Mills and polders between Alkmaar and Uitgeest

You start in Heiloo at Oesdom coffee & shop. You are very welcome here for a drink and a snack after you have finished cycling. Via Heiloo you cycle through the typical Dutch landscape. Along the way you will come across several windmills. Then you cycle around the Alkmaardermeer, a recreational area for water sports. The lake was originally a peat area created from swamps. That peat was excavated in the Middle Ages and ditches drained the excess water. Due to dehydration and subsidence, entire areas of land could be washed away during storms and high tides, creating the lake. After some time you cycle past Fort Marken-Binnen, which is part of the Defense Line of Amsterdam. The fort used to have room for 300 soldiers. Via Uitgeest and Castricum you continue the route back to Heiloo.