Along the canal

You start the bike tour in Yerseke. And when you say Yerseke, you immediately think of mussels. In 1870, oyster farming began. Oyster pits were built for this purpose. At the same time, mussel farming became more important. The only mussel auction in the Netherlands is located in Yerseke. At junction 85, you cross the canal through Zuid-Beveland. This canal connects the Western Scheldt with the Eastern Scheldt. It starts in the south at Hansweert and ends in the north at Wemeldinge. Construction of the canal started in 1850 and it was opened in 1866. In the previous century, the canal was one of the busiest shipping routes in Europe. Since the construction of the Scheldt-Rhine Canal, the importance of the canal through Zuid-Beveland has declined. On the way, you will pass the Kloetinge mill. The Kloetingse mill is a corn mill on the Kapelseweg just outside Kloetinge. The mill has no official name. It is a round brick tower mill from 1704 that has been whitewashed in the Zeeland tradition. The mill is covered with roofing felt and has a flight of 21.60/21.75 metres. It is a defining mill that stands on a hill in the landscape. At junction 48 you cycle past Kattendijke, which has 500 inhabitants. The village is popular with divers because of its favourable location on the Oosterschelde. The village was founded in the thirteenth century by damming the current Deesche waterway, which you pass on your right before junction 48. At Wemeldinge the canal flows through Zuid-Beveland into the Oosterschelde. Until 1992 ships still had to use the locks to sail to the Oosterschelde. Since 1992 it has been possible to sail straight through. A new branch was put into use at that time. Here we take a break at Jachthaven Wemeldinge BV before we head back towards Yerseke, the end point of this cycle route.