Alkmaar, Krommenie and Heiloo

You cycle through cozy narrow streets, across beautiful courtyards and along beautiful canals, but what really sets Alkmaar apart is of course the cheese market and the cheese museum. Explore the"Cheese City\\\" with its historic center, which has no fewer than 700 municipal and 339 national monuments, and enjoy the vastness outside the built-up area. The route starts at Profile Yvo Jonker. Here you get a whopping 10 euro discount on maintenance and repairs when you show your bicycle discount pass, so this is a great opportunity to give your bike a little maintenance before you leave and follow the river downstream. Then you set course for the Oude Knegt. The Oude Knegt is a ground sailer that was built in 2003. The mill was originally built in 1981 and was made ready to grind in 1983. The mill burned down in the New Year's Eve of 2000/2001 because a flare set the mill ablaze. Although the mill was not completely destroyed, it was demolished. In 2002, construction of a new corn mill began, which was completed in 2003. The mill can be visited on Saturdays or by appointment. After that, the Dorregeest Mill is on the program. The octagonal windmill was built in 1896 on a polder of 185 hectares on the Schermerboezem. The predecessor of the current Dorregeest Mill burned down in 1895. From 1947 the mill fell into disrepair because it was taken out of operation. Between 1975 and 1978, the mill was restored little by little and it is running regularly again. The mill can be viewed by appointment. Another five kilometers further on in the wetland area, you will see the Tweede Broekermolen in Uitgeest. In 1631 the octagonal windmill was built and together with four other mills it drained the Uitgeest and Heemsterkerkerbroekpolder. The polder mill stands on a low stone base and the upper part is made of wood and covered with thatch. The mill is inhabited and the inside of the mill above the house is black soot. This is because the smoke from the stove used to be led outside through the mill. Special is the lazy work that is present in the mill, because this mainly only occurs in flour mills. In the industrial heritage park De Hoop, there is the small windmill De Hoop (reconstruction), which is also called the Corneliszoon. The tower mill stands on top of a building and powers woodworking machines. Built in 2010, the octagonal windmill is one of the youngest in the Netherlands. The mill had a predecessor from 2008, which was called De Jonge Leeuw. Because the loan of that mill expired, the current mill was installed. Then you come to Fort Kijk, which is part of the Defense Line of Amsterdam. Between 1897 and 1956 it was used as a fortification. Over the years, there have been quite a few adjustments to the fort, the associated bombproof buildings, the roof and two casemates. The original layout in the interior has been preserved and the numbers of the classrooms are still clearly visible on the walls. Since 2008, the inundation area near the Fort has been flooded at the beginning of March, so that geese and ducks can find food here. When you cycle through the built-up area in Heiloo again, you will arrive at the Ter Coulster estate. From 1404 to 1788, this estate was dominated by a magnificent castle. Nothing remains of the castle, not even a ruin that reminds of the heyday of the fortress. Now the estate consists of old forests in which a farmhouse from the nineteenth century and a tea house built in 1891 are hidden. You will see the last sight when you return to picturesque Alkmaar: the Molen van Piet. This octagonal tower mill is also known as mill De Groot. The mill was once built as a quay mill and has dominated the cityscape ever since. In 1884 the mill was bought by Cornelis Piet, who had a house built at the bottom of the mill. As a result, the mill was popularly known as the Molen van Piet and the original name was hardly used anymore. De Molen van Piet is furnished as a flour mill and is now used as a museum and as a home in 2013.