Along the coast of the Oosterschelde National Park

With this cycle route you will explore the island of Tholen. This is a special island with its picturesque villages and beautiful landscape. The sea wall of over forty kilometres long protects the land from the water. Vast polders with heavy clay soil are crossed by typical polder roads and bordered by characteristic flower dikes. Cut flower cultivation takes an important place on the island. This makes you enjoy beautiful coloured flower fields.

You first cycle past the harbour of Strijenham. It is worth getting off here and peering into the clear seawater. After the Oosterschelde was dammed, the water has become calmer and clearer and has an almost uniform salt climate. There is all sorts of things swimming around. Shrimp, crabs and if you look closely, maybe even a starfish. The Oosterschelde is the largest National Park in the Netherlands.

The wind always has free rein here on the island so close to the sea. That is why building a mill is always a good investment. Nowadays you will see many wind turbines, for example on the Oesterdam, south of the island. But also the authentic windmills that you encounter along the way with beautiful names such as the Korenaar, the Korenbloem, have worked hard in the past. The route continues on cycle paths inside and outside the dike. Sint Maartensdijk, which you pass on the route, is known as the place where the ancestors of President Rooseveld came from. The four freedoms monument in the center reminds us of this. Past Stavenisse you pass two small nature reserves, so-called welen, remains of previous dike breaches: Het Diepe Gat and the Geulse Weel.

Sint-Annaland has a marina on the Krabbenkreek, the water between Tholen and Sint Philipsland. The city of Tholen has a historic city centre, which is still largely surrounded by ramparts and fortifications. The city centre is also partly bordered by a harbour with a historic shipyard. Modern Tholen is connected to the mainland by means of the Tholen bridge over the Scheldt-Rhine Canal, a white arch bridge. Due to the construction of the Oesterdam, oyster farming disappeared from Tholen for good. Between the marina and the centre there are still a few remains of former oyster pits.