Along the canal

You start the bike tour in Yerseke. And when you mention Yerseke, you immediately think of mussels. Oyster farming began in 1870, with the construction of oyster pits. Mussel farming also became more important. Yerseke is home to the only mussel auction in the Netherlands. At junction 85, you cross the Zuid-Beveland canal. This canal connects the Western Scheldt with the Eastern Scheldt. It begins in the south near Hansweert and ends in the north near Wemeldinge. Construction of the canal began in 1850 and opened in 1866. In the last century, the canal was one of the busiest shipping routes in Europe. Since the construction of the Scheldt-Rhine Canal, the importance of the Zuid-Beveland canal has declined. Along the way, you'll pass the Kloetinge windmill. The Kloetinge windmill is a corn mill on Kapelseweg just outside Kloetinge. The mill has no official name. It is a round brick smock mill from 1704, whitewashed in the Zeeland tradition. The mill is covered with felt and has a 21.60/21.75 meter span. It is a landmark mill, situated on a hill in the landscape. At junction 48, you cycle past the village of Kattendijke, with its 500 inhabitants. The village is popular with divers due to its favorable location on the Oosterschelde estuary. The village originated in the thirteenth century through the damming of the current Deesche watercourse, which you pass on your right before junction 48. At Wemeldinge, the canal flows through Zuid-Beveland into the Oosterschelde estuary. Until 1992, ships still had to use the locks to reach the Oosterschelde. Since 1992, it has been possible to sail directly through, when a new branch was opened. Here we take a break at Jachthaven Wemeldinge BV before heading back towards Yerseke, the end point of this cycle route.