Central Flevopolder and Lelystad Nature Park
Cycling in a landscape with wet polder forests, colorful fields, a nature park with wild animals, and a swampy area with open water and reed fields.
The Landscape
A century ago, the Closure and Reclamation of the Zuiderzee Act laid the foundation for an epic project: the reclamation of the IJsselmeer polders. The Flevopolder, consisting of Eastern and Southern Flevoland, represents the impressive result of this initiative. Today, a lush landscape stretches across the former seabed, where the trees and forests seem to be rooted as if they had always been there. The waters of the Zuiderzee have been permanently replaced by the green panoramas of the polder.
In the heart of the polder, between the forests around Lelystad and those along the Bordering lakes, a harmonious blending of diverse natural areas has taken place. This has resulted in a splendid ecological corridor, where forests thrive, reed beds gently sway, fields bloom in vibrant colors, waters quietly ripple, and even various endangered species freely roam in a park-like landscape.
Forests and Heaths
Polders and Farmlands
Swamps and Peatlands
Lakes and Ponds
Cycle with us through past and present
Cycling stories about the Zuiderzee Works, roaming wildlife, and panoramic views
This video explores a landscape that, less than a century ago, lay entirely underwater. The Flevopolder is the youngest part of the Netherlands, reclaimed from the former Zuiderzee through one of the most impressive hydraulic engineering feats ever accomplished: the Zuiderzee Works. Cycling along an ecological corridor and through Lelystad Nature Park, you'll discover how technology, nature, and human vision come together in harmony. Tip: Turn on the subtitles in the YouTube video to follow the story.
Route map
Start and finish near bike node 6 on the Harderbosweg in Biddinghuizen. However, this bike route is a circular tour, so it offers the possibility to start from any of the following bike nodes.
6 - 2 - 28 - 35 -29 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 46 - 47 - 81 - 82 - 84 - 73 - 85 - 86 - 83 - 60 - 51 - 53 - 54 - 56 - 63 - 64 - 3 - 2 - 6
