National Park Lauwersmeer
Cycling through a rugged landscape with reed fields, flowery meadows, young forests, grassy sandbanks, and wide, shallow lakes.
The Landscape
National Park Lauwersmeer stretches along the border of Groningen and Friesland, right beside the wild Wadden Sea. Once a vast saltwater inlet called the Lauwerszee, this landscape faced relentless floods until 1969, when the sea was finally closed off. With the tide of saltwater retreating, nature sprang to life, turning open water into a vibrant mosaic of swaying reed beds, mysterious wetlands, swampy woodlands, and colorful, flower-filled meadows. It’s a place where the raw power of nature meets peaceful beauty, inviting explorers to discover its many secrets.
Where once the sea ruled, a raw and untamed wilderness now stretches as far as the eye can see. Wide-open grasslands, vast reed beds, flower-filled meadows, and young forests whisper with the wind. Expansive sand and clay flats, dotted with shimmering shallow waters teeming with life. This is a land of endless horizons and open skies, where majestic white-tailed eagles and elegant spoonbills soar, and the silence invites you to truly connect with nature. And when night falls, the sky bursts into a dazzling display of stars, as Lauwersmeer reveals itself as one of the darkest and most magical places in the Netherlands.
Forests and Heaths
Coastal and Tidal Zone
Polders and Farmlands
Lakes and Ponds
Join us on this virtual cycling route
Route map
Start and finish near bike node 89 on the Strandweg in Zoutkamp. However, this bike route is a circular tour, so it offers the possibility to start from any of the following bike nodes.
Unfortunately, there is a road diversion due to extensive construction work on the dike, resulting in the closure of bike paths along the dike and in Marnewaard for an extended period. This means that it will not be possible to cycle via junctions 7 and 8 until the end of 2025. It is recommended to cycle from junction 6 to junction 5 if you are going in that direction. If you are coming from the other direction, you can cycle from junction 5 to junction 6. The road diversion shortens the route by approximately 5 kilometers.
89 - 9 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 5 - 73 - 4 - 45 - 46 - 13 - 50 - 83 - 85 - 84 - 88 - 90 - 89
- 98% of the route runs on paved roads.
- 2% of the route runs on unpaved and semi-paved paths.
