17. Leeuwarden - Den Helder - Amstel Radler, Tour de Hollande

Stage 17 of the Amstel Radler"Tour de Hollande\\\" takes you from historic Leeuwarden to maritime Den Helder. A ride with wide views, especially if you drive over the Afsluitdijk. The route starts at De Walrus, which has been voted the best Frisian café of 2015/2016.

Surprising Leeuwarden
The first meters you stumble, so to speak, over the beautiful buildings. Old Leeuwarden is not for nothing in the top 15 of Dutch monumental municipalities. A striking building is the Oldehove, a sixteenth-century church tower that already started to sag during construction. In the countryside it is wonderfully quiet cycling through the vast grasslands. You will pass through old picturesque towns such as Dronrijp and Franeker: Friesland at its best!

On Wieringen
From the Afsluitdijk you have a beautiful view over the IJsselmeer and the Wadden Sea. The flood defense was opened in 1933: you now drive where the turbulent Zuiderzee once flowed. From afar you can see the beautiful Wieringen, the former island in the Zuiderzee. In 1924, Wieringen was'linked\\\' to North Holland by diking and reclamation.