Haarlem, Zandvoort and De Zilk

Zandvoort is buzzing! The town, which nowadays lives from tourism and is known for the Formula 1 circuit and the wonderful beaches, was already known in 1100. In the centuries that followed, the village lived mainly from fishing, until the first bathhouse was put into use in 1828. Potato cultivation also emerged during that period. Tourism took off when Zandvoort had a station in 1881 and at the end of the nineteenth century an electric tram connection with Haarlem was also built. Not only can you enjoy the sea, but there are also dozens of bulb fields in the area. The area is one of the most colorful regions in the world. Between and behind the wide sand ridges and extensive dunes, strips of green meadows and bulb fields alternate. The colorful spring and summer seasons are heralded by the blooming of crocuses at the end of March. The beautiful colors of different types of tulips, daffodils and hyacinths then quickly continue, while in late summer gladioli, dahlias, carnations and asters provide a second beautiful sea of diverse colors. You cycle around the Amsterdam Water Supply Dunes, an area of 3,400 hectares through which fifty million cubic meters of drinking water flows every year. The area has the largest fallow deer population in the Netherlands per hectare; that amounts to approximately 2000 fallow deer! When you have followed the coastal strip and cycle inland again, past the bulb fields, you will see the Groenendaalse Mill. We cannot say with certainty how old the mill is, but the mill was certainly as it was in 1781. A print from this year depicting the mill is proof of this. The mill was possibly a folly; In any case, no other function of the Groenendaal mill other than offering a nice view is known. What is special about the mill is that it is the only mill in the Netherlands with a double rack. The mill can usually be visited on Sunday afternoons. A mill that clearly had a function is the Eenhoorn. This paltrok mill is located in Haarlem and is equipped as a sawmill. The mill has a striking appearance; it is covered with wood completely blackened with tar. The Eenhoorn was built in 1776 and this mill is also special: unlike most paltrok mills, this mill has four saw frames. The rear saw frame did not function properly and was converted as a kind of balance frame.