Round Hellevoetsluis

Voorne-Putten is a surprisingly green and quiet cycling area under the smoke of Rotterdam. You drive here through an area whose past and present have been mainly influenced by the surrounding water. You can see that history in the many dikes, watercourses and creeks in the open polder landscape. But also the still living history of the picturesque fortified towns of Hellevoetsluis and Brielle.

The first part of your route is unique: you cycle on an increasingly narrow strip of land between different waterways. The Hartel Canal flows on your left, a waterway that is part of the Europoort. The canal is located between the Oude Maas and the Hartelhaven on the Maasvlakte. While cycling you mainly see push boats with ore and coal that have the German steel industry as their destination. On the right you first drive along the Brielse Meer where you mainly see water sports enthusiasts. From the village of Zwartewaal you drive along the Shipping and Food Canal that connects the Brielse Meer and the Oude Maas. Around you you will find beautiful and varied views.

Via Spijkenisse you drive along the water to the town of Geervliet. From the polder you can already see the Bernisse Molen, a flour mill from 1851. The mill is built on a former defense tower of which the loopholes are still visible.

Until the nineteenth century, Hellevoetsluis was a prosperous town thanks to the port. However, around 1830 a canal was built to open up the port of Rotterdam, after which economic activity in Hellevoetsluis declined. During the Second World War, the town suffered another heavy blow: the Germans demolished a large part of Hellevoetsluis to improve their field of fire. In this way they hoped to better protect their U-boats moored here. After the war, a lot of hard work went into giving Hellevoetsluis back its old allure and it shows.

At the harbor you drive past De Hoop, a corn mill from 1801. You can also see the Dry Dock Jan Blanken that was built between 1798 and 1822. This oldest preserved dock in the Netherlands is unique in its construction and is well worth a visit. The ship door, a French invention, was unique in the Netherlands at the time.
The largely seventeenth-century fortress of Brielle is one of the best-preserved fortifications in the Netherlands. The fortress belt has been restored, you can admire nine bastions and five ravelins. Brielle, also called Den Briel, was taken by the Beggars from the Spaniards on April 1, 1572. The city still celebrates a historic liberation day on April 1 every year.