National Landscape Southwest Friesland

The Southwest Fryslân National Landscape has a size of 51,420 hectares and is one of the twenty National Landscapes in the Netherlands. The area can be divided into three parts: The IJselmeer coast, Gaasterland and the peat area with southwestern Frisian lakes.

The Gaasterland is a wooded area, in which, among other things, thrush, wood anemone, collared anemone and wild garlic grow and bloom lushly. The most important breeding bird that builds its nest in the spring is the sand martin. This bird breeds in colonies in self-dug cavities, instead of building a traditional nest in the treetops.

When the route starts, you will pass the Memorial Plaque of the Killed Inhabitants of Gaasterland. Fallen soldiers from the Second World War are commemorated here with a memorial plaque.

Continue to the bell tower, which stands on a small hill in a small cemetery. In 1949 the bell tower was destroyed by a storm. Later a new bell chair was purchased and Yndyk has owned a bell chair again since 1978.

If you do not have a boating license, you can still rent a motor boat from Jachtcharter Klompmaker to take a trip on the Frisian lakes. Enjoy the small rivers in Friesland or the IJsselmeer. The boats are comfortably furnished and have quiet engines so you can get a breath of fresh air in nature.

Later you cycle past the't Lam mill, a mill from 1698. This mill was used as a grist and peeling mill. The first repairs took place in 1775 and the mill remained functional until the Second World War. Because the scaffolding was poorly maintained, the mill was restored in 1948. Restoration work also took place in 1970. Since the mill reopened in 2000, it has been running regularly again on a voluntary basis.

Another nice mill is Doris Mooltsje. This spider head was built in 1790. It is a showpiece in the beautiful landscape at a very popular location, because the mill and the landscape add extra atmosphere to each other. The mill was largely demolished in 1934, because the rods were no longer needed as a diesel engine was installed in the mill. In 1992, a restoration was started to return the Doris Mooltsje to its original state. This work was completed a year later.

There is also a spider's head in Nijhuizum (hull/remains), but the year of construction of the mill remains unknown. What is known is that this mill was used as a polder mill to drain the nearby monkenburenpolder. A diesel engine was installed before 1940 and was later automated around 1972. If you want to visit the inside of the mill, you can do so when it is running.

The last mill of the cycle tour is called De Vlijt and is a tower mill built in 1986. The mill has not been renovated or automated for a long time. For example, a mill was only installed in 2013, until then the miller had to carry the grinding material upstairs himself. The flour mill is open when the mill is running, but there are no fixed times for this.

Finally, you end the bike tour with two war monuments: War Memorial Koudum Cemetery commemorates the victims who fell during the Second World War and the war in the Dutch East Indies and Monument Hampden AE 248 was erected in memory of a shot down bomber from the Second World War.