From Bleiswijk to Delft

This varied tour between Bleiswijk and Delft takes you through open fields and along water, but also through urban buildings and past historic sights. The Rottemeren nature and recreation area was created by peat excavation. After the draining of the surrounding polders, the water from the lakes started to function as a high storage basin. Due to the settlement and peat of the area, the Rotte and the Rottemeren are now much higher than the polders. The first part of your tour takes you through this polder area. You cycle through Delft. This fortified city received fortifications at the end of the thirteenth century. Three towers of the medieval city walls have been preserved: the Bagijnetoren, the Sint-Huybrechtstoren and the Rietveldse Toren. Delft developed into an industrial city in the 19th century. Due to the presence of a Technical University and the research institutes TNO and Deltares, Delft nowadays mainly profiles itself as a knowledge city. You cycle through the historic city center, with its many monumental buildings and old street pattern, a feast for the eyes. Flour mill Windlust was built in 1781, on the Hopsteegse tower in Delft. In 1885 the superstructure was transported to Nootdorp and reassembled on an octagonal stone substructure. In Nootdorp, the mill replaced an earlier seesaw flour mill. Grain is still milled on a voluntary basis and the mill can be visited on Saturdays.