Along the coast of Oosterschelde National Park

With this cycling route you explore the island of Tholen. This is a special island with its picturesque towns and beautiful landscape. The more than forty kilometers long sea wall protects the land against the water. Extensive polders with heavy clay soil are crossed with typical polder roads and lined with characteristic flower dikes. Cut flower cultivation occupies an important place on the island. This makes you enjoy beautiful colored flower fields.

You first cycle along the harbor of Strijenham. It is worth getting off here and peering into the clear sea water. After the Oosterschelde was dammed, the water became calmer and clearer and has an almost uniform salt climate. There's all kinds of things swimming around. Shrimp, crabs and if you look closely maybe 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 the authentic windmills that you encounter along the way with beautiful names such as the Korenaar, the Korenbloem, have also worked hard in the past. The route continues on cycle paths inside and outside the dike. Sint Maartensdijk, which you pass through on the route, is known as the place where President Rooseveld's ancestors came from. The four freedoms monument in the center is a reminder of this. Beyond Stavenisse you pass two small nature reserves, so-called welen, remnants 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 center, which is still largely surrounded by ramparts and fortresses. The city center is also partly bordered by a harbor with a historic shipyard. Modern Tholen is connected to the mainland by the Tholense 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 center there are still some remains of former oyster pits.