Benthuizen, Bodegraven and Waddinxveen

Grassy meadows, surrounded by ditches. Narrow, elongated plots seem to go on forever and are only interrupted by the occasional narrow road, a canal, a lake or a pond. Sailboats appear like dots on the horizon on those waters and anyone who looks further can see the skyline of surrounding cities above the peat meadow area. National Landscape Het Groene Hart is the largest of the twenty Dutch landscapes and is uniquely situated in the Randstad, surrounded by busy cities. Meadow birds that are endangered in the Netherlands, the godwit, the lapwing and the oystercatcher, find the peace and space to breed here. At the start and end point of the route in Benthuizen you will find Profile Hans Janssen. Before you start the tour, it is a good idea to bring your bike in here for a thorough check. After servicing and repairing any defects, you will receive a 10 euro discount with the bicycle discount pass and you can hit the road safely. The cycle route takes you past two beautiful mills. The first is a round stone mill called De Haas. The mill still serves as a flour mill and was built in 1772. The mill was decommissioned in 1956 and fell into disrepair. In 1974 the mill was placed on the monument list, which allowed the mill to be restored with government subsidies. The mill was completely restored in 1985 and now runs on a voluntary basis. The mill can be visited on Saturdays and it is possible to buy flour in the shop. The second mill is a national monument and is called Nieuw Leven. This seesaw mill is located in the heart of Hazerswoude-Dorp and dates from the seventeenth century. Originally it was a polder mill, which moved to its current location in 1815 or 1816. Here it served as a flour mill. The mill once housed three pairs of grinding stones, of which two still remain. One of these couples is driven by an electric motor, but these grinding stones are no longer suitable for grinding.