Tour of Schouwen

Beautiful views over the water alternate with the inland of Schouwen-Duiveland. Schouwen-Duiveland is a cycling area par excellence. With a bit of luck you will see a bat around dusk, and you will probably encounter one or more Shetland ponies. The island not only offers nice encounters with animals, but the landscape value of Schouwen-Duiveland is also more than beautiful. There are many mills on the island. When they stand majestically on the horizon, you feel proud of this piece of Dutch cultural history. Probably the most famous village you will cycle through is Renesse. The ring village with the Jacobus church in the middle of the ring, has been a seaside resort since the beginning of the twentieth century. The first mention is from 1244. In that year the name "Riethnesse" appears, referring to the common reed plants and a corruption of the word landtong. Despite the fact that the village has less than 2000 inhabitants, it does have 26 buildings with the title of National Monument. The first sight of the tour you will encounter in Moriaanshoofd, when you have cycled six kilometres. Mill De Zwaan is a relatively low, black and octagonal ground sailor. The mill was used to grind corn and was built in 1866. It replaced a hollow post mill that had the same function. In 2002 the mill was restored and made ready to grind, but De Zwaan is no longer in operation. You leave the mill behind you and cycle to't Huys Grol. Grol, which means green, is one of the many typical country estates that used to be built frequently along the inner dune edge of North and South Holland and Zeeland. These second homes were usually only inhabited in the winter by merchants, who usually earned their money by trading in colonial goods. The history of't Huys Grol dates back to 1599.\\\'t Huys Grol is one of the few country estates in this area that is still privately inhabited. The small estate is also operated as a guesthouse and is a national monument. In Burgh-Haamstede you will find De Graanhalm, a corn mill that originated in 1847. The round, stone tower mill has a high landscape value due to all the greenery in the vicinity and because it is beautifully painted white. Nowadays there is a pancake house at the mill and the flour that is ground by the mill is processed into pancakes. The flour is also sold in the shop at the mill. In 2003 a saw frame was installed at the mill, giving it a combined function as a corn and saw mill. For a fee you can view an exhibition about the mill in the Graanhalm. When you arrive at the lookout tower in Burgh-Haamstede, get off your bike to climb the tower. The dune on which the tower stands is the highest dune top in the area. When you enjoy the phenomenal view from the tower, it is even likely that you are standing on the highest point of Schouwen-Duivenland. The lookout tower was built to celebrate the construction of the water supply and the pumping station of the Water Supply Company.