Boijl, Wolvega and Noordwolde

East of Wolvega you can cycle fantastic through the Lende valley. The Elzenbroek forests have closed the once open terrain reasonably well. They grow well because a large part of the peat holes became land and because the swampy area became increasingly dry. The peat lakes in the peat holes that did remain, still provide beautiful peat moss reed lands and ferns that attract dragonflies. You will also find sundew, pieces of blue grassland and more special species, such as star sedge and Spanish horseman. Cycling along the flowery hay meadows you will find oak groves, tree banks and canals, remnants of heaths and pieces of land on which vegetables are grown. Because of this variation, birds also find their way to the Lende valley. Meadow birds such as the lapwing and the curlew, but also the black tern and the bluethroat, which are attracted to the marshy area, and water birds such as the gadwall and the grebe like to float on the puddles in the Lende valley. And with all this diversity, the forest birds cannot be left behind: hawks hunt their prey while the great spotted woodpecker drums on the trees. The lucky cyclist catches a glimpse of the corncrake, crake and red shrike, which are very rare in this area. After almost 54 kilometers of cycling you will come across windmill Windlust in Noordwolde. The octagonal tower mill was built in 1859 and only got its position in 1880. It was a flour mill that operated on wind power. The Windlust had been powered by a diesel engine since 1921, but lost its grinding function in the early 1950s. Even after a restoration in 1961, the mill turned little. Since 1976, volunteer millers have been operating the mill almost every Saturday to prevent decay.