Around the Reeuwijkse Plassen

Around the large water bodies of the Reeuwijkse Plassen, you will find meadows and a forest called 'Het Reeuwijkse Hout'. The former polder has a wide variety of flora and fauna. As you cycle along channels, gorges and canals through a vast area, you will see cuckoo and pink flower, but also crabgrass or marsh herb growing along the banks and in the fields. Grass snakes feel at their best near the water and many birds breed around the Reeuwijkse Plassen: the nightingale and the wood warbler, but also the reed warbler and the chif-chaff. The route, offered by the South Holland Tourist Board, also takes you through Gouda, known for its Gouda cheeses. Gouda has an attractive, historic center with a canal system and 330 national monuments. The town hall and St. John's Church, both built in the 15th century, are some examples of this. De Waag, built in 1668, also has a rich history. The route starts at the Tourist Transfer Point (TOP). Museum Bisdom van Vliet is the first stop after 1.4 kilometers on the route. In this museum you can see the belongings of the mayor's family Bisdom van Vliet. The current house was built between 1874 and 1877 to replace the old family home. The gigantic house consists of two floors, with the entrance hall, a consultation room, a large lounge, a dining room, garden room, living room, small lounge, the hallway and the stairwell on the ground floor. The first floor contains the white upstairs porch, a library, a bedroom/dressing room, another bedroom, a brown upstairs porch, an office, a costume room, a guest sitting room and a balcony room. Part of the collection that you can view includes Chinese and Japanese porcelain, antique furniture and clocks, silverware and crystal, family portraits, costumes and weapons. In the past, the park 'De Overtuin' was also part of the house. In the forest in the rear part there is a grave monument, where Mr and Mrs le Fèvre de Montigny-Bisdom van Vliet and their dog Nora are buried. Haastrechtse Molen is the only historic round stone mill in the Netherlands. There are other round stone mills, but they were all built only a few decades ago, while the Haastrecht mill dates from 1862. The mill is named after the polder it drained and was built to replace a seesaw mill with the same function. Another beautiful mill south of Gouda is't Slot. The round tower mill was built in 1832 on the spot where the castle of the Lords of Ter Gouw once stood. The mill replaced an octagonal tower mill that burned out in 1831. In 2003, the municipality of Gouda started a two-year restoration. The mill is still in working order and can be viewed by appointment, but is out of operation. In Gouda you will also pass the Agnietenkapel. This is the remains of a former women's monastery, the convent of which was founded at the end of the 14th century. The building has a Gothic chapel built in the mid-15th century. The entire complex consisted of a monastery courtyard, surrounded by various buildings (many of which have been demolished over the years): a chapel with sacristy, the monastery, service buildings and stables, but also a brewery. From 1972 to 1975 the chapel was restored and given a new purpose. Nowadays cultural activities are organized there. When you arrive north of the Reeuwijkse Plassen near Bodegraven, you will see a tower mill from 1697: De Arkduif. This mill ground grain and has been restored over the years with old parts from other mills. Nevertheless, the mill was shut down due to its poor condition. Although it no longer grinds, De Arkduif has been given a nice new purpose. Because it is used as a beer brewery, the mill cannot be visited. When you cycle out of Bodegraven, you arrive at the Wiericker Schans. Built in 1673, the fort was part of the New Dutch Waterline. The fort retained its defensive function until the 19th century, but the fortress has also been used as a gunpowder store, as a residence for officers, as a church and as a training school for guard dogs. Nowadays the fort is a tourist center for a wide recreational audience.