CYCLING ROUTE · NORTH HOLLAND
Cycling Route Land of Leeghwater and UNESCO World Heritage Beemster
Cycle through a classic Dutch polder landscape of peat meadows, canals, dikes, open fields and traditional farmhouses.
The Landscape
The Beemster is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a masterpiece of early seventeenth century Dutch water management and land reclamation. In 1612, the former lake was drained using windmills, dikes and canals, creating a fertile clay polder that today lies more than three metres below sea level. The strict grid of roads, waterways and fields remains clearly visible across the landscape.
The route also takes you through the Land van Leeghwater, another landscape shaped by centuries of water management and polder development. Historic windmills, dikes, canals, traditional stolp farmhouses and villages reveal how engineering, agriculture and landscape design have worked together for centuries. Together, the Beemster and the Land van Leeghwater tell the story of the Dutch struggle against water in a remarkably well preserved cultural landscape.
What You'll Discover Along the Way
Estates and Heritage
Historic villages, traditional stolp farmhouses, windmills and heritage buildings reveal the centuries of water engineering and polder development that shaped the region.
Polders and Farmlands
The Beemster's distinctive checkerboard pattern of roads, drainage ditches, fields and meadows creates one of the clearest examples of planned Dutch polder landscape.
Marshes and Peatlands
Around the reclaimed polders, peat meadows and wet grasslands alternate with reed beds and narrow ditches, creating a softer contrast to the geometric lines of the Beemster.
Lakes and Wetlands
The ring canal, drainage channels and wider waterways form shimmering lines through the landscape, reminding you that the Beemster was once a large inland lake.
Virtual Cycling Through the Land van Leeghwater and the Beemster
Experience the Land van Leeghwater and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Beemster, with straight roads, ring dikes, canals and wide open polder landscapes. Cycle past historic villages, traditional stolp farmhouses and the characteristic grid of fields and drainage ditches that still reflects centuries of Dutch water management and land reclamation.
Experience the route from home with virtual cycling.
Route Map and Cycling Junctions
Start and finish near cycling junction 62 on the Groeneweg in Graft. Because this is a circular route, you can also start at one of the other cycling junctions along the route.
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32
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33
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10
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63
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12
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11
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9
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8
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7
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29
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61
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62
Route Details
Along the way: several options for a coffee break or lunch.
Discover More Cycling Routes
Explore more North Holland landscapes and find your next cycling adventure in nature.
EXPLORE ALL CYCLING ROUTES IN NORTH HOLLAND →
