Gaasterland from the Rakken

From Woudsend it is wonderful to cycle to the shelter of the Gaasterland forests and the cycling routes around the lakes offer beautiful views of the open countryside. In the many small villages you will become acquainted with Frisian hospitality and cordiality. Today we make 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 view. The village is 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 a part, put an end to this nuisance in 2007. The 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 remnant 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 beyond 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 sloping forests. The relief caused by the ascending and descending landscape formed a natural protective wall against the water of the Zuiderzee, and still today against the water of the IJsselmeer. At the highest point in Gaasterland is an air watchtower that offers a beautiful view of land and sea. Ruigahuizen's Bell Chair is a beautiful example with a helmet roof, the roof covering consisting of weatherboard planks. The chair is made of Bilinga hardwood and with a flying clapper this chair sounds at funerals. The first mention of the bell tower dates from 1920.'t Zwaantje is a stone ground sailer that stands just outside the village of Nijemirdum. The polder mill 1893, but possibly as early as 1878, built to drain the Huitbuursterpolder. The attentive visitor can still see traces of an earlier mill from 1790, which was destroyed by fire. The mill lost its function in 1956, but its status as a national monument means it has been well preserved. When the mill is running it can be viewed, but an appointment can also be made for this.