Take a nice drive up Wieringen

From the village of Van Ewijcksluis you can drive straight onto Wieringen, a former island where you will find old villages, expansive views and a unique cultural history.

On Wieringen Wieringen was an island in the Zuiderzee for centuries. In 1924, the island was 'connected' to North Holland by means of dikes and land reclamation. From the moraines in this area, you have beautiful views over the low-lying polders, the Amstelmeer, the IJsselmeer and of course the Wadden Sea. You pass through picturesque villages such as Westerzand, Hippolytushoef and Den Oever. You pass two thatched corn mills: the Onderneming dates from 1851, the Hoop from 1675.

Robbenoordbos You cycle a bit through the Robbenoordbos and the adjacent Dijkgatbos. A unique piece of nature that was planted in the thirties with oaks, alders and beeches. Originally the forests were separate, in recent years they have grown together. The route takes you along the Amstelmeer that once formed a transition between the Wadden Sea and the Zuiderzee. Around Anna Paulowna you see many bulb fields.

Turbulent Wieringen Wieringen has a rich and turbulent history. In the ninth century, the island was a base for Danish Vikings for a short time. Centuries later, VOC ships returning from the East would put sick sailors ashore on the west side of Wieringen - more or less within sight of the ports of Enkhuizen, Hoorn and Amsterdam. This quarantine was intended to prevent diseases from spreading on shore. After the First World War, Wieringen served as a place of exile for the escaped German Crown Prince Wilhelm from 1918 to 1923. The story goes that blacksmith Jan Luyt from Hippolytushoef taught the Crown Prince how to forge horseshoes.