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A bustling city on the Zuiderzee, which has a historic harbor a stone's throw from the lively center. Hoorn has a rich history and managed to work its way up from a small town to the city with the largest port in the area, after Amsterdam. The economic growth and strength of Hoorn was briefly curbed in the eighteenth century. Part of the harbor was silted up at that time and the French troops stationed in the city were in charge there. In the nineteenth century, Hoorn was given the opportunity to grow again. At that time, the seeds were planted that made Hoorn the beautiful port city it is today. Another nice place you visit is Wognum. Archaeological finds show that Wognum originated around 900, but hand axes and arrowheads from the Bronze Age have also been found in the area. The village itself is located on the bank of an old stream channel and there are still some old peat streams nearby. Due to its location on the water, it is not surprising that residents of Wognum used to live mainly from fishing. In the seventeenth century, when Hoorn started to grow rapidly, Wognum benefited from this: shipping was also beneficial to the prosperity of the village. The fishing culture declined, but gave room for the agricultural sector to grow. There are thousands of fruit trees near Wognum and you will see a special mix of old agricultural buildings and more modern buildings. You start the route at Hotel De Magneet, located on the historic harbor of Hoorn. You follow the coast of the Zuiderzee and treat yourself to a beautiful view over the water. If you look more into the country behind it, you will also like the views over the extensive polders. This takes you to the Westerveer mill in the outskirts of Spanbroek. The polder mill was placed to drain the Westerveerpolder. The polder was given a separate mill, because it is located quite low and the water had to be pumped out regularly. This mortar mill was installed in 1873 for that reason. The Westerveer mill operated on wind power until the last land consolidation and the ground sailor has the honor of being the last mill to drain a polder using wind power. In 2013, the mortar mill is inhabited. As a final sight, when you leave the water and activity of the Markermeer behind you, you will see the De Krijgsman mill in Oosterblok. The wooden tower mill replaces another mill that stood here until 1862, but was destroyed during a storm that year. The mill that subsequently came to stand on this site also did not have a long life: it burned out in 1896 after being struck by lightning. De Krijgsman was built afterwards and is now well maintained by a foundation. When you return to the hotel, consider taking advantage of our cycling package and book an overnight stay so you can also explore route 127100. The hotel has an excellent kitchen, so when you have freshened up in your room, you can choose a cozy table for a romantic dinner by the harbor. You can have a nice drink on the terrace or prepare for the next day's bike ride, before retiring to your room to rest from the day's efforts.