Gaasterland from the Rakken

From Woudsend it is beautiful to cycle towards the shelter of the Gaasterland forests and the cycle routes around the lakes offer you beautiful views over the open fields. In the many small villages you will become acquainted with Frisian hospitality and cordiality. Today we take a tour through Gaasterland. Your base Woudsend, the southernmost village in the municipality of Wymbritseradeel, is a water sports resort and also a protected village sight. The village is located on the route of the Elfstedentocht. In the summer, the bridge over the Ee in the center of Woudsend was a bottleneck for both road and water traffic for years. The construction of a ring road south of the village, of which the Ee Aqueduct is part, put an end to this nuisance in 2007. De Ee (Frisian and officially: De Ie) is a water connecting road between the Slotermeer and Tacozijl (IJsselmeer). In the Middle Ages, the Ee was much longer and formed a connection between the predecessor of the Zuiderzee and the Middelzee. The northernmost part of the remainder of this peat river is now the Noorder Ee and is located near Woudsend. What a varied route: you pass the marinas of Elahuizen on the Groote Noordwolderpolder and past Balk you cycle along the edge of the Starnumanbossen. These Starnuman forests owe their name to the Star Numan family. This family, like the Van Swinderen family related to them, owned large forest areas in Gaasterland for the exploitation of oak wood and oak bark. The Starnuman forests border the Lycklama forest and the Bremen wilderness, which were exploited by the Van Swinderens. The Starnuman forests have been managed by Staatsbosbeheer since the 1980s, which is trying to transform the western part between the Kippenburg and Ruigahuizen into a primeval forest. The Frisian region of Gaasterland is a completely different type of area than you would expect to find in the Frisian province: instead of a flat polder and meadow landscape, this nature reserve has richly rolling forests. The relief created by the rising and sloping landscape formed a natural protective wall against the water of the Zuiderzee, and now still against the water of the IJsselmeer. At the highest point in Gaasterland there is an air watchtower that offers a beautiful view of land and sea. The Clock Chair from Ruigahuizen is a beautiful example with a helmeted roof, where the roof covering consists of weatherboard planks. The chair is made of Bilinga hardwood and uses a flying clapper to ring the bell at funerals. The first mention of the bell chair dates from 1920.'t Zwaantje is a stone ground sailor that is located just outside the village of Nijemirdum. The polder mill was built in 1893, but possibly as early as 1878, to drain the Huitbuursterpolder. The observant visitor will see traces of an earlier mill from 1790 at this mill, which was destroyed by fire. The mill lost its function in 1956, but due to its status as a national monument it has been well preserved. The mill can be visited when it is running, but an appointment can also be made for this.