Opmeer, Nieuwe-Niedorp and Broek op Langedijk

Alkmaar is of course a huge tourist attraction, but you can also cycle further north! Take the village of Opmeer. Opmeer was first mentioned in 1310 as a small farming village. The name comes from the fact that Opmeer is situated above a lake. In the village of Hoogwoud you will find a beautiful museum farm where you can see how the land used to be worked.

This route also takes you through the beautiful Nieuwe-Niedorp. This place was first mentioned in 1298 and received city rights in 1415. Together with the Oude Niedorp, the city was given a new name: Stede Niedorp. Especially on the village street you will find a number of beautiful monuments that were built between 1600 and 1900.
The first sight of the route is the mill of the Kostverlorenpolder (hull/remains). The mill was built in 1860 as a ground sailor. After a lightning strike in 1860, the mill fell into serious disrepair, after which it was truncated in 1927. Today, only the hull remains of the mill. The mill hull is currently used as a home.

Then you cycle to the Polder Waarland, where another nice mill is located. The mill was built in 1571 as a ground sailer and functioned as a polder mill. The mill was originally built as a paddle wheel mill, but later screwed down between 1819 and 1863. The mill has a radius of no less than 25 meters. Unfortunately, the mill went out of operation in 1949 and was restored in 1973. The mill occasionally runs on a voluntary basis.

A little further on you will come to the mill De Vier Winden. This polder mill was built as a ground sailer in 1891. The mill went berserk in 1960, and was just prevented from burning down completely. The mill is still operational today and, in the event of major flooding, drains the water level of the polder De Lage Hoek together with the pumping station.

The last sight on this beautiful route is the De Lastdrager mill. This beautiful octagonal ground sailor was built in 1650 and functioned as a corn mill. The mill fell into disrepair after 1935 and was not restored until 1957. The last major restoration was carried out in 1971 and the mill was made fully operational again. The mill is now run on a voluntary basis and can be visited when it is running.