Rural shopping

Those who love shopping and windmills will find what they are looking for on this route, which is offered by the Zuid Hollands Bureau for Tourism. The route runs through a wetland area along the Lek and its foothills. Small villages and beautiful orchards where fruit is grown are a feast for the eyes. In the villages you cycle past cozy shops, where many goodies are offered. A traditionally made piece of cheese or smoked fish, a pound of cherries from the rural orchards or a delicious fresh piece of apple pie add flavor to this fun bike ride. The eight windmills you encounter on this route all have their own story to tell and stand out beautifully in the open environment. The route starts at the Tourist Transfer Point (TOP) in the small village of Hoornaar. After 2.5 kilometers you will see the first windmill: the Oudendijkse windmill. This seesaw mill is one of the two remaining mills in Het Land der Zes Molens and was built in 1683. The mill was in operation until 1967, but when the inner rod broke, the mill was stopped. The mill was restored in 1983 and 1984 and you can now visit it by appointment. When you have cycled along the edge of the small village of Giessenburg, you will arrive at the Bovenkerkse mill (hull/remainder). What remains of the round stone ground sail is hull. The predecessor of this polder mill was a seesaw mill that burned down in 1865, after which a new mill was built on the site. This was a sounding mill of the Overwaard, which in 1928 received a crude oil engine to drive the (outer) scoop edge. The mill remained in operation until 1980, but then the drainage function was taken over by a fully automatic pumping station. As a result, the mill was demolished and only the hull remained. You cycle north in the direction of the village of Groot-Ammers. Before you get there, there are four more windmills on your route, all of which can be found relatively close to each other. Achterlandse Molen dates from the end of the 16th century and is one of three seesaw mills on the water of the Ammersche Boezem. The function of this mill was to drain the Ammers-Graafland polder, together with the Graafland mill that is also on the route. In 1865, the polder board decided to make both mills habitable and they were given a chimney, a box bed, light frames, door frames and an attic. The mills were also finished on the outside. The windmills still function as homes, but they also drain the Liesveld polder on a voluntary basis. Both mills can also be visited. Usually, the Achterlandse mill is open to the public when it grinds, but it is necessary to make an appointment to view the Graaflandse mill. The Achtkante mill, which was built in 1805, is the successor to a seesaw mill that burned down on that spot four years earlier. This mill, which, like the Achterlandse molen and the Graaflandse molen, serves as a home, has been marked by history. In the Second World War, the blades were damaged by a low-flying aircraft until the mill finally came out of operation in 1964. It was not until 1972 that a major restoration followed, but repairs were also carried out in 1991 and 1992. In 2010, the mill was further improved, making it fully operational again. With the paddle wheel, which is narrower than the other mills in the polder, he grinds small amounts of water on a voluntary basis. The last mill on the route is the Gelkenes mill. This mill also dates from the end of the 16th century and is still in working order. In the past, the mill drained the Liesveld polder and was a signal mill for the'de Overwaard\\\' water board. If you want to view this mill from the inside, you can make an appointment with the miller.