Castle route Schouwen-Duiveland

Sea, beach, dunes, wind, nature, space and openness: Schouwen-Duiveland has it all. Bring binoculars because the flat, wide interior with the characteristic villages are interspersed with great views over the water. It is therefore not difficult to guess that Schouwen-Duiveland is a nice location for a short cycling holiday.

When you have got on your bike, you cycle via Crayenstein Castle in Burgh-Haamstede to Haamstede Castle. The history of the beautiful castle goes all the way back to the thirteenth century. In 1525 the castle was almost completely destroyed by a fire. The current fortress was therefore mainly built in the sixteenth century. The castle was last restored in 1973 and in 1981 it came into the hands of the Vereniging Natuurmonumenten. What is special is that the only deciduous forest of Schouwen-Duivenland can be found on the estate of Slot Haamstede.

The beautiful Slot Moermond is located on the 45-hectare estate of the same name, which is a protected nature reserve. The castle originally dates from the thirteenth century. In 1953 the castle was seriously damaged by weather influences and the flood disaster. In 2011 and 2012, the damaged walls of, among other things, the moat were repaired. Nowadays, the castle and the estate are made available for private occasions such as parties, business meetings and weddings, but the grounds with a wide driveway and a beautiful canal can also be visited by the public.

The last attraction is't Huys Grol. Grol means green and that is exactly what you see around this beautiful country estate. Usually these second homes were only inhabited in winter by the wealthy merchants who had them built. Often the owners earned their money by trading colonial goods. The history't Huys Grol goes back to 1599 and the house now bears the predicate National Monument. It is one of the few privately inhabited country estates in this area. In addition, the small estate is used as a guest house.