Alongside the canal

You start the cycling tour in Yerseke. And anyone who says Yerseke immediately thinks of mussels. In 1870, oyster farming was started. Oyster pits were built for this purpose. The cultivation of mussels also 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 Westerschelde with the Oosterschelde. 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 last century, the canal was one of the busiest routes in Europe. Since the construction of the Scheldt-Rhine canal, the importance of the canal through South Beveland has decreased. On the way you will pass windmill Kloetinge. The Kloetingse molen 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 Zeeland tradition. The mill is covered with roofing felt and has a height of 21.60/21.75 metres. It is an iconic windmill that stands on an elevation in the landscape. At junction 48 you cycle along the 500 inhabitants of Kattendijke. The village is popular with divers because of its favorable location on the Oosterschelde. Due to the damming of the current Deesche waterway, which you pass on your right before junction 48, the village was created in the thirteenth century. At Wemeldinge the canal flows through South Beveland into the Oosterschelde. Until 1992, ships still had to use the locks to sail to the Oosterschelde. Since 1992 it is possible to sail directly. A new branch was then taken into use. Here we take a break at Jachthaven Wemeldinge BV before heading back towards Yerseke, the end point of this cycle route.