Bergen, Egmond aan de Hoef and Alkmaar

Explore the cozy narrow streets, beautiful courtyards and beautiful canals of Alkmaar, and learn all about what distinguishes the city: cheese! Explore the"Cheese City\\\" with its historic center, which has no fewer than 700 municipal and 339 national monuments. Visit the cheese market and the cheese museum or explore nature outside the city. For example, there is a beautiful old park forest near Bergen. In 1662 the forest was part of a country estate of a wealthy family and hidden among the trees are many small pools and romantic lakes. The tranquility of the area attracts birds, which water and wash in the shallow puddles. They can also enjoy a feast here, because the water attracts larvae and insects, which they can feast on extensively. You can park your car for free at Profile Der Children in Bergen. Before you start the cycle route, you can have your bike thoroughly examined here. Defects are quickly resolved and you can travel safely and without worries. Don't forget to show your bicycle discount pass, with which you will receive a 10.00 euro discount on maintenance of your bicycle. The first sight during the cycle tour is the Varnebroeker mill, a small water mill that had a predecessor that drained the Maalwater polder. The mill is characteristically located in a meadow and therefore has great landscape value. The mill will be restored in the first half of 2013, so that it can once again contribute to the water management of the Baafjespolder. The next sight on the route is Piet's Mill, also known as the De Groot mill. It is an octagonal mill that grinds wheat. The mill was once built as a rampart mill and has dominated the cityscape ever since. In 1884 the mill was purchased by Cornelis Piet, who had a house built at the bottom of the mill. As a result, the mill was popularly given the new name: Piet's Mill and the original name was hardly used anymore. Within the city limits of Alkmaar is also the ground sailor De Geestmolen, which was built in 1556. The octagonal inner gate drained the 170 hectare Geestmolenpolder. Ultimately, a whole new residential area was built around the mill, meaning it no longer catches the wind. It is remarkable that the Geestmolen has its own box bed, but it has never been inhabited. On the edge of Alkmaar you will come across the remains of the Robonsbos mill. The predecessor of this mill was built around 1541 as a see-saw mill that was driven by the wind. This mill has now disappeared, and was also in a different location. The current mill was probably built around 1781 and is the only mill in the Netherlands with a wooden reel cross. In this construction, four half rods are clamped around a solid wooden axle. The mill cannot be visited from the inside, because it serves as a home. You cycle through an area with flower bulb fields. Through the sea of colors you return to the vicinity of Bergen, where there is another mill: the Damlander. This mill was probably built at the end of the seventeenth or the beginning of the eighteenth century. The mill is a holiday home and has fallen out of operation due to decay. In mid-2012, the mill was sold to a new owner, who is committed to restoration.