Tour of WIllemsoord

The cycle tour starts in one of the former free colonies, the Overijssel village of Willemsoord. A bit of history: in 1818 the Society of Benevolence was founded by General Johannes van den Bosch who wanted to help poor families after the French rule. Van den Bosch purchased wasteland in Drenthe and Overijssel to establish three free colonies where underprivileged families from the west of the Netherlands were given the opportunity to build a new life. The colonists were given a home with one hectare of land and the colony had facilities such as health care, religious and school education. Thanks to the contributions of a large number of reasonably wealthy Dutch people, the living conditions of the lower classes could be significantly improved.

The House of Orange was interested in the plans. The Crown Prince of Orange, the later King William II, gave Willemsoord its name. Willem paid for the construction of the school and teacher's home; the costs amounted to 1400 guilders for the realization of both buildings. Willemsoord was founded in 1820 and built according to a strict street plan. The colonies became defunct after the Second World War. However, as a modern continuation, the Willemsoord Activities Foundation was founded. This foundation is involved in organizing all kinds of social and cultural work and has a strong unifying task within the community.

The route then goes via beautiful rural roads to the next historical place, or at least the former residence of an important historical figure. Pieter Stuyvesant is the most famous resident Peperga has ever had. He was director general of New Netherland when New Amsterdam was the largest town. After his reign, the city was handed over to the English and called New York. Near the highway viaduct there is a monument to this historical figure: a boulder on which the model of the ship on which he reached America is mounted.

In the town of De Blesse you cannot miss the De Mars flour mill. This can be seen from afar in the flat and low land. From De Blesse you go through a beautiful polder area, the Catspolder, to the Lindevallei. The river De Linde is located in a valley formed by a glacier tongue and is a connection between the Weerribben-Wieden National Park and the Rottige Meente nature reserve. It flows through former low peat area and therefore has blue grasslands along the banks and a special vegetation of various orchid species. The cycle route passes through De Weerribben National Park, a beautiful water area with extensive water sports options. If you want to go through this on your own later, it is definitely worth it.

Near Paasloo is De Tonmolen, a unique example and the only one of its kind in the Netherlands. The barrel mill was originally built in 1899. The design was by a farmer who developed the type for draining his land that was regularly flooded. He could not build another type of mill with blades because he had to remove too many trees. The original barrel mill functioned for over 50 years but was lost in a storm in 1952. In 2002, a replica was made at the initiative of the IJsselham Molenstichting. The mill is now used to demonstrate its operation. On your way back to Willemsoord you will pass beautiful Overijssel farms and take wonderfully quiet rural roads.

It remains surprising how quiet this corner of Overijssel is, not yet discovered by mass tourism. A wonderful trip to completely relax.