Leiden, Noordwijk and Katwijk aan Zee

The Zwanburgerpolder is a polder island just above Leiden. The polder was founded in 1632 and was responsible for the water management in the polders until it was merged into the Veen- en Geestlanden in 1979. The polder has long been drained by a mill, but nowadays people prefer to change the level as little as possible. If you also want to explore the cities in the polder, Noordwijk is a good candidate. Noordwijk consists of two centres, Noordwijk aan Zee and Noordwijk-Binnen. Noordwijk aan Zee was founded around 1200 and has traditionally been a fishing village. Nowadays it is best known as a seaside resort with a coastline of about thirteen kilometers long. Today, this gigantic area of beaches means that tourism has outpaced fishing. Noordwijk Binnen used to be mainly characterized by vibrant flower bulb cultivation. The territory of Noordwijk still consists largely of waste land, which is very suitable for flower bulb cultivation. Upon arrival you can park your car at Profile de Molen. If you have a bicycle discount pass, you can have your bicycle serviced and/or repaired here with a 10 euro discount. An excellent opportunity to subject your bicycle to a thorough inspection. First you cycle to the Broekdijkmolen. This beautiful octagonal ground sailor was built in 1840 and was used as a polder mill. The mill exploded in 1972 and burned down completely. The Broekdijkmolen was completely rebuilt in 1976 with a new roof, rods and ongoing work. The mill now drains the Broek en Simontjes polder on a voluntary basis and cannot be visited. Then you pass the Hoop Doet Leven mill. This beautiful round stone mill was used as a flour mill and was built in 1867. The mill has had relatively little damage over the years, but was restored in 1971 and in 2010. It is one of the few mills that still grinds on a professional basis. Anyone who wants to see how this works is welcome to visit the inside of the mill on Saturdays. The Hoogewegse Mill is another type of mill that you will encounter on this cycle route. The seesaw mill from 1652 was used to drain the Hoogeweg polder. The mill was almost completely renovated in 1711, after it had suffered heavy storm damage. In 1959 a diesel engine was installed, so that the mill was no longer dependent on the wind to grind the mill. In 2013 he does this on a voluntary basis. Interested parties can make an appointment to view the Hoogewegse Mill. Finally you come to Oud-Poelgeest Castle, which was founded around 1300 as a fortified house. The castle is located on an estate of approximately ten hectares, complete with a pond, deciduous forest and watercourses. The current castle was built around 1640 and the towers were only added in the nineteenth century. The building now houses a conference hotel and beautiful sleeping quarters have been built in the former coach house.