietweg | 184 M | ||
| You are now at section 80 | 0 M | ||
|
From
80
to
62
|
1114 M | 1.1 KM | |
| Head northwest on Vlaardingsekade | 1.1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 62 | 0 M | ||
|
From
62
to
60
|
2413 M | 2.4 KM | |
| Head north on Vlaardingsekade | 1.8 KM | ||
| Make a slight right onto Vrouw Avenpad | 73 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Vrouw Avenpad | 64 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Vrouw Avenpad | 230 M | ||
| Turn left onto Rozemond | 110 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Rozemond | 92 M | ||
| You are now at section 60 | 0 M | ||
|
From
60
to
33
|
2771 M | 2.8 KM | |
| Head west on Gaagpad | 2.8 KM | ||
| You are now at section 33 | 0 M | ||
|
From
33
to
34
|
1119 M | 1.1 KM | |
| Head southwest on Gaagpad | 1.1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 34 | 0 M | ||
|
From
34
to
39
|
3194 M | 3.2 KM | |
| Head southwest on Weidepad | 1.1 KM | ||
| Make a slight left | 117 M | ||
| Turn right onto Molenweide | 252 M | ||
| Turn left onto Prinses Beatrixlaan | 305 M | ||
| Turn right onto 's-Herenstraat | 1.4 KM | ||
| You are now at section 39 | 0 M | ||
|
From
39
to
38
|
1302 M | 1.3 KM | |
| Head northwest on Maassluiseweg | 45 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Maassluiseweg | 529 M | ||
| Turn left | 4 M | ||
| Continue onto Noordvliet | 525 M | ||
| Turn left onto P.C. Hooftlaan | 20 M | ||
| Turn right onto Noordvliet | 179 M | ||
| You are now at section 38 | 0 M | ||
|
From
38
to
40
|
678 M | 0.7 KM | |
| Head southwest on Veerstraat | 4 M | ||
| Turn left onto Markt | 78 M | ||
| Turn right onto Wip | 63 M | ||
| Turn right onto Haven | 402 M | ||
| Turn left | 13 M | ||
| Turn right | 23 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Deltaweg | 95 M | ||
| You are now at section 40 | 0 M | ||
|
From
40
to
42
|
1373 M | 1.4 KM | |
| Head southeast on Deltaweg | 374 M | ||
| Turn left | 16 M | ||
| Make a slight left | 6 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Delflandsedijk | 686 M | ||
| Turn left onto Delflandsedijk | 291 M | ||
| You are now at section 42 | 0 M | ||
|
From
42
to
41
|
2487 M | 2.5 KM | |
| Head northwest on Vlaardingsedijk | 27 M | ||
| Turn right | 219 M | ||
| Turn right | 30 M | ||
| Turn left | 812 M | ||
| Continue onto Recreatiepad | 319 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Recreatiepad | 202 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Recreatiepad | 147 M | ||
| Turn right onto Zuidbuurt | 731 M | ||
| You are now at section 41 | 0 M | ||
|
From
41
to
39
|
1831 M | 1.8 KM | |
| Head northwest on Zuidbuurt | 1.6 KM | ||
| Make a slight right onto Kortebuurt | 67 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Oude Veiling | 127 M | ||
| You are now at section 39 | 0 M |