Den Helder, Anna Paulowna and Julianadorp

Our naval city and the beautiful bulb fields that give the Anna Paulownapolder such a colorful appearance. You follow the coastline to Den Helder, home of the Royal Navy. Most activities of our defenders in the water take place in or near the city. For example, the naval airport is a stone's throw away and a marine barracks is located on Texel. Most naval ships are anchored in the port of Den Helder. There is also a maintenance yard and many workshops and training courses, including the Royal Naval Institute (KIM). This route is especially recommended in the spring and summer months, because the sea of colorful flowers waving in the wind seem to come straight from a painting. It is an important horticultural area; Not only flower bulb cultivation is booming here, but all kinds of other agricultural activities are also carried out there, as you can see when you make your way through the picturesque polder. On the coastline you come to Fort Kijkduin. The fort was built in 1811 by order of Napoleon Bonaparte. Initially the fort was named after a colonel in Napoleon's army, Francois Louis Morland, but after the establishment of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815 the fort was given its current name. When originally built, the fort consisted of a brick reduit of 64 meters long with two bastions on the south side. The whole was surrounded by a dry moat. In 1822, a brick lighthouse was placed on the fort, and the twenty-two meter high tower was also provided with embrasures. That tower was replaced by Lange Jaap in 1877. In 1897 an armored observation post was placed on the roof. The fort is a national monument. You cycle around and through Den Helder and then find your way through the horticultural area until you reach Anna Paulowna. Here is a typical Dutch windmill: the Leonide. The mill looks like a traditional sawmill, but the windmill has never had a grinding function. In 2002, the mill was built for living purposes. Apart from the top wheel, there are no other drive parts in the mill. Parts of the Leonide are second-hand; The octagon, for example, comes from the former polder mill De Zeemeeuw in Uithuizen.